Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-07-04

and see Pcary's ship!"
Betsy Cobb jumped ut her brothers
words and gaZed with sudden intent
ness out the window. She had come
up to his office for n few moments
chat. and, as she felt the blood pound
ing into her cheeks and up to her hair,
she wished poignantly that she had
stayed away To the Roosevelt, in
deed!
Its too cold" she objected, simulat-
ing a shiyer. Wen freeze getting out
there"
"Bosh! Get on your gloves. 1t isn't
every day that one has a chance to
climb over a vessel that's been within
hailing distance of the north pole. I'll
just cut my appointments. What's the
trouble?"
She had baked fatty at the gentle
urgency of her brothers hand on her
arm.
81 won't go" she declared.
The doctor laughed good hnmoredly.
whats up? Is some tickle admirer
who forgot for the first time to send
you a box of candy for your birthday
due out there this afternoon? Come
on. 1t isn't every day l can run off,
and it's no pleasure to go alone"
Betsy's head swan with a perspec-
tive of chain of horrors opening up
by her acquiescence; but, on the other
hand, her brothers curiosity was not
to be aroused too much. He had
most uncomfortable habit of going to
the bottom of things.
We'll" she said reluctantly, "Tll
GO" She laughed a bit Historically.
''But I'd rather he hanged"
Her brother remembered with some
uneasiness that Betsy had not been
herself of late. She was not so gay
and fun loving as usual, and he often
caught her incoming. That was what
she was doing back at the Office just
now, and it decided him to run away
with her for awhile.
Betsy don't you feel well?' he
asked as they scrambled off a cross
town car at the ferry slip.
"Botheration, yes! What silly
question: But, though her words
We're careless, she avoided his eyes and
looked off down the Hudson. You
can't get across this day." she an
nounced. with perceptible relief. THE
ice is all caked up here on the New
York side, so that launch couldn't
possibly get through"
Wen hire ferry, then" said her
brother cheerfully. One thing was GER
tain-the Roosevelt had something vi,
tai to do with her state of sulks. Good!
He would probe further.
rs there any way of getting out to
the PeaTy ship?" he inquired of a
policeman.
ice is pretty bad. No boats going
out of here. but maybe if you walk
up TO Fortyfourth street you can Get
ON a bigger boat. They been out once
today. Guess you'd better go across
to Jersey, though. No ice over there.
and you can hire some one to take you
out to midstream. The Peary boat is
nearer the Jersey shore anyhow" he
called after the determined looking
physician, who had seized his sisters
arm as the ferry gong sounded and
was hustling her ON board.
Betsy looked furtively at the vessel,
lying low and gray, with her nose up
stream, as the ferry passed. There
was much deep interest amounting
even to fascination In her glance, but
she feigned extreme Indifference. Sew
eral other people were evidently on
the same quest, and as the ferry near
ed the Jersey shore cry of disappoint-
ment went up. Not a launch or row.
boat in sight! 1t looked very much as
though those who were not good swim
ho tp
with ferry glimpses of the famed ship,
and cameras began swapping industri-
ously.
Again Betsy's manner became more
spontaneous.
You will get out to the Roosevelt,
will youE" she twitted her brother joy
ously. We'll, l don't envy you the
swim in this temperature. Fortunate
ly I'm girl and so exempt"
''IIo, | don't know! Plenty of row.
boats around here somewhere. You'll
handle the oars all right You are the
most indefatigable croaker ever saw"
Following the directions of long
shoreman, he guided Betsys tagging
footsteps for five minutes across the
bridge, down interminable flights of
stairs, across the road to the wood
pile" and brought up before rotten
log enmeshed in Ice cakes that led out
to a row of decrepit old canalboats
lying out of commission along the
shore. \ man appeared around the
corner of the little turret on top of
one of the boats and asked If they
could row.
well, I should say" the doctor
shouted
And Betsy was forced to scramble
up the perpendicular old ladder on to
the boat, thence across and down a
ladder into a fiat bottomed old fishing
boat, at the other end Her brother
took off his overcoat and wrapped It
about her carefully before he seized
thetoars and fell in with the stroke of
thetold river man.
The doctor was studying Betsy
closely. 1t looked to him very much
like case of the heart, he speculated
as they drew near the ship. When she
weakly made excuse to remain in the
rowboat while her brother clambered
over the ship, he was certain that the
masculine reason lurked on shipboard.
So Betsy, perforce, boarded the Roose-
velt.
The ship was in gala dress, with