Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-03-07
CHAPTER VI

IL wide open so wind and sea invade,
 the trim privacy of the cabin. Spra,
 leaped over the ship In such dens
 sheets that a considerable quantity O
 water quickly lodged on the port side
 where Coutenay's bunk was fixed
 There were no means of escape for
 In that quarter, and the angle at whicl
 the Kansas lay would permit deptl
 of at least two feet to accumulate CT,
 the water began to flow out througl
 the door to the starboard
 At the great crises of existence tn,
 stream of thought Is apt to form
 strange eddies Courtenay when tht
 ship strickland 1t was possible tha
 each second might register his las
 conscious mpression-found himself
 coolly reviewing various explanations
 of the existence of an uncharted shoa
 in locality situate many miles from
 the known danger zone. Elsie, strung
 half consciously to the highest tension
 by the affrighting robability of being
 set adrift in small boat at the mercy
 of the sea roaring without-a sea
 which pounded the steel hull of the Kansas with such force that the
 great ship seemed to finch from each
 blow like creature In pain-Elsie,
 then, faced by such an intolerable prospect, was a prey to real anxiety
 because the wearing apparel scattered
 by Courtenay on the floor was becom- ing soaked in brine.
 She actually stopped to rescue a coat
 which was not yet saturated beyond i redemption. As she lifted the gar
 ment a packet of letters tied with a tape fell from its folds She placed the coat on the writing table and en- deavored to stuff the letters into a i pigeonhole. They were too bulky, so she laid them on the coat. In doing this she could not avoid seeing the words, Your loving sister, Madge," written on the outer fold of the last letter in the bundle.
 And that brought a memory of her previous visit to the captains state room. She was incapable of reasoned reflection. She felt that if she were fated to live to a ripe old age she would never forget a single detail of the furniture and decorations of the room. She would hear forever the do- lorous bowling of the gale, the thump- ing of the waves against the quivering plates, the rapid, methodic thud of the donkey engine, which, long since de- serted by its eowardly attendant, was faithfully doing its work and flooding the ship with electric light.
 Not thinking in the least what she was doing, she scrutinzed the closely tied packet. She wondered idly why he treasured so many missives. Each and every one, oddly enough, was written on differently sized and vari- ously colored note paper, and it could be seen at glance that they were from as many different people The outside letter was the most clearly wis., ible. Miss Courtenay wrote we'll formed, flowing hand If handwriting were q clew to character she was a candid, generous, open minded woman.
 But what was this! ilsle suddenly threw down the letters. She had read sentence at the top of the page twice before she actually grasped its pur- port. When its significance dawned on her she flushed violently, for this was what she read:
 'I am glad of 1t, too, because under no other circumstances would I wish 10 greet and embrace the woman des tined to be your wife"
 The knowledge that she had involun- tarily intruded on Captain Courtenay's private affairs brought her back with n certain slight shock to sense of 1 actualities. The storm, the horrible | danger she was in, emerged from shad- | owland. Why had he not come for | her? Surely there must have been | some further mishap! Heavens! Was ! she alone on the ship, alone with the . dead men and the dying vessel? Her <. head swam with a strange faintness, and sine placed hand to her eyes.
 Then Joey sprang in through the doorway and. with that splendid disre- gard for sentiment displayed by fox terrier that has just come out of first 1 rate fight, shook his harness until 1t 1 rattled.
 But he eyed the thrush of the sea with much disfayor. so he leaped up on the table beside Elsie and looked at her as though he would ask why she had permitted this sacrilege.
 Though the dog was apparently un- scathed and in the best of condition, his head and fore paws were blood stained. His advent dispelled the mist which was gathering in the girls brain. She feared a tragedy, yet Joey assuredly would not be so cheerful, so laintily desirOus 10 avoid the splash Ing water in the cabin if his master were injured. The mere presence of the dog was a guarantee that Courte- nay had not quilted the ship.
 'Oh. Joey" she said. 'I wish you could speak,
 The sound of her own voice startled her She was yielding 10 nervousness again and was on the point of ventur- ng out. at least as far as the deck house ran. tO see if she could distin- ,uish what w>s taking place on the after part of the vessel. when Dr. -hrfstobal entered.
 T suppose you thought you were for zOtten:- he cried. with a pleasant mile. for ChristOial would have a smile for woman even on his death