Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1907-07-26

air existence OF the IOrl EQeS depended
left his fellows in the chartroom and
raced forward to where the Jagged lip
of the forehold hatch yawned to the
splashing brine Without lantern,
without SO much as a loo before him.
he lowered himself on to the twisted
battens below, with the clean water
raining on to him from above and
muddy wavelets squirting up from be-
low, and then when the steamer gave
a heavy scend and the more solid wash
from below smote him heavily upon
the thighs he loesed his grip and dived
like a stone through the trimming
shaftway Of the hatch
Seconds passed, a minute, two min
utes, and still he did not
Three minutes. Then the rounded out
lines of something black rolled TO the
surface and surged about Imply with
the swill Of the water.
For a while Ii staid so; then, swung
by a heavier pitch Of the steamer, was
washed to the back OF a stanchion,
where 1t hung. The stopping water be-
meath ebbed steadily, The valve in the
steamers bottom had been closed.
During a whole hour Patrick Cam
bel lodged behind that iron pillar, a
mere homeless mass OF flesh and clothes
and then the pains OF life came into
him again with Shivers and shutter
S2S L"1 NAA4A 6AuJ Ab5Al VI az dd W II
was fltering down through the jagged
opening above when first the trembling
lids slid from his eyeballs, but for still
another thirty minutes he was a thing
OF no wit, breathing, truly, but caring
naught for all the world contained.
Then a sucking, sobbIng noise from
the depths of the hold far beneath
broke upon his ear, and the languid
brain began to work. With an effort
he sat up, dizzily holding to the pill
lar, trying to think where he was and
how ran recent history, and by degrees
the details strollad back to him. Be
fore. however, he had gathered all his
senses or a working quantum of
strength he had a visitor in the shape
Of the donkeyman, who clattered up
over the decks with plate shod boots
and crouched at the top of the gap
above on knees and hands
Have you been getting hurt, now"
inquired the newcomer.
About nine-tenths drowned, l fancy,
II that counts. But I'm about all right
again now"
you don't look it." replied the DON
keyman c~andidly. Barring the tan
you'd be blue and lard color about the
face this minute. But / feared there
was something gone wrong through not
seeing we on the bridge, so l nipped
into the chartroom and pocketed a
whisky bottle that was lying conven-
lent in cass-pull at the small end,
Sor."
The bottle was landed down, and
Cambel lifted il his teeth chattering
against the nozzle like castanets, but
the spirit drove color into his face and
set the sluggish blood once more on
it's appointed journey through his hands
and trunk.
What has occurred since 1 left
your" he asked.
We'll, first, sor, the captain and my
self had a little friendly discussion
o what's been happening, and came
to a bit of financial agreement. But
l will say that | figured me new terms
very low when / understood it was a
thrifie of conspiracy hat ye wanted mo
to stand in at And then, sor, we went
below to the engine room and turned
steam into the bilge pumps to hGare
this nasty slOp Of water after which.
as chief, | set about making a reEair
TO the low pressure engine. You soc.
when that explosion took place a BIT
of a casting jumped into the Crruk pit
n got damned there hard before they
could stop her. I've had a fair 60 at
elbow work cutting it out cold, but it's
clear now, and she runs as sweCtly as
she did the day she left the shops. But
oh Mr.. Cambel. | wish you Cocld see
the old a The sight of thai little
chap shoveling coals and swearing and
tumbling and burning himself is cnorgh
to make the ghosts Of some dead fire
men l know about grin and dances
and jigs in their Araves."
The donkeyman was inclined TO be
g~arrulous and evidently lusted for a
considerable chat, but with returning
strength Cambel's anxiety grew on him
again. and he climbed out on deck
keen to be once more In acton. His
knees were lottery, and the d~onkeymau
gave him an arm aft. But when he
had climbed up the ladder and gained
the bridge deck he stood for a minute
staring, then threw up his hands and
pitched onward onto the planking as
though a bullet had smitten the life
In his brain.
The big donkeyman also was startled
Out of the morning mists of the south
there a come up a small center
board of some fifteen tons.
an FISHERMAN perhaps In the season
and now a sponge ~gatherer or a mere
coaster, She was coming down over
the seas as dry as a gull. driving along
under her boom f~oresail and lib. The
do~nkeyman's y hung on her as she
spurged past the rust streaked flank of
the steamer some twenty fathoms away
mot because the sight of a little white
painted schooner was new TO him. not
because he was impressed by the dan
ger to the Port Edes' enterprise in her
being seen by any one, but on account
of the tiny vessel being handled. in
what to her was distinctly ugly wealth
er, by so extraordinary a person as a
young and pretty girl. No one else was
on deck, and the girl sat on the coam-
ing of the cockpit. tiller In one hand.
ttller rope In the other, as unconcern-
edly as though she had been an ancient
mariner bred and aged in fore and
alters
She was a girl, too, with looks much
to h Irishman's liking, with copper
red hair whose ends blew out from be-
meath a green Italian nightcap, laugh
ing, impudent features, with the color
whipped up into warm pinks by the
wind; a figure of pretty curves. and the
shapelist little brown fists In the world
splayed on the tiller and gripping the
restraining tiller rope. She was pretty
much UP to the eyes in her steering, but
she found time TO throw an oeiliad to-
ward the steamer. which Mr.. Sullivan
answered with a yell intended to show
his complete admiration and q swirl of
his greasy car II was Their that Cam
bel fell. and the donkeyman took his
eyes from the schooner and picked him
up and once more applied the whisky
bottle More drowned than I thought
for he mutttered. It'll be a pigs
mess for us If he goes ill.,"
But Patrick Cambel had not tainted
thRntr~k ~ AfYn.t 80 hf- $1,000 --...