Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-14

gers yet to be encountered, seized the red
cap from Miss Mollie's head. tearing 1t
roughly through the protecting pins till
her hair flew wide. With it in his right
hand he bounded over the rail into the
sea after the child. Miss Mollie, not un-
derstanding at the moment his action or
his object. cried out as she stamped her
foot. angrily:
"Brute!"
Her word was drowned in the fearful
cry Man overboard! and all rushed
down to the rail and saw Harold. as he
emerged from the water. pull the red cap
over his head and then swim desperately
toward the child. whose golden hair was
spread on the rising wave.
The instant after Pearls being swept
overheard might be seen the splendid
discipline of a well-ordered ship. Every
man to his post, and every man with
slant execution of it. The first officer.
then in command. on hearing the shrek.
rushed to the starboard end Of the bridge,
and seeing the child in the water as the
ship flashed through the trough of the
wave. called to the quartermaster at the
wheel in voice which cut through the
teeth Of the gale like trumpet:
Hard port! Hard.'
The quartermaster, all alive to the
situation. spun his wheel till the spokes
seemed to fly The stern of the great
ship swung away to port in time to clear
the floating child from the whirling screw.
which would have cut her to pieces in an
instant. Then the officer. after tearing
the engine-room signal to ''starboard en-
CINE full speed astern," ran for the life
buoy hanging at the starboard end of
the bridge. This he hurled far into the
sea. AS it fell the attached rope dragged
with it the Mkirdy signal, which so
soon as it reaches water bursts into
smoke and flame-signal by day and
night. This done, and it had all been
done in couple of seconds. he worked
the electric switch of the siren, which
screamed out quickly once, twice. thrice.
man overheard" and draws to his post
every man on the ship, waking or sleep
ing.
At the first cry the lookout in the crows
nest swarmed up the foremost, and from
the top kept watch on the floating heads.
which were seen as yet. bobbing up and
down. specks amid the wake of foam left
by the screw.
The captain was now on the bridge and
in command. and the first officer. freed
boat. swung out on it's davits on the port
side.
At the sound of the siren the men Of
the crew came at run each to his post;
the engineer. knowing that his work was
cut out, also keeping his men to their
places. The off watch came from their
hunks barefoot and in their f1annels. At
such call no man pauses. The firemen
slipped down the matches to the engine
room as quickly as rabbits into their
holes.
The emergency boat was got ready. her
crew in their places and the boatswain
going as an extra.
All this time, though only numbered by
seconds. the Scoriac was turning hard to
starbOard, making a great figure of eight;
for it is quicker to turn one of these great
sea monsters round than to stop her in
mid career. The aim of her captain in
such cases is to bring her back to the
weather side of the floating buoy before
launching the boat.
Below. in the engine room. the chief
engineer. MKeltie. was shouting to his
men. we'll knowing that steam power was
at present life:
selves! It's fire we want now. or it'll be
hill fire for you later! Hump your
selves.' Seeing the old watch tumbling
down the irof ladders hsadded: j..
double crews to StOke!''.
And like demons. or rather like men,
the brave fellows worked in a heat that
scorched. while in front and around them
the furnaces roared.
On deck the anguish of the childs par
ents was pitiable. Close to the rail. with
her husbands arms holding her tight to
it, the distressed mother leaned out but,
always moving SO that she was at the
nearest point of the ship to her child. AS
cult to see the heads. In the greater dis
lance they seemed to be quite close to-
gether. All at once, just as a great wave
which had hidden them in the farther
trough passed on, the mother screamed
out:
She's sinking! she's sinking, Oh God!
Oh, God.' and she fell on her knees. her
Mortified eyes. set in face of ashen
gray. looking out between the rails
But at the instant all eyes saw the
r11 a - in nfAv. he
to dive. There was hush which seemed
deadly; the onlookers feared to draw
breath. And then the mothers heart
leaped and her cry rang out again as two
heads rose together in the waste of sea:
He has her! He has her! He has her.
Oh. thank God! Thank God!' and for a
single instant she hid her face in her
hands.
Then when the fierce "hurrah" of all on
board had been hushed in expectation,
passengers had by this time got glasses
of one kind or another.
See! He's putting the cap on the child's
head. He's a cool one that. Fancy him
thinking of a red cap at such time!"
"A%! we could see that cap when #
might be we couldn't see anything else"
My capl and l called him a brute. Oh!
Daddy. will he ever forgive me?" This
from Miss Molle. with gulp. as she
turned her streaming eyes on her father,
who held her close against the rail
Course he will. daughter! He's a
man! BY God, he is!''
Look this from an old sailor standing
by his boat. chow he's raisin' In the
water. He's keepin' his body between
her an the spindrift till the squalI has
passed. That would choke them both in
wind like this if he didn't know how to-
guard against it. He's all right; he is.
The little maid is safe wi him.
"Oh. bless you! Bless you for those
words said the mother. turning toward
him. At this moment the second officer,
who bad run down the bridge, touched
Mr.. StOnehouSe on the shoulder
The captain asked me to tell you, sir,
that you and Mrs. Stonehouse had better
come to him on the bridge. You'll see
better from there
They both hurried up. and the mother
coming to the southern angle of the port
side of the bridge, for the ship had by
this made her turn and was coming back
with fixed. eyes. The captain tried to
comfort her: laying his strong hand on
her shoulder. he said:
There, there! Take comfort ma'am
She is in the hands of God! All that
mortal man can do is being done And
she is safer with that gallant young
giant than she could be with any other
man on the ship. Look how he is pro-
tecting her Why he knows that all that
can be done is being done. He is waiting
for us to get to him, and is saving him
self for it. Any other man who didn't
know so much about swimming as he
does would try to reach the lifebuoy, and
would choke the two of them with the
Spindrift In the trying. Mind how he
took the red cap to help us see them. He's
a fine lad that; gallant lad!'