The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-22

ness to see that you get back home all right, and mighty soon at that!'
 "Listen" she cried suddenly, raising her hand. Sly quick reports came down on the rdush of the icy wind, and tho last brought with 1t a scream, mufled, but shocking Masters sprang for the lad der and reached the deck in time to see Murhpy pitched headforemost through the open door of the wheel house to the deck. Salters was peering at him from the sheltey of the hatch. Masters rolled the prostrate man on his back.
 "Cashed in,' he obsedved to Salters.
 Now, who's goin' to steer!' growled salters angrily "Lansing's sick as a fool an l got to run the engyne."
 Masters eyes sparkled. Don't ye reck- on I could if you showed me how to do it?" he asked with eager diffidence. There were four bullet holes through the light structure of the wheel house: Masters felt that to stand there, the wheel in his hands, successfully directing the course of tha, great vessel, would be the proud est achievement of his life.
 Come n an try then,' grunted Sal ters and leaped across the deck and up to the wheel with a nimbleness surpris- ing in a man of his burly size. Mas ters followed eagerly.
 Git a-hold of her-huh" panted Sal ters, breathless again. Now twist her the way you want her to go-head for that star where she's pintin now"
 ''Over-top O that pole on the front of herr"
 ''Huh-thats 1t. now twist her leetle they way-huh-you don't need to twist the wheel often her-huhi'
 Satisfied that the mans intelligence was equal to the novel task, Salters climbed below to the warm engine room; Masters, grinning with delight utterly unmindful of occasional bullets ripping past him. held the wheel in an ecstacy A few min utes later the firing grew more distant when Salters returned to see how the raw helmsman fared.
 "Why It's easy as ropn' a steer cried Masters proudly delighted.
 "Huh-she's beginnln to go," grumblcd Salters "Oncet them engynes gifts het up she'll run like q scart dog" he added
 Lord O lovei" cried Masters, ''jes' lux at them waves! Amt they dandes7" Ha glanced over the starboard bow and al most yelled with excitement at what loomed suddenly on the sky line.
 Hey, Salters-what's that thing ?-ioe- berg?"
 ''Huh-sehooner tackin in-shore here where it's still water answered the other and climbed below to the hot. oily comfort of the engine room. Lansing was there, all but comatose from nausea.
 Masters grpped the little wheel In a glory of achievement. He had awaited the charge of grizzly on foot, with a rife in his hands, he had fled across the Bad Lands with a sheriff and a posse at his heels. He had helped to hold up the "lim- ited," and had rustled many a COW but this, ah, this was differentl This was life! This soaring through the glittering, star-fecked. spray-1own night with the white seas crashing on either side, and a vast. vague limited expanse of ocean ahead, This ocean. previously to him q myth a term, now encompassed him: his little life lay in it's great grasp here before him there loomed ship, a great ocean traversing ship; he looked at her as much as he dared to lift mind and eye from his task. Perhaps she was cmoing from Africa, from Asia, from South America, dream words all, mere names, yet tonight sharp and real-and then mindful of his charge, his keen eyes swept back to the bow of his own ves- gel as 1t wove figures on the white hori- zon. His straight brows came lower, and the thin lips compressed from the lnten- sity of his effort to hold true course; 1t was not that he dreaded capture or the shots which had ceased without his ob- servance; 1t was the desire to do the thing well In the face of this great, watchful element to whom he was stranger.
 A little later Salters came into the wh eelhouse.
 Whats all this you been telling that fairy about seein' her safe home?" he demanded roughly of Masters, who had rather expected little appreciation of his skill as a helmsman
 The cowboys head revolved slowly until his face was almost against that of the older man, and all that was criminal in him lurked in the lines about the hard mouth, narrowed eyes and high oh eek bones. It was his fate had been in the past his fate to hear the wrong words just at the wrong time; many a dog is spoiled in this way
 That's somethin' we'll discuss when we get to the aidge of the timber, Mir Salters, sir" He answered in a dry voice of ill-omened politeness.
 Its somethin' we'll discuss right noww clustered Salters, beginning to pant.
 "All right. MT. Salters." said the cow boy GO ahead and discuss then, an be d- to you" He looked ahead and slightly twisted the wheel. but his line of vision was to the side as well as the fore. Salters began to sound. Masters face was now purely criminal.
 Lansing says he heard you promis- in her to eee she go gack home"
 'Lansing's got years like a jack rab-