La Junta tribune., 1907-07-06
In Shallow
Waters.
BY KIRK MCGEE.
Copyright. 1897. by Mary McKeon.

When II became known throughout
] the town and the fishing fleet that aft
er one more trip to the Banks Dave
Bliss. who had for three years been
mate OF the Swordfish under the cap.
taincy of Josh Baker. would take out
the Mary and Jane and become n cap
| tain himself. there was not begrudg-
Ing word or Il selfish thought
| Dave was n young man and popu-
lar one. He was good sailor and
was In love and was already engaged
| TO Captain Bakers daughter Mary. and
the talk was that they were to be mar
red the day he assumed his new COM
mand II II had been for Captain Bak-
er to choose u sOn-in.law from the nifty
single men In the fishing fleet. be
would have held out his hand to Dave
| In preference. They had fought the
perlls OF the sea together for three
years, and they had come to know each
other as iandsmen can never know one
| another. -
4 Sut on Tue nuuAa tbaS uuy - W."
saualIy weather. The air was cold and
raw, and the sea heaved UP and CUR
gled and growled as II demanding vic
tins. Every craft needed watching.
and none was more closely watched
, than the SwordHsh. There came mo-
ment. however. when the captain was
below for n drink OF something hot.
and the mate had his eyes on tramp
steamer shcnriug her way through the
feet. and that very moment 1t was
when sQuall struck down with the
swlftness Of a cannon ball. and the
Swordfish was thrown on her beam
ends.
| 1t was inevitable that confusion
sholld follow. With her masts fat on
the water and her sails bellying out.
keel, aud 1t was the mate himself who
| seized an AZ from Its beckett and cut
away the shrouds. letting the strain
take them overheard. 1t was the only
| thing to do TO save the schooner. anil
he periIed his life In the doin. Of 1t.
That went for naught. however. No
man Is so jealous Of his reputation US
fisherman. He knows. and his owners
| know, that there must he accidents mt
sea. no matter what the vigilance. but
| for all that an accident is snirch ana
nn injury to his reputation.
So II was that the news ran through
the neet OF sixty sail almost us II by
telegraph. that the Swordfish had been
| dismasted in a sQuali which had spared
l oil others. There must have been care
iessness. Of course. Captain Baker
blamed Dave Bliss. and Dave Bliss re-
sented the criticism. so the nrst OF the
deet to reach home had story to tell
that quickly spread all over the town.
The fisher craft that goes down at seq
Is talked OF for 4 week. The fisher
craft that loses mast or set OF sails
Is not forgotten for six months.
| When the Sworlfsh came linpinR
| home a we4i or 10 behind all others.
there was a gulf between master and
mate The crew were divided In senti-
| ment 1t was the same with the towns
people. When 1t was known that the
craft had arrived. Mary Baker sat at
the window and waited for her father
] and lover They had always come to
!, the house in company upon their re-
| turn. The hours went by, and ut last
the father arrived alone His face was
stern set aud hope went out Of her
heart ns she saw it. She had heard the
gossip of the early arrivals, but hoped
| that II was exaggerated. She knew
that the fleet and the town had taken
sides. but she believed In her lover.
"Iic'll never enter my door again.,
/! said the father as he stood and looked
at the girl
"But it couldn't have been his fault.
| and we are to be-to be married." she
protested
"He should have seen the squall. He
shouldn't have lost his head afterward
and cut away the masts. He comes
here no more. He shall never be SON
ln-law Of mine. l want to hear nothing
more about It"
That evening Mary received note
from Dave by the hands Of boy. He
said not n word against her father
He simply asserted that he had done
the best he could and that before see-
ing her again he would wait for public
opinion to change. He had not lost
the confidence OF the owners OF the
| Mary and jane. She would be ready
for sea In ten days. He hoped that his
Mary would believe in him and that
things would come right In the end.
The reply he received strengthened
and encouraged him. and he went
about his affairs as II the gossip Of tho
town were nnught to him. The Mary
and Jane sailed with the feet. Aye.
more than that. she headed 1t. 1t had
been predicted that she would prove
q fiier. but when her canvas had been
stretched and her rigging tightened up
she smoked along like steam. 1t was
herr misfortune to pass the Swordfsh
(, close aboard. During the two weeks
on shore Captain Baker and his old