The Marshall republican., 1908-10-02
THE ENGINEER /
AND THE PILOT |
~ NATHANIEL DIcKINssa
NvIyWHlVlyYYNYNVYYEYYYY9
D. NATHANIEL DIcKINsea
Copyright, by shortstory Pub. Coz

Patterson leaned out over the low
rail OF the gangway-port and sur
veyed the river above. 1t was black,
as black as the pail Of the sky above
it, as black as the CRIME on the en-
gineer's hands, as the frown on his
dark face and the mood which
caused it whenever the picture Of
the dapper young pilot, in his natty
blue uniform and black-visored cap,
on the upper deck, passed before his
mind and stirred afrcsh the hate
which lay sm~ouldcring in the depths
of his soul.
There was something soothing,
then, in the very anger Of the Gle
mcnts to the engineer Of the Say
vile. The startling, vivid whitcness
Of the whitc-caps which here and
there showed their teeth against the
blaok-green Of the river, the dull
glow of red, halfway up the north
ern horizon, which marked the track
Of the coming storm, and the yellow
white glare Of the twisting lightning
which played against the inkincss in
the northeast were all akin to his
mood, and strangely comforting.
"We'll get it," he prophesied
gloomily to himself, "and it looks
like hell-fre," he vagarizcd, and
then fell to wondering what hell was
like, and if it could be any worse
than his present existence.
For Patterson was in love, and
only this morning he had discovered
the full mctes and bounds Of this
passion and the other great one
Hate. For the one he was indebted
to a certain girl whom he had known
but a month; for the ether to the
young pilot of the Sayville, whom he
had known for yesro.
That it was all his own doing, this
present condition of affairs, did not
tend to 8 his hate, or his love.
Two weeks ago he and Bolton, the
pilot, had been friends, and hnr-
mony reigned between the engine
room and the pilot-housa. Then, in
a moment Of that foolish confidence
which lovers have, he had taken the
pilot to call on the girl he wSO 10
marry, and this had been tho begin
ming Of the end 40 far co tho rough
engineer wa concerned, for the
pilots hands were not grimy, ana
his voice was low and pleasant, and
well in keeping with hia g~sea-lOok-
ing face and sctive figure, and then,
too, Conscience aad love srS suorn
enemies, aud the girl was met vita
out her charms. 30, from o friend
Of both, the pilot became o frisNa VI
each, which is vastly GGeTsat ia
such cases, and a coolroso gn,w be-
tween him and Patsssvcm, fer his
visits becsss too freqAsat, aRd wsge
too obviously welcomed for tho Ola-
ginser 10 pass uRaeticCA-
But FattersOn's pride was Of o
nature which kept him dhsat, end In
silence the coslaess grew betvssa
him and the girl he loved and his sHa
friend, Sslton. And tbsa, this very
morning. had come the inevitable.
When No had gone to say gse&JBS
to his prsmissd wife, he found hr Ia
! the little garden he had grown 90 10
care for, in the arms Of another rscaa
-Bolto0.
Something had seemed to sz0P IN
him, then, for he had stopped in hsa
tracks with an expression almsdt Of
horror in his eyss. He was too dazed
to be angry then. 1t was the going
Of his faith in wSmsn and in mrn,
and his ample mind needed time Ia
digest ths perfldy.
The girl had sprung frem the srEss
of her new lever with a cry Of alArm.
and hs stOOd ready to fight for hiI
very lif with the man he had
wrongcd. fer there was that in tAs
others eyss which was not good b
see.
But the big engineer had slowly
passed his huge hand across his eyss
turned and walked out the gate aal
down the street again. There wa
something terrible in thiS-msss q
than il he had vented his rage thsg
and there, and it hung v e the two
and their clandestine love like +,
clo,d MAKING her fearing instead al