The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-07-17

Elste's first task aDas to prepare q large
scale drd,Ding.
Courtenay glanced at the chronome.
ter.
II must be off," he announced. "Tolle.
mache may need some help with his
bombs, and those Chileans REQUIRE
looking after"
Christobal, too, quilted the chart
room to visit his patients. He had said
very little while he sat there, and Elsie
did not know whether to laugh or cry
at the tragic comedy Of her environ
ment. She was only certain of one
thing-she would like to box Boyle's
ears. She was completely at a loss to
account for his persistent efforts to
drag in references to their prior con-
versation. She dared not catechise
him. That would be piling up more
difficulties for the future. But what
| possessed him to blurt out such en-
barrassing details in the presence Of
the two men whom she most wished to
remain in ignorance Of them?
| She peeped at Boyle sideways. His
| eyes were closed, the cigar was be-
tween his teeth. and he had a broad
| grin on his face. She could not guess
that the once taciturn chief officer of
the Kansas was saying to himself:
my godfather, how Pills glared!
There will be trouble on this ship
about a woman before long or I'm u
Dutchman. An didn't the skipper rise
at the fly tool Huhv'
A little later as Elsie passed along
the promenade deck she saw. Courte-
nay, Tollemache and Walker deep in
consultation. They were arranging a
percussion fuse Of Illuminating mer-
curry. While she was watching them
Walker dropped broken furnace bar
on top of a small package placed on
an iron block. Instantly there was a
shart report, and Joey, who was an
interested observer, jumped several
feet. The men laughed, and she heard
Courtenay say:
THAT is the right proportion of full
inmate. Now, Tollemache, I'll help
you to fix them. We do not know the
moment those reptiles may choose to
attack"
So the captain did not leave the Ala
culof menace altogether out of count.
Something rose in her throat, some
wave of emotion which threatened her
splendid serenity. She ran rather than
walked to her cabin, flung herself on
the bed and sobbed piteously. 1t had
to come, this tempest of tears. When
desperate odds demanded unflinching
courage she faced them dry eyed, with
steadfast heart. But today in the
bright sunshine and apparent security
Of the ship sinister death shadows tor
tured her into rebellion. She did not
stop to ask herself why she wept. Be-
ing woman, she yielded to the gust,
and when it had ended, with the sud-
denness of q summer shower, she smil-
ed through the vanishing tears. Her
first concern was that none should be
aware Of her weakness.
How stupid of mew she murmured.
what would the men think if they
knew broke down in this fashion,"
She looked in mirror. In the clear
light without any one could see she
had been crying, and there was so
much work to be done that she did not
wish to remain in her stateroom until
all tokens Of the storm had passed.
She searched for powder puff and
was at a loss to discover its where
abouts until she recollected that the
doctor had borrowed it for the use Of
a man slightly scalded when his own
supply of antiseptic powder was ex-
hausted. So she went into Isobel's
room, entering 1t for the first time
since the Kansas struck on the shoal.
The two cabins communicated, as Mr..
Barring had gone to the expense of hav-
ing a door broken through the parti-
ton for the girls use during the voy-
age.
If Elsie had not already given way
to tears she must have faltered now at
the sight Of her friends belongings
strewed in confusion over the floor,
chairs, dressing table and bed. Isobel
possessed gold mounted dressing case
the size of an ordinary portmanteau.
1t held an assortment Of pretty and
mostly useless knickknacks. and they
had all been tumbled out in a frantic
hurry. At first Elsie fiinched from fur
Their scrutiny, but common sense told
her that this respondent mood must
be fought. She dropped to her knees.
found a mother-of-pearl powder box
and picked up other scattered articles
and replaced them In the dressing
case. To accomplish this It was neces-
sary to rearrange various trays and
drawers. Portraits of girl friends, in
Guiding her own, and of men unknown
to her, letters. memoranda and other
documents were thrown about In dis
order. All these she put back in their
receptacles, wondering the while what
Motive had led Isobel to make such n