Evening star., 1907-11-11
CHAPTER VII.
Until the Dawn.

Walker was about to take her to the
saloon. whence an inner staircase COM
municated with the principal staterooms.
but she knew that the door leading to the
promenade deck had been let unlocked
so she signaled him to lead her the
speediest way. Speak she could not. AL
though there was perceptible improve
ment in the weather. Elsie found the wind
even harder to combat than when she
traversed the deck with Courtenay. This
apparent contradiction arose from the
fact that during their early dealing with
the boats the sailors had cut away the
greater part of the canvas shield rugged
to protect passengers from adventurous
seas.
Nevertheless. all 1ustered and breath
less as she was, she held Walker back
when he would have left her in the
shelter of her cabin.
DO spare me one moment" she pleaded
When l have put on dry clothing, what
am | to do? Where am I to go? l will
do ANYTHING rather than remain alone
Walker jammed himself in the doorway
to break the violence of the unceasing
deluge of spray.
well, missile" he said TN examining
the engines. Mistaw Tollemacle is fl wing
bal is with Mstaw Boyle You know
whe-aw the captain is, so I weckon yo
best place is the saoon.'
DIR. Christobal said you were making a
raft?'
That's wight But when the ship got
off we tackled othaw jobs. She is ow-ah
best watt"
'And-do you think-we have any
CHANGER"
"Nevah say die missile. Owt can hap
pen at sea-
She made guess at the meaning Of
"oWt"
May 1 not look after some of the in
jured men?'
That you can't" was Walkers prompt
assurance. You'd bettaw stick to the
saloon. III tell the. captain yo' the-aw"
Tell him? Are you returning to the
brdge?"
"Telephone,' shouted Walker. as an un-
usually heavy sea caused him to slam
too. Not if he could help 1t would his
charge come out on that storm-swept
deck unattended.
The electric light glowed brightly in
Elsles cabin: exactly as she had left it an
hour ago. This was one of the anomalous
conditions of the disaster 1t lent a queer
sense of midsummer madness to the
nights doings. In few days it would be
Christmas. the Christmas of sunshine and
flowers known only to that lesser por-
ton of the hahitable earth south of the
line. In Valparaiso the weather was
sitting, yet here, not very far away.
1t was bitterly cold And the ship vas
driving headlong to destruction though
electric bells and switches We're at com
mand In luxuriously furnished apart
ment. while the engineer had just spoken
o. the telephone as a means of conversing
with the captain Away down in her
feminine heart the girl wondered why
Courtenay himself had not come to her
Why had he sent Christobal first and
Walker subsequently,? Oh. of course, he
had more urgent matters to attend to.
though. in the helpless condition OF the
ship, it was difficult to appreciate their
precise degrees of Importance
Anyhow. he had sent word that she was
to change her clothes. and he must be
nheyed, as DR.. Christohal said. Then she
discovered, as quite new and physically
dfsagreeable fact. that her skirts were
soaked up to her knees. while her blouse
was almost in the same condition. owing
to the quantity of spray which had run
down inside her thick ulster.
1t was an absurd thing to he afraid Of
after all she had endured, but Elsie cried
little when she realized that she had