The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1908-04-23

Nevertheless, all fustered and breath
less as she was, she held Walker bach
when he would have left her In The
shelter Of her cabin.
"Do spare me one moment" She
| pleaded. when ! have put on dry
clothing, what am ! to do? Where
am | to TO go? I will do anything
rather than remain alone"
Walker jammed himself in the door.
way to break the violence Of the un'
ceasing deluge Of spray.
"Well, missile" he said, 'I'm examln.
ing the engines, Mistaw Tollemache Ii
f-wIng up the donkey boiler, and Doc
taw Chwistobnl is with Mlstaw Boyle.
You know whe-aw the captain is, so
weckon yo' best place Is the salon."
"Dr. Christobal said you were max
Ing raftf"
That's wight But when the ship
got Off we tackled othaw jobs. She Is
ow-ah best watt"
."May l not look after some OF the
injured men?"
"That you can't was Walkers
prompt assurance. you'd bettaw
stick to the salon. I'll tell the captain
yo' the.aw."
"TelI himi Are you returning to the
bridget"
"relephoner shouted Walker as m
unusually heavy sea caused him to
slam the door unceremonlously. He
bolted 1t too. Not IL he could help II
would his charge come out on that
storm swept deck unattended.
The electric light glowed brightly In
Elsie's cabin, exactly as she had left 1t
an hour ago. This was one OF the
anomalous conditions Of the disaster.
1t lent queer sense Of midsummer
madness to the nights dolngs. In
few days It would be Christmas,
the Christmas OF sunshine and flow.
ers known only to that lesser por-
tion Of the habitable earth south OF
the line. In Valparaiso the weather
was sitting, yet here, not SO very far
away, 1t was bitterly cold. And the
ship was driving headlong to destruc-
ton, though electric bells and switches
were at command In luxuriously fur
nished apartment, while the engineer
had Just spoken Of the telephone as d
means Of conversing with the captain
Away down in her feminine heart the
girl wondered why Courtenay himself
had not come TO her. Why had he sent
Christobal first and Walker subse-
quently? oh, OF course he had more
urgent matters to attend to, though In
the helpless condition Of the ship II was
difficult to appreciate their precise de-
grees Of importance.
Anyhow, he had sent word that she
was to change her clothes, and be must
be obeyed, as DR.. Christobal said. Then
she discovered as a quite new and
dlsagreeable fact that ber
skirts were soaked up to her knees,
while her blouse was almost In the
same condition owing to the quantity
OF spray which had run down inside
her thick ulster. She busted herself In
procuring fresh clothing and boots.
The outcome OF the pleasant feeling Of
warmth and comfort was such as tho
girl herself would not have guessed In
a week. The mere grateful touch OF
The dry garments induced an extraor.
iinary drowsiness. She felt that she |
must lie down--just for minute. She !
stretched herself on the bed, closed her |
Eyes and was straightway sound
asleep. At the captains suggestion
-hristobal had given her strong dose
If bromide In the wine.
II was better so. II the ship were /
dashed TO pieces against the rocks
which unquestionably lay ahead. Elsie
would be whirled to the life eternal
,efore she quite knew what was hap
,ening If, on the other hand, some
miracle of the sea enabled the men to
Construct a seaworthy raft 10 time or
he rising tide permitted the Kansas
0 escape in 80 far 10 run ashore again
o q comparatively sheltered position,
he would be none the worse for an
lours sleep. And now that the ship
vas afoat there were things TO be done
which only men could do. The salon.
be decks, the fore cabin. were places
4 the dead. Fearing lest Elsie might
Ass. Christobal before attending 10
soyle had thrown iableeloths over the
sodies OF men slain In the salon. for
Tray and Tollemache had sternly but
ainly striyen 10 re9ress the second re
olt Toliemache and Walker had
ragged out Of the smothering spray
ear the port davits three men who
ssnse - b merely stunned These,