Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-03-26

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ed with the principal state
rooms, but she knew that the door
leading to the promenade deck had
been left unlocked, so she sfgnaled him
to lead her the speediest way. Speak
she could not. Although there was a
perceptible improvement in the asath-
er, Elsie found the wind even harder to
combat than when she traversed the
deck with Courtenay. This apparent
contradiction arose from the fact that
during their early dealing with the
boats the sailors had cut away the
greater part of the canvas shield rig
ged to protect passengers from adven-
turous seas.
Nevertheless, all flustered and breath
less as she was, she held Walker back
when he would have left her in the
shelter of her cabin.
do spare ne one moment she
pleaded. when l have put on dry
clothing. what am / to do? Where
am 1 to to go? 1 will do anything
rather than remain alone"
Walker damned himself in the door
way to break the violence of the I'M
ceasing deluge of spray.
well, missile" he said, I'm examin-
ing the engines, Mistaw Tollemache Is
f-wing up the donkey boiler, and Doc
taw Chwistobal is with Mistaw Boyle.
You know whe-aw the captain is, so
weckon yo' best place is the salon."
"Dr. Christobal said you were max
ing a raftT'
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. III tell the captain
yo' the-aw."
"Tell him? Are you returning to the
bridge?"
'Telephone!' shouted Walker as an
unusually heavy sea caused him to
slam the door unceremoniously. He
bolted 1T too Not If he could help 1t
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 it
an hour ago. This was one of the
anomalous conditions of the disaster
1t lent a queer sense of midsummer
madness to the nights doings. In
few days 1t would be Christmas
the Christmas Of sunshine and flow.
ers known only to that lesser por
ton 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 g
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
Chrlstobal first and Walker subse
quently7 Oh, of. course he had more
urgent matters to attend to. though in
the helpless condition of the ship it was
difficult to appreciate their precise de
grees of Importance.
Anyhow, he had sent word that she
was to change her clothes. and he mus
be obeyed, as DIR. Christobal said. TheI
she discovered as quite new ant
physically disagreeable fact that he
skirts were soaked up to her knees
while her blouse was almost In thu
same condition owing to the quantit!
of spray which had rVp down inside
her thick ulster. She busted herself II
procuring fresh clothing and boots
The outcome of the pleasant feeling o
warmth and comfort was such as th'
girl herself would not have guessed il
a. week. The mere grateful touch o