Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-03-09

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By LOUIS TRACY,


 unsaid Elsie knew quite we'll Il dawned on the girl that both her elder ly friend and she herself were accept. ing an extraordinary situation with re. markable nonchalance.
 How many of us remain on the ship?" she asked
 "Very few-on rhe effective list. The captain, an engineer whose name dc not know, MT Tollemache and our. selves make up the total"
 Where is MT. Boyle?''
 "Ah, poor Boyle! I fear he is done for. He is very badly wounded. bandaged him as well as I could, but the call on deck was imperative"
 ''Is he in the salon? Should we not go to him?"
 'I have only just left him The hemorrhage has stopped, and l gave him some brandy. Believe me, we can do nothing more for him. l told Courtenay it was quite useless to place him on board the boat You may be sure he was not forgotten"
 "I did not imagine that any one would be forgotten" said Elsie, and for some reason the light in her eyes caused Christobal to go on rapidly:
 we have a whole crowd of injured men on board, Miss Maxwell. At pres ent we can render them no aid. 1 thought it wisest to obey orders. The captain told me to bring you some wine and remain with you here. It will not be for long,"
 ''Why do you say that?"
 ''The ship appears to be lodged hard and fast on reef or sand spit. l am told the tide is rising. If that is so, our only hope is in the raft which our three allies are now constructing. With Q falling tide we might have a breath ing space at low water. AS it is, well"-
 He was interrupted by the opening of the door and the consequent roar of the gale. It was Walker, the engi- neer, a lank, swarthy man, with long black mustache which dropped for lornly down the sides of his mouth. He shouted with the inimitable accent of Tyneside:
 .'Yo' wanted, Docto' Chwistobal. The captain thinks Mir Boyle is bettaw."
 May come. too? asked Elsie.
 "No, missie. You bide he-aw"
 Please tell me before you go if the ship is full of water"
 She's dwy as bone" said Walker. A sea splashed over him and sent a shower into the cabin. "a vewy wet bone" he added, with a broad grin, for the Northumbrian had a ready wit though he had such solemn jowl, and he could not pronounce an ''r' to save his life.
 So Elsie was left with Joey for com pany once more. A chronometer show ed that the hour was past midnight She knew suflSient of the sea to un- derstand that the clock was probably accurate, as the course had practically followed the same meridian since the Kansas quilted Valparaiso So the ship and those left on board had en- tered on another day. How little she had thought that to be possible when the awful knowledge first came to her that the Kansas was ashore! How long ago was that? Then she remem- bered that when Courtenay placed her tn his cabin with the promise to bring lsobel to her she had noticed the time d1 o'clock. Was 1t conceivable that only one hour had elapsed since she and her four footed friend were flung all of a heap into a corner by the i'm pact of the vessel against the sand bank? One hour. Surely there was some mistake. She puzzled over the problem. recOunting each event since the conclusion of dinner, and finally convinced herself that her recollection was not at fault.
 Joey was becoming restless. He danced backward and forward on the table. where be had taken refuge from the invading flood. Indeed. the dog knew lorg before Elsie that the Kan ees was afioat again. At last she mo- ticed that the water in the cabin was Eurgling to and fro. and in the same snstsnt she felt the regular swing of The moving ship. She was speculating pn the outcome Of this new condition of afTa1rs when the dNnr opened ana Walker thrust his lantern iawed face within. He grinned cheerfully.
 i've come 10 fetch you to yo' cabin. miss" he announced. The ships un- der weigh. an as yo' pwobably am winging wet ths captain says 70 ought to change 70 cIo'es"
 Joey followed her ont. but deserted her instantly. She saw the reason when Walker helped her to reach the bridge companion. Courtenay was Ia She chart house al the wheel. He gave her a friendly nod as sha passed. Somehow Elsie felt safe now that the ship was in the captains hands again.
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