St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1907-12-21

uGChuUuSG TOOI. Again Inc uFS SUOEt
blasts as the starboard light turned
north beyond the pier. then was gone.
Here's hopin'," growled Billy as he
whirled the wheel over. He was hang
ing on grimly, fer at times the tug
stood about on end. A sea smashed
ona Of the pilot-house windows and
he fixed it as best he could by the dim
pinnacle light. He dashed the wheel
to course two points east of north.
In the b1ackness he could see only the
white crests of waves. The painting of
the tugs exhaust told him Kelly was
stoking likea fiend and that O'Neil was
squeezing the last ounce out of his big
engine, 16 square. Ahead was black
ness, the maddened waters and the in
frequent flash of rockets.
It was still dark when Billy. saw, as
the tug topped a great wave, a ships
light ahead twinkle moment where
the whitecaps marked White Shoals.
At dawn he had a line to the derelict
and the great seven-inch hauser was
going to her oversize; an hour later
they were fast by the forward towing
post. 1t would be easy in such sea
to trip on the hauser and turn turtle"
or to be snatched by a great wave and
have the hauser break. The barge on
the shoal was an ore freighter loaded
to the waters edge, heavy tow.
With his hand on the bell cord to
signal to O'Neil, Billy. muttered:
Here's for Mary and better"
He rang, the engines started, then,
crash! Billy's Christmas wishes were
cut short; the tow post was gone and
water poured into the hole in torrents.
It was hours later when they got that
hauser again, when the tugs hoarse
whistle roarea, "All right" and the
below of the stranded barge replied.
It was dreary work and Billy and the
crew were gaunt with hunger and
WEAKNESS.
Again slowly in the teeth of the
wind they went ahead, jerked tremen-
dously at intervals when the waves
snatched the tow. When they were
getting into deeper water O'NeiPs en-.
gines suddenly stopped, and ten min
utes later the barge had drifted back
to the shoal. The eccentric had slip.
ped; the tug was but driftWood; bad
business in such sea.
Billy Noonan and O'NeiF kept her
afoat someway, and all the time Billy,
still clutching the wheel, was mutter.
;no 0a NEar1r ord Hbr;sfrooo. no had
strange vagaries, but was still sane as
a skipper. When at last the frantic
hammering in the engine room ceased
near evening of the next day, they
were still near to the barge that was
pounding on the shoals. The sun
broke through the clouds, red sun
near to setting beyond the tossing wa
tiers, the sunset of Christmas eve.
It was never clear how they got the
slow steel barge to move SO fast once
they got her off again. But in the
midnight hours when st. Nick, Kris
Kringel and all the Christmas fairies
were abroad on land, when the last
embers of the yule logs smouldereG
cozily under lines of stockings II
many, many homes, the Alice Riley'i
deep whistle sounded off the Charlie
voix pier Capt. Riley still sat before
his fireplace, waiting hopefully-a!
was his nature. But for the hundredtl
time he looked about the room a
Mary's pitiful efforts at Christina
decorations. Suddenly he heard, fain
but unmistakable, the bass call of thu
Alice Riley.
Instantly he picked up his crutcl
and raped on the door of Mary
room. So quickly did she appear, sus
piciously red-eyed but smiling, sh
must have been awake, too.
Listen" he cried, holding up hi
hand.
/ Boo-6o-oom, boooo-oom. boo-oo-oom
"All right"
| Again, deep, full and growing les
faint, the whistle sounded, "All right.
THAT means Christmas for all O
us, Mary, in spite of the fish"
/ Then there came a succession 0
short, sharp toots and the captai
stared perplexed. With twinkle h
turned to Mary.
do you know what that means
Mary?" he asked.
! She flushed crimson, but before sh
put her arms about her father wit
a hug that he understood she fashe
her answer from the bow window wit
a lamp. The captain, smiling, for
long time sat looking at a picture owe
the mantel, the picture of her mothel
Merry Christmas" he said to the pit
ture, very softly. Il knew, it woul
come"
4 Billy brought it-and Billy had i
an unforgetab1e Christmas-with th
Riley's. When at last he rolled in
with Kelly, the fireman would have hi
joke-he called it MARY Christmas. -