The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-10-08
CHAPTER XIV.

cloud AMI faded from her sight, Miss
Stansbury retired to the cabin. Over all
her thoughts of the unhallowed parting
from her mother the night before, ond the
clean, valorous act of her lover now, hung
the defined terror lest Pelee should inter
vene. She heard Macready's step at the
door; the calm voice of an officer On the
bridge; the morning bells.
The pale winding sheet was unwrappcd
from the beauty of morning. Through a
portfolio she saw the rose and gold on
the far, dim hills. Her eyes smarted from
WEAKNESS, but her mind, like an auto
matte thing. swept around the great cir
cle-from the ship to the city, to the
house beyond the morne and back again.
She saw him in the launch, in the midst
of native groups on the shore, in the
plantation house. begging her mother to
listen. importuning Uncle joey to take
her to Fort de France, returning through
the streets with people following-the
crowded launch, and then the JOY of emp
ty arms filed. But sometimes Pelee
would burst into the deepening channel of
thoughts. effacing the whole. and leaving
her, a shrieking. dishevelled creature, in
the midst of chaos which would not an
swer. She went on deck. Laird, the first
officer, invited her to ascend the bridge.
He was scrutinzing through the glass a
blotch of smoke on the city front. what
do you make of it, Miss Stansbury?" he
asked.
The lenses brought to her a nucleus of
red in the black bank. The rest of Saint
Pierre was gray doll settlement, set in
the shelter of little gray hills. She
could see the riven and castellated crest
Of Pelee, weaving his black ribbon. Ii
was all small, silent and unearthly.
That's a fire on the Shore" she said.
Exactly" said Laird.
Shortly afterward the trumpetings of
the monster began. The harbor grew
yellowish-black. The shore crawled deep
er into the shroud, and was lost alto
gether. The water took on foul look.
as if the bed of the sea were churned with
some beastly passion. The anchor chain
drew taut, mysteriously strained, and
banged a tattoo against the steel-bound
eye. Blue Peter, dropping at the fore
mast, livened suddenly into a spasm Of
writing, like hooked lizard. The black.
quivering columns of smoke from the fun
nels were famed down upon the deck.
adding SCOT to the white smear from the
volcano. Lara felt Macready pulling at
her arm.
''Ye mustn't go below, miss. Ye know
me ordhers."
She rebelled with sudden vehemence,
declaring that she would smother down
there.
make it c-ool fur me?''
Make haste below. miss-squall com
ing"' commanded Laird. Gentleness and
jollity were gone from the large red face.
She suffered herself to be drawn down
the ladder. crushed by the officers words,
and the iron fingers of fear closing about
her heart. A hot, ,fetid breath charged
the air. The water danced, alive with the
yeast of worlds. The disordered sky in
toned violence. Pelee had set the foun-
dations to trembling.
Lara drifted into the open polar region,
Despair These men were all his friends
She must not hinder them. They had much
to do. Her part was self-effacement. In
the darkening passageway she heard
Laird shouting orders above, heard him
command the native women to tumble be-
low" and the sailors to seal the ways
after them, heard the deep sea language
and-"barometer' Constable
i There were running feet, bells
Jelow, cries from the native women, quick
paths from the sailors. The ship rose and
settled like feather in breeze.
She was incapable Of swift action
Macready lifted her into the cabin and
slammed the door. rushed to the ports and
screwed them tight with lightning fingers
led her to a chair and locked it in it:
socket.
That's the Deere" he said breathless
ly. "Shud so much as a shpark from tn,
mountain raise so much as a bloosh upon
your cheek, sure I'D niver be able { fac.
Mr.. Constable again, but go on sthokin
foriver an iver."
Its very good of you,' she answered
duly.
She sat very still, not daring to relaI
the rigid tension of her face. her hands
or her brain, lest the scream OF madness
break forth. From out the shorewart
darkness Numbered vibrations which rem
dered soundless all that had passed be
fore. Comets flashed by the port holes
The ship shuddered and fell to her star
board side.
Eight bells had just sounded when the
great thunder rocked over the gray-blacl
! harbor, and the molten yitals of the mon
ster. wrapped in black cloud, filed the
heavens, gathered themselves, and plunged
down upon the city and the sea. As fol
the de Stael. eight miles from shore ant
twelve miles from the craters, she seemed
| to have fallen from a habitable planet
| into the fire-mist of an unfinished world
| She heeled over like biscuit tin. dipping
her bridge and gunwales. She was del
uged by blasts of steam and molten stone
| Her anchor chain gave way, and. burn
ing in half-dozen places, she was sucket
! in-shore.
Ito be continuedo
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