Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-03-19

COurtenay held her glued to his left side.
Courtenay had halted. The sailors saw
them. During the first lull one of the
men said:
THE senior captain is escorting one
of the English senoritas from the sa-
Ion"
Where is he taking her tor asked
another.
WHO knoWS!"
at will be all the same wherever she
is. If the ship goes, we go"
''Who can tell? These English are
stupid. They always. try to save wom-
en- first. Once when I was on the
A few words in Spanish reached
them from Mr.. Boyle, and they went
on with their work. But such mutter-
ed condolences are eloquent of mis-
chief when the pinch comes.
At the forward end of the prone
made deck just beneath the bridge Ell
sic received another reminder of the
force of the wind, which was rendered
almost intoIerable by the flashing of
the spray.
'I-can't-go on" she gasped. Cour-
| tenay felt rather than heard that she
was speaking to him Without further
ado he picked her up in his arms and
| deposited her, all flushed and breath
| less, in the shelter of the fore salon
hatch. If she Were so anxious to see
her friend the doctor, he was deter
| mined she should not be disappointed.
mo time for explanations" he said
while she tremblingly clutched at a
rail which gave support down the
: ompanionway. Or ChristObal is be.
low, butt fear you will find a shock
ing scene. Perhaps you had better LEI
me take you back"
mo, no; not on my account I think
am past feeling any sentiment.
would far rather do something, be OF
some use, however slight"
| 4 pungent smell of iodoform> came
to them up the hatchway. Joey, who
had followed bravely in their wake
and was now few steps down the
stairs, crept back, awed
AT least let me ask Dr. ChristobaI
if you may come You will be quite
safe here if you grip the rail. Even il
a sea breaks over the hatch it cannot
touch you. May leave you? And dc
you mind holding JoeyY'
Elsie detected a return to his earlier
manner, and she was grateful to hin
for it. She did not like him so wei
when he was stern and curt.
Yes" she said. '"That is only rea
sonable, but please tell him l shall no
be in the way. / know that there are
wounded men to be attended and dead
men down there too. l shall no
scream or faint, believe me-"
81 am sure of that. Not one woman
in a thousand could have played an(
sung to cheer others as you did aftel
the accident happened
1t might have been the reaction from
her exciting passage along the deck
but Elsie experienced 4 sudden warn
glow in her face. Somehow it was de
lightful to hear those words from sucl
a man in the hour of his supremes
trial, for she realized what it mean
to him, even though his life wer,
saved, If the Kansas became a wreck
She stopped, ostensibly to grasp tn,
dogs collar.
Before you leave me-" she said, "le
me tell you how sorry / am for you"
He ran down the stairs and entered
the small salon, which had beer
hastily converted into n hospital. Per
haps it would be better described as /;
mortuary, for it held more dead thar
living. Christobal, aided by two sail
ors, was wrapping lint around fire
mans scared arm. Happily there wa
an abundance of cotton sheets avail
able, and the men tore them into strips
But the comparatively small supply 0
cotton wool carried in the ships store
and in the doctors private medicin
/, chest had long since given out.
Miss Maxwell is here. She aske,
me to bring her TO you in case sh
might be able to render you some as
sistance," explained Courtenay.
Christobal drew himself upright
with the slowness of an elderly ma
, whose joints are stiffening.
Miss Maxwell hereT' he repeated
obviously surprised. If not displeaset