The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-01-27


morning. IRA Sparrow, in the You and
| !. was there already. and the .'chug.
i chug," Of his naphtba engine was heard
as he came rushing to meet them.
Brad. cap'n E,z,' he hailed. as soon
as they we're in shouting distance.
shes shifted like time in the night.
1 swan. / b'iieve we can git her OF
this tide
This was such unexpected good news.
for they had figured OH another week
at least. that the partners could scare
~ believe Il.
'.sre you sure?' shouted Bradley.
leaning over the Lizzie's bow.
Pretty nigh sure. Look for your
self"
They shot up to the wreck, to find
the cable, that had been left tight and
rigid. hanging loose. An inexperienced
eye could see that the lumber schooner
had changed her position. Her bow
was now almost in a line with the
edge of the shoal and. even in the slack
water of the last of the ebb, she was
rocking appreciably in the cradle her
hull had made in the sand beneath it.
Great scissors to grind.' shouted
Captain Titcomb. shell do it as sure
there. boys-lively.'
They clambered up the side and fell
to work like sharks around a dead
whale. Bradley got up steam in the
donkey engine. As soon as possible
they started the windlass and hauled
the cable taut.
''She feels it. boy: she feels it.'
cried the captain Give it to her,
,t,a
he added, while we're waitin' for the
tide to turn we might s well roust
out little more OF the cargo. No use
to lay back and let Providence do it
all. The Lord helps them that helps
themselves. as the darby said when he
found the hen house door unlocked.
Hatches off. men. Dive into it therev'
They rugged the blocks and tackle
and began swinging bundles of ma
hogany strips from the hold over the |
side. The tide turned. and the water
on the shoal grew deeper. The Ruth
CHM rocked in her sand cradle. Every |
little while they hove taut on the |
cable in order to take up every inch |
of slack.
It was exhilarating. exciting work, |
this fight with old ocean. and Bradley |
and the captain gloried in the sheer |
joy of it. They were winning and win
ming not only goodly sum Of money, |
but the first big prize that would DEM
onstrate their ability to carry through |
larger and more important contracts. |
The forenoon passed.
"Cap'n En- suddenly beloved Ira
from the You and I. "She's movin'!
Come up on your cable''
The captain jumped to the windlass
and Bradley to his engine. The cable
frightened and slowly. inch by inch,
wound back over the windlass barrel.
From beneath the Ruth CHM came
sliding grating sound, the most well
come sound in the world to the wreck
ers. Bearse, picking up a heavy coil
Of rope from the deck, tossed it to Ira.
''That's the stuff, Alvin!' roared the
captain approvingly. MAKE it fast in
the bows. Now, Ira, put your power
on to that line
The You and leaped out into deep
water and, with her naphtha engine
coughing furiously, pulled doggedly at
the new tow line. The grating under
the keel of the lumber schooner grew
louder: she uuivered from stem to
stern: the cable crept inboard faster
and faster.
Then there came a shake, a roll that
caused Peleg Myrick to lose his foot
ing and tumble into the scuppers, and,
with triumphant wallow. the Ruth
CHM slid off the shoal. And from her
deck and from that of the You and
went up yell that scared the gulls
fishing away over on the Razorback.
They drew her into the channel, well
out Of danger. and anc nored her firm
w. bow and stern.
"Therev' said the captain trium-
phantly. "She'll stay there till we can
get a tug from Vineyard Haven. Well