Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-09
WARD PEPLE AUTHOR OF PRINCE CHAP

this grim alternative. The threat OF plac
| ing him in irons was of little moment: bu
the thought of not being present on th'
| New York dock when his man landed wa:
dire calamity.
"All right he answered; "Fll promis,
you faithful to keep my fingers of thu
puppy's neck till we gets to land. An al
l ask of you is jeS two things FRS, yot
got to make his lordlets keep on the star.
| bode side of this here boat. whilst
scuftie along on the pote. The secon' ONT
is that you give me a equil chanst with
him to bolt acrost yo' gangplank. Is that
all right?'
Agreed" sighed the captain. but with.
out smile and cut the prisoners bonds
Thus the trouble, for time. was set
tied, the Englishman remaining on the
Afric's starboard side. while the Ameri'
can occupied the port, the latter stamp
land on freedoms shore and likewise or
the point of certain aristocratic jaw
Then another accident occurred.
| On the third night out the storm in
creased in violence. driving the steamer
far out of her usual course, and in the
morning there fell fog so dense that
Joe could scarcely see the bowl of his
corncob pipe. All day long the wheelman
CROPPED his cautious way, while the pas
| sengers grew to loathe the leadsman's
droning cry and the rumbling scream OF
the Afric's warning blasts. From away
! off somewhere came another hoarse mont
| ton of the deep, now near, now far. but
from what direction none might say. and
the fog grew thicker every instant.
| Joe Rupert was leaning against the for
ward rail, watching for a glimpse of this
other ocean wanderer, VIII suddenly his
| curiosity was more than satisfied. Like a
great white duck a United States warship
dived from out the mist and buried its
| beak in the Africs big. fat flank. Tile
steamer reeled beneath the shock. shud-
dered and heeled far over, while the rail
on which the kentuckian leaned was
peeled away as by soma giants carving
knife. Flung headlong into the sea, Joe
| swan with all his speed to avoid the
topping smokeStack which seemed to be
hunting for him in its fall; but by the
grace of chance and the distance OF half
an inch he escaped unframed.
AT his hand was a splintered boom some
eight feet long. with cQrdage and a tat
tered shroud attached. and on this Joe
climbed to look about him. Some dis
lance away he could dtmly see the out
lines of the two great ships still locked
together, while on his ears fell tumble
of excited cries, the rasp of sharp COM
mands through a naval megaphone. and
the screams of women praying to be
saved. Then came q new development.
Through the breast of a huge green roller
protruded human hand. which the young
kentuckian seized and pulled with heroic
power. His efforts bore rare fruit. From
the water appeared a hideous plaid cap.
and beneath it rose a crystal monocle
still tightly affixed in a noble eye.
We'll, I'm damned!' said Joe, and as
sisted the balance of the strangling lord
to perch beside him on the boom.
THANK YOU" began Lord Cranton when
mouthful of bittAr water could be ex-
changed for speech. ''Uncommonly decent
of you, really. and want to say
Shut up" commanded Joe, and his
iordship tactfully obeyed.
In his rescue the American had lost his
bearings. and the ships were no longer
visible, while the sounds of tumult, though
still in evidence, were less pronounced.
This proved two facts-first that the
steamers passengers were being trans
ferred to the battleship. second, that the