The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-18
IT HAPPENED
 TO HEDDERLEY
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12o

"I'm starting out to find you" an-
 nounced "S-t" next morning, not with l out trace of excitement. "So please say l your lesson. And do be careful and try 1 to stay in the same place until I get | there"
 1 The excited Hedderley made his obser- vatons with painful care, and reported them anxiously. And every half hour afterward he sought confirmation of l them He heard nothing further from
 st" however, until noon. when she re- ported:
 T am within 50 miles of where you | ought to be. Please see If you are sta- tionary."
 And Hedderley made another observa- tion and another report-and from the same place
 q guess there is no doubt now, that
 you have alighted," said "s-t" What sort of signal have you flying?" "why, none!" said Hedderley. Run up flag" "Nothing to run 1t up with.' "Clmb mast and nail a shirt on it." 'Tf don't get out of here until I climb
 one of those masts my tombstone will be built right here" flashed back Hedder- ley.
 Well, what are you going to do?' "Its all new to mel haven't at idea-Say, how would smoke do?' "Finel" He dashed for the furnace room. and presently a black column was rising straight and ominous from one of the
 ships funnels-lifting its spreading
 head high above the surrounding cliffs At 2 o'clock "S-t" called. 'The lookout sees smoke" she re- ported.
 Hedderley gave an Amarillo salute and threw a chair against the side of the room as an expression of exuber- ance.
 "But it isn't your smoke" resumed l 'S-t" a few moments later; ''it is 0 steamer outward bound" "I'll make more smoke" declared Hedderley, and he hurried into the furnace room. When he returned the telegraph key was rattling crazily. "It must be you" "S-t" was writing. | "Wiggle your smokeP How" "Water--" And Hedderley hurried back to the furnace and began dashing buckets of
 water, at intervals, into the fire. Tt is--it isl" the key was crying l when he got back. "Where am F" he asked. About 20 knots south-southeast,a and I'm coming IS an hourl Keep your | smoke going; I don't want to slip by that dinky cyclone cellar of yours" "Wheres Jimmy7" demanded He'd derley.
 He's safe enough, I suppose-he | doesn't lose himself" But what does he report from my girl?"
 "Pother your girl She is with the -nina-tha lcct shpeD tS the One l we are after!' "Send us some smoke yourself" begged l Hedderley "1t is as if I were at the bottom of well with circus parade l coming along" I've are stretching our smoke In a streak across the ocean," "Wcll, please shoot gun or make a noise like something" After a while "S-t' asked: Did you hear that?" ~What2~ 7fxl7srsEH1 aHHEV(
 "why, we're shooting everything we've got"
 q don't hear a thing but the boom boom of the blamed old waves. But wait hold on Bo hears something! He's got his ears cocked-he's sniffing-whim- | pering- Say, you ought to hear that | dog howl! And See him ssuffle up on l deck I guess we hear youF' Tt must be your 'island," came the re- l port a few minutes later. "No one else has claimed it," retorted | Hedderley. And then excitedly: Do you l mean you see it?'' T think I do! Smoke up!'' | When he got back from the furnace, the instrument was crying merrllyi 'Get I on deck Get on deck!" | And Hedderley, urging legs that were 1 trying to buckle under him, hurried up. I His head was swimming and his eyes | blurred in the strong sunlight He looked | off toward the open sea, through the l heel of the horseshoe-and his legs began | to do a hornpipe, and his head ceased I to swim and his eyes cleared: and his l unused voice roared out tremendous | shout.
 For off through the opening he could 1 see the white sails of a yacht and the white plant of her hull and the white dress of the people on deck-and the white handkerchiefs they were waving! 1 When Hedderley's delirium passed he l foud himself hugging Bo to his breast, | whirling about the deck in dance that ] was partly Dervish waltz and the other I part royal high-kicking ballet and trying l to persuade his wearied voice to yield an- other yell. His heart was beating wildly so wildly that 1t hurt him; and his throat was dry, and his mouth was dry; and his | face was fixed in a hard, painful grin that
 
 white streak draw away from the yacht, | and recognized 1t as a gasoline launch headed for his port he began to talk to | himself!
 The little boat drew carefully to the reef 1 and with painful slowness crawled along l a channel which its pilot discovered for | himself-past the ugly pointed rocks, past the churning water And then with l many toots of its air horn 1t shot for ward for Joyous dash across the bay! l The little launch came alongside; and when Hedderley could not solve the prob | lem of lowering the ships ladder a nimble 1 sailor scrambled up the Isinglass's side l to do 1t for him. And up the ladder came g girl-in white. and with him a. white veil; and Hedder- ley choking with gratitude to the clever "S-t," started down the steps to meet her. But the sailor drew him back and the best he could do was to stand at the top and hold out both hands The young woman advanced eagerly and with utter disregard for the out