Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-14

and as the storm swept the foam in great
sheets that choked and blinded. he had
now and again to turn his head from 1t
till the stress had passed or the rising
mountain of water behind him gave him
some shelter from the blast. At length
he drew near, and the look of fear and
despair on the child's face moved him to
more frantic effort. When Pearl saw
her face. He called to her and she
heard. but just at that instant the ris-
ing wave reached its full height between
them. When he looked down the great
moving slope he saw her in the trough.
but whirling round as though something
blow dragged at her. AS the coming
wave took him he almost hurled him.
self forward. But as he did so she sank
before his eyes. A couple OF powerful
strokes took him close to the place. and
raising himself out of the water for an
instant. as high as he could. he dived
after her. She had not gone far down.
and with a thankful thought which swept
his heart and brain like fire he saw her
before him and clutched her dress tight.
In q few seconds he had fought his way
up to the surface and raised her head out
of the water. She was gasping and chok-
ing but still sensible. She clutched him
systematically with a force which actu-
ally made for danger to them both. For
experience of rescuing~ the drowning
Knowing what to do he held her of from
him till she had been able to breathe
freely a couple Of times. Then he said,
as quietly as he could:
Don't struggle, darling. and don't hold
me so tight. Let me hold YOU At first
she did not comprehend, but as she felt
his strength upon her, instinctively the
woman in her gave way to the man. and
she ceased to struggle. Seeing this. ne
was able to take steps for her protection.
The wave was rising under them and the
NJ IN
Therefore. raising himself little out OF
the water. he drew her face against his
breast till the flying spindrift had swept
over them and once again they were shell
tered in the trough of the sea. Each
wave that came, while the wind was
furious. he took in this way. and after a
while began to feel almost safe as to the
result: he knew now that he could hold on
till help from the ship should reach Them
When there came time between the
puffs of the gale, when they rose on the
wave-top and he looked back, he could
see some hundreds of yards away the
lifebuoy, whose smoke was whirled along
the face of the waves. leaving the flame
visible over the gray waste of tossing sea-
Far behind. looming large as she pitched.
her bow and stern rising alternately. he
saw the great ship, broadside on, as she
turned to their aid. He said to Pearl in
as assured voice as he could muster:
1.-THE ship is coming back for us. dar-
The little lips moved and the eyes closed
in the intensity Of her prayer:
"Oh. God. bring me-us-safe back to
father and mother. Amen!''
'Amen!" added Harold.
Her prayer seemed to sustain the child
The habit of belief was doing It's work;
she was sure now that God would send
help.
Harold dared not let her look back. To
such helpless little one single breath
Of that flying deluge of water and foam
might mean death. And he denied him.
self the seeing also for he felt 1t duty
to save his strength all he could for the
sake of the little one dependent on him.
And. indeed, there was need for saving.
For by this time the clothes Of both
were so saturated that he had to swim
hard to keep both afioat. He dared not
let the child so while he took off his own
clothes. as he would have done had he
been ALONE. He managed to takesoff bis
Shoes using the other foot as lever.
but that wassall he dared. do. And his
clothes were beginning to incumber him.
No one knows till he has experience of 1t
how clothes lengthen in the water. The
sleeves draw out till the hands are COW
cred, and the trouser legs 1engthen and
lengthen till they hamper the movement
of the feet
Harold managed to take off some of the
chiId's clothing. and that eased the
weight, but he in his heart prayed that
the coming help might not be long de-
layed. How he deplored now that 1t had
not been possible to reach the lffebuoy.
for once in touch with 1T, weight would
become as nothing. And so he waited
saving his strength to the utmost.
On the bridge the captain handed Mrs
Stonehouse a pair of the ships bfnocu-
lars. For an instant she looked through
them, and then handed them back and
continued gazing out to where the two
heads appeared-when they did appear on
the crest of the waves. like pinheads. The
captain said half to himself and half to
the father:
Mothers eyes! Mothers eyes," and
the father understood.
AS the ship swept back to the rescue.
her furnaces roaring and her tunnels
sending out huge volumes of smoke
which the gale beat down on the sea to
leeward, the excitement Of all on board
grew tenser and tenser. Men dared hard
ly breathe; women wept and clasped
their hands convulsively as they prayed
In the emergency boat the men sat like
statues. their oars upright. ready for in
slant use. The officer stood with the falls
in his hand ready to lower away.
When opposite the lifebuoy and there
fore about half a quarter of a mile from
Harold and Pearl. the captain gave the
engine-room signal stop" and then a
second later: Full speed astern." With
the stop and reversal of the engines the
great ship seemed to shake and culver
like a frightened horse. The men in the
boats became braced in every nerve. and
the officer. his face set like flint. threw
his eyes once again on the falls to see
that all was clear. The seconds that
elapsed seemed hours, but when few
had passed he said. quietly:
Ready men! Steady!' Then as the
coming wave, slipping under the ship. be-
gan to rise up her side. he freed the falls
and the boat sank softly into the lifting
sea.
Instantly the oars struck the water.
and as the men bent to them a cheer rang
out on the deck.
Harold and Pearl heard. and the man
turning his head for a moment saw that
the ship was close at hand, gradually
drifting down to the weather side of them
SO as to afford shelter when the time
should come. He raised the child in his
arms. saying as he did so:
Now. Pearl, wave your hand to
mother and say. Hurrah!' The child.
fired into fresh hope. at once waved her
tiny hand and cried ''Hurrah! Hurrah!
The sound could not reach the mothers
ears but she saw. and her heart leaped.
She. too, waved her hand. but she ut
tered no sound; she was speeches. with
emotion. The sweet high voice of the
child crept over the water to the ears of
the men in the boat. and seemed to fire
their arms with renewed strength. The
oars bent like whips as they tore through
the water in sharp jerks; the impact
like hammer strokes as they flew
back on the rowlocks.
Give way. men! Give way! Give
way!" roared the officer. "They are
weakening. The mans head is going
under!' and the boat tore up and down
the great slopes of the heaving sea.