Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-01

them till it swept over the deck
upon which they were standing with such
force as to nearly dislodge them. Then the
waves receded, and they found that the steam
er had ceased to sink. In fact, but very few
inches of water covered the deck upon which
they stood. Robs heart leaped with Joy, for
he had no yish to die, while the effect of the
reaction from abject terror to feeling of
safety left his companion devoid of all
strength
The big man gasped for breath, and leaned
against the pilot-house
"Well, 1 declared he said, so soon as he
recovered the power of speech. "Is it possi-
bic we are safe?"
Quite so" replied Bob. And see! there's
a little steamer coming to take us off,
A steam launch, on its way up the harbor,
had seen the sinking steamer as the fog lift
ed, and now came alongside, while the tug
started slowly toward the shore.
The portly man and Rob were taken on
board the little steamer, which Immediately
followed in the wake of the heavily-laden
tug, passing her rapidly and speeding swiftly
on the way to the wharf.
The fat man was loud and voluble in his
praises of Rob, to whose GOODNESS he said he
owed his life.
81 wish l could write this affair up for the
newspapers" he said, "but l never can put
ideas on paper worth cent. Is there any
one here who could do it?"
Il used to report a little" ventured Rob,
as no one answered in the affirmative. "I'I
write it down of you wish"
The portly man was delighted and as Rob
wrote an account of the affair he made
numerous suggestions regarding his own
miraculous escape, which Rob used as he
thought best.
By the time the launch reached the wharf,
and while the tug was yet a long distance
behind. Rob had completed quite a descrip-
tioon of the accidents, and the portly man,
calling cab, wedged himself into It, and,
taking Rob in with him, the carriage rat
tied up toward the heart of the city.
u own considerable stock in the Recorder"
said the fat man, as the cab reached Wash
ington street, "and want that paper to print
the first account of it. Here we are now"
had borrowed straw hat from one of the
men on the steam launch his own having
been lost, made his way up the stairs as
fast as possible. bidding Rob to follow. He
that individual hard at work.
"How. do you do. Mr.. Wayne?" said the
editor, looking up from his work whats
tho matter? You look as if you had been
drowned"
$50 ] have. pretty near" puffed the stout
man. Accident down the harbor; steamer
sunk; no lives lost, but came mighty near it.
Here's a full account of the disaster"
And he handed the editor the matter Rob
had written.
Cou FOuSh lOI livery WOEu VI nt
continued as the editor glanced over the
manuscript, which was written on leaves
torn from a notebook
Without replying, the managing editor
wrote few headlines over the article cram
med it into box that carried copy to the
composing groom, touched knob, and applied
his mouth to speaking tube.
The box was drawn rapidly upward, and
the editor turned toward the portly man
with a pleased look on his. face.
'1'm very much obliged" he said. "The
next edition goes to press in few minutes
and well get an account of the accident out
before the other papers. Did you write il
up yoursef?"
"Bless your soul, no! / only wish
could" replied the corpulent gentleman. y
could no more write that article than
could fly"
1T would take quite pair of wings tc
enable you to do that" laughed the editor
''Who wrote it then? Whoever it was. he
has nose for news as we say"