The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1908-05-14
TheCaptain
of the
Kansas.
uNTlNuEb FnoN rAoE oSE-

4 drag ia references 10 their prior con
ycrSall0n She dared not cairehise
him That would be piilng 40 more
E difficulties Cor the future But what
I possessed him 70 bluft cot such EN-.
harrassing details IN The presence 81
the two men whom she most wished 70
( remain IN ignorance q themf
Z She peepsd az Boyle sideways His
eyes were closed. the cigar was be-
tween his teeth and be had broad
grin on bis face. She could not guess
I that The once taciiurn chief officer Of
I the Kansas was saying TO himself.
MY godfather how RUS glaredl
There viii be- trouble on this ship
about a woman before long or I'm a
Dutchman An didn't the skipper rise
AZ the ly tool Huhw
A little later as Elsie passed along
the promenade deck she saw Courte.
nay, Tollemache and Walker deep In
consultation. They were arranging
percussion fuse Of Illuminating mer.
curry while she was watching them
Walker dropped broken furnace bar
on top Of small package placed on
an iron block. Instantly there was a
shaf report, aud Joey. who was an
Interested observer, jumped several
feet. The men laughed, and she heard
Courtenay say:
'That is the right proportion OF full
inmate. Now. Tollemache, I'll help
you to fix them. We do not know the
moment those reptiles may choose to
attack"
SO the captain did not leave the Ala
culof menace altogether out OF count.
Something rose In her throat, some
wave Of emotion which threatened her
splendid serenity. She ran rather than
walked 10 her cabin, flung herself on
the bed and sobbed plteously. 1t had
TO come, this tempest OF tears. When
desperate odds demanded unGlnchlng |
courage she faced them dry eyed, with
steadfast heart, But today In the
bright sunshine and apparent security |
OF the ship sinister death shadows tor
tured her into rebellion. She did not |
stop to ask herself why she wept. Be
Ing woman, she yielded TO the gust,
and when It had ended, with the sud
denness Of q summer shower, she smll-
ed through the vanishing tears. Her
first concern was that none should be
aware Of her weakness.
fIIow stupid OF me-" she murmured.
what would the men think IL they
knew broke down In this fashion,
She looked In mirror. In the clear
light without any one could see she
had been crying, and there was so
much work TO be done that she did not
wish to remain in her stateroom until
all tokens Of the storm had passed,
She searched for powder pun and
was at loss TO discover It's where
abouts until she recollected that the
doctor had borrowed 1t for the use Of
a man slightly scalded when his own
supply Of antlseptic powder was ex-
hausted. So she went into Isobel's
room, entering 1t for the first time
since the Kansas struck on the shoal.
The two cabins communicated, as Mr..
Barring had gone TO the expense OF hav-
Ing a door broken through the parti-
ton for the girls use during the yoy-
age.
II Elsie had not already given way
TO tears she must have faltered now at
the sight Of her friends belongings
strewed IN confusion over the floor,
chairs, dressing table and bed. Isobel
possessed gold mounted dressing case
the size of an ordinary portmanteau. /
1t held an assortment Of pretty and
mostly useless kpickknacks, and they /
had all been tumbled out In frantic
hurry. At first Elsie flinched from fur
Their scrutiny, but common sense told
her that this Respondent mood must
be fought She dropped to her knees, {
found a mother-of.pearl powder box
and picked up other scattered articles
and replaced them In the dressing
ease, TO accomplish this It was neces-
sary 10 rearrange various trays and
lrawers Portraits of girl friends, in
,ludlng her own, and Of men unknown {
o her. letters, memoranda and other {
documents were thrown about in dis
rider. All these she put back in their |
'eeeptacles, wondering the while what [
motive had led Isobel to make such a
search for some special objec,
that she cared not jot what became
If the remaining articles.
Yet who could account for the frenzy
IF that terrible hour when the captain
announced the ships danger? Even ,
courteuay himself. she remembered,
had emptled a locker in a rapid hunt /
'or the dogs coat, but he had laugh ,
ngly explained his haste later when
iome chance reference was made to
lls soaked garments. :
Anything was explicablc In the light
Il panic She gathered up skirt and j
ONE blonscs, locked the dressing case. !
,ut the key IN her purse and quilted
he room with heavy heart for the
Of her friends treasures had
'rought sad memories.
Passing into the deck corridor, she K
card the captains voice, apparently
/ considerable distance. Two hun II
red yards away from the ship Cour-
enay and Tollemachc were anchoring
fiat framework built Of spare hatch.
$ and secured by wooden crosspieces. :.
m Il stood the FIRST OF the internal ma =
hines. The raft hoated level with
be waieI 80 IFS only conspicuous fit. !"
ing was a small spar and block, TO
hitch a line aud an iron bar were at =
lched. The men looked strange In y
er eyes at that distance In the mar u
elously clear light she could see their er