The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-06-05

which the entreaty of the hymn had
brought to her eyes. Some one whis
pered to her:
Wont you sing something. Miss
| MAXWELL"
1t was the American. He judged
| that the sweet voice which uncon.
sciously led the singing of the hymn
must be skilled in other music.
J She looked up at him, her eyes shin.
ing
"Sing. Do you think it possibleT
| she asked.
| Eyes. You can do a brave thing,
guess, and that would be brave"
II will try" she said. and she walk
ed to the piano, which was screwed
| athwart the deck in front of the pol
| ished mahogany sheath of the steel
| mainmast. 1t was In her mind to play
| some lively excerpts from the light OPP
eras then in vogue, but the secret influ-
ences of the hour were stronger than
| her studied intent, and when her fin
gers touched the keys they wandered
almost without volition into the subtle
harmonies of Gounod's AVE Maria"
| She played the air first; then, gaining
| confidence, she sang the words, using
a Spanish version which had caught
her fancy. 1t was good to see the
| flashing eyes and impassioned gestures
of the Chilean stewards when they
| found that she was singing In their
own language. These men, owing to
their acquaintance with the sea and
knowledge Of the coast, were now In q
state of panic. They would have burst
the bonds of discipline on the least
pretext. So, as it CHANGED, the voice
of the English senorita reached them
as the message Of an angel, and the
spell she cast over them did not lose
its potency during some hours Of dan
gerous toll.
Excited applause rewarded the song.
Fired by example, the dapper French
count approached the piano and asked
Elsie to play Beranger's "Roi DIVE
tot"
The Frenchman took the merry mon
arch seriously, but the lifting melody
pleased everybody except Mr.. Wood
The "Oh-oh's'' and "Ah-ah's" of the
chorus apparently stirred him to
speech. He strolied from a corner Of
the salon to the side Of Gray, the
American engineer, and said, with a
contemptuous nod toward the singer:
what rot"
mot a bit of 1t. He's all right.
Won't you give us a song next%
If Gray showed the face Of a sphinx,
so did Mr.. Wood, whose real name
was Tollemache. He bent a little
nearer.
"Seen the rocketsT" he asked.
mo. Are we signalingY
Every minute; have counted fif-
teen"
"You don't say. Things are in a
pretty bad shape. then?"
Rotten
"Well, like Br'er Rabbit, we must lie
low and say nothing"
This opinion was incontrovertible.
Moreover, Tollemache was not one who
needed urging to keep his mouth shut.
Indeed, this was by far the longest
conversation he had INDUCED in since
he came aboard, nor was he finished
with it.
''Ship will strike soon," he said.
Gray turned on him sharply. "Oh,
nonsense he exclaimed. what has
put that absurd notion into your
head?"
"Know this coast"
But we are far out at sea-"
Fifty miles from danger line two
hours ago; thirty now"
"Are you sureT'
Certain"
do you mean to tell me that in
three hours or less the ship may be
wreck?"
''Will be-" said Tollemache. "Have
cigar" And he passed q we'll filed
case to his companion.
The American was beginning to take
the silent ones measure. He bit off
the end of cigar and lit it.
whats at the back of your head?"
he asked coolly. The other looked to-
ward the Chileans.
"Those chaps are rotters," he said.
"You think they will cut up rough?
What can they do? We must all sink
or swim together"
"Ycs, but there are the women, you
know. They must be looked after.
You can count on me. Tell the chief
steward and the padre"
Gray felt that here was man after
his own hp1rt tho native horn Ameri-
can having a rough and ready way Of
classifying natonalities when the last
lest of manhood is applied by ship
wreck or q fire.
Got gum" he inquired.
"Cabin-going for it first opportuni-
ty."
Same here. But the captain will
give us some sort of warming"
Perhaps not. Die quick, die happy.
Then Gray smiled, and he could not
help saying, "Tell you what, cousin, If
you shoot as straight as you talk these
stewards will come to heel, no matter
what happens"
Fair shot," admitted Tollemache,
and he stalked off to his stateroom,
while the count was vociferating for
the last time: