Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-25

not down Beaumont program. And 1t APP
peared that this was the view Smith took of the
matter; for he had run his little catboat into
the wind and now lay to, apparently waiting
results.
Indeed what to Florence had been a mere
surnise, to Smith from his nearer point of OBJ
to start the Orpheus. He had heard the engine
room signal Astern, slow! He had heard
the engine start, and was aware that in spite of
its throbbing the Orpheus lay there, except
for the drift of the tide, as idle as painted
ship upon a painted ocean"
WHEN Smith left Florence at the top of the
W cliff, he had had no very definite plan.
So tar as 1t was plan at all, 1T was simply to
sail alongside the Orpheus before she got fully
under way, chamber aboard, and order her to
stop. There was pretty good chance, he
thought, that her master would obey him, in
spite OF his temporary detection to Beaumonts
side. If he failed here, he would go below.
The engineer and the rest of the crew were
probably loyal to him, at any rate If they all
failed him, he must, in some way other,
single handed, disable the tugs engines.
Whatever might be necessary, the one thing
about which he had no doubt at all was that
the Orpheus was not to be permitted to sail
for Georgetown that night with Beaumont
aboard.
But the evident inability of the tug to move
had suddenly brought to his mind a new and
rather luminous surmlse. Some one else had
not wasted an hour under the silk cotton trees,
some who had kept watch while he had
gone blindly on, Tapped in false security; and
rejecting on O'Brien's absence from home,
when he had SO confidently expected to find
HIM there, the manager was lett IN very little
doubt as to who that some one was.
For perhaps fifteen minutes there were signs
of confusion aboard the Orpheus: a jangling
Of contradictory signals from the engine room,
and the intermittent thud of machinery indi-
fnI fh,$, i,
right.
At last a man clambered over the side and
cranked up the little gasolene motor in the
launch. Then the four passengers, with their
hand luggage followed him over the side.
Two minutes later they were chugging dole
fully back to the landing.
SUDDENLY Smiths attention was caught
= by nearer object. ripple in the water,
a red head and muscular arm the evident
cause of it
Is that you, my boy?" he heard voice
inquire. You can take me aboard now.
There will be nothing more doing tonight.
And at that O Brien, in his shirt and drawers,
scrambled over the sterns coaming of the little
catboat. His teeth were chattering, as if he
had been a good while in the water.
Smith swung the little boat off the wind,
and had the sail drawing full before he spoke.
81 don't know what it is you've done, he said
at last quietly: but whatever it IS it will
take me long while to thank you for it..
oh" said O. Brien, I've Just been swim
ming around" Then.after moment he added,
The Orpheus seems to have hid bit of an
accident"
Smith laughed Yes she does" he said.
" Have you any idea what sort OF accident 1t
isl"
well" said O Brien, judicially, = it looks
to me as if, somehow or other, the outer thrust
block had worked loose, if not come off en-
tirely. If that had happened, when McAlllster
started to reverse,-and he has to reverse to
get out of that little pocket where we keep the
Orpheus moored,-when he started to reverse.
YOU will observe, the propeller would
walk right off the end of the shaft and would
be resting now IN about thirty fathoms of
water
Smith put the catboat about and made sail,
not for the landing where the launch was al
ready tying up, but for another little farther
up the harbor.
There was no more conversation between
them, until in O'Brien's quarters they had
settled down for quiet smoke and d cup of tea.
We'll" said Smith :" if your diagnosis of
the accident to the Orpheus is correct, she IS
laid up for some little time"
Yes" said O Brien, until say, SIX hours
from the time | send a diver down to look
after the propeller And that won't happen
until broad considerations OF public policy
lead you to order me to-
Smith smoked awhile, in thoughtful silence
WELL he said at last. Il shant be able to
attend the stockholders meeting; but Beau