The Washington times., 1908-12-26
CHAPTER XXI.
WHAT BOAT IS TIATT'

Jant slOOp- All hands were
now peerins in that direc.
tion.
By heck" cried the old seaman who
had previously spoken, she's Iayin'
pretty low N the water"
He stared a few seconds longer; then
hurriedly disappeared. Others whom
Helene strove to question in regard 70
tho little boat also seemed to have i'm
portant business which at once took
them out Of her way.
At last with a low cry and a clutch
ing Of her hands upon the rail. she rec
ognized the truth for herself.
The craft ahead was wreck, water
logGed, her mast and rigging gone, her
bUlwarks stove in. the roof OF her deck
house smashed, her deck almost
awash.
The absence OF any signal OF distress
or sign Of life aboard her showed plain
Iy that she had either been abandoned
or that her crew had perished.
With INTENDED helm she now rolled
like a log 10 the seas, an evident vic
tim Of that recent fierce hurricane, and
destined to drift a while longer until
another storm should send her to the
bottom
Perhaps it isn't his boat, dearie,''
said Aunt Margaret, passing her arm
around the girls stiff strained figure.
They tell me she is so low in the
water that they can't make out the
name"
Not his boat?' Helene almost
Spurned the attempted consolation in
her broken-hearted despair. what
other slOop Of that size would be crIis-
ing alone in these seas? Men with the
courage to try such a hazard are not so
many. let me tell you"
StiI the old lady's effort at enco1r-
agement was not wasted. Despite her
seh' a faint ray Of hope fickerec IN
IN the girls heart Oh. if such a. mir
acle could happen as that this might
not be the Helene
Gripping the rail with both hands
she clung there. her eyes wild and
staring, her lips moving silently in
prayer, while a boat in charge Of the
second officer put of TO make a eau
tous examination
Carefully the mate stepped upon the
shattered deck ana peered down into
The hatches- Then he let himself down
the forward companionway, and came
back with little bundle Of salvage
papers and such like.
What's her name?' hailed the can
tain. unable any longer to control his
impatience.
The mate shook his head The wind
was blowing In a contrary direction
and he could not hear
What's her name?''
No, I don't think she's been aban-
EHW
crew had been washed overheard. No
body alive on her now, at any rate
Shall 1 come aboard, sir?"
What's her name?" beloved the
captain, in an effort that almost split
his throat
'Eh? What's her manner Why. the
Streak of Foam, from Boston"
Helene dropped her head in her
hands and sObbed aloud In ner relief
What mattered it to her at that mo-
ment that yonder gallant little craft
lay swamping in the seas, her crew
perished and her own extinction a mat
ter OF hours?
Love IS selfish. and the girls heart.
almost bursting with thanksgiving, had
room Just then but for the blessed re-
aiization that the foundered sloop was
the Streak Of Foam, OF Boston. rot the
HAlene New York
The captain, however, was less IN
sensible.
The Streak OF Foam" he muttered
with a grave shak OF the head, ''Kir-
by's boast Ny, my. but that is bad
business
Later in the evening at dinner he des-
canted at length upon the incident TO
Helene and Aunt Margaret. telling them
how Captain Thomas Kirby, whom he
knew, and VINO had been a soldier or
fortune in many waT5. journalist. miner.
actor, cowboy and various other pictur-
esQue things. had set out from Boston a
twelve-month before 10 circumnavigate
the globe in small boat, merely for
the sake of adventure. and in order TO
put his experiences into a book.
There wasn't q master anoat that
didn't know Kirby, or hadn't heard tell
pf hims" unused the captain, zone Of the,