The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-18

could long avoid the task of bed-making. And in the bulletin addition to the liquors-were boxes upon boxes of cigars and cigarettes. And there was a piano and music, and books of all titles and subjects
 It wasn't so bad to be marooned!
 Hedderly was busy enough the first day finding and classifying things; though the second day also he had enough to do. But the third day began to be monoton- ous. There was a ghostliness about the silence of the ship, and the silence of the day, and the silence of the night. It got on his nerves, and took his mind from his book, and forced him to walk-on the deck, where he could kick up something of racket; and then in the salon, where he couldn't kick up a racket because of the carpet, and where in desperation he sat down at the piano and played rag time, with much attention to the loud pedal and the bass keys
 Then he sat- with fingers clasped, on the piano stool, and was sympathizing with himself as thoroughly as if he were widow, when a gentle ticking noise caught his ear. Queer tricks this silence played! For the ticking brought to him strangely enough that period before he went in for cattle on a large scale, when he was a T. & O. operator up in the Panhandle-reporting one train and the weather morning and night by way of earning his salary and by way of en- toying life flirting brazenly over the idle wire with a red-headed girl down the roadl "I-g'' used to be his call-and ab- sently he drummed the two dots, two dashes and dot on the edge of the piano. And the girls station was "s-t"- and she always insisted that he made ''b' of 1t when he got in hurry. He drummed away, the long-unused muscles seeming to laugh as they loosened them selves to the task, and g. reminiscent smile spreading over his face.
 What. His fingers stopped, stiff and still; and his eyes grew wide; and he grasped the edge of the piano stool and lifted himself; and his lower jaw dropped and he stood staring toward the end of the salon. speeches., with dry mouth and aching throat and burning eyes. For as certain as he had hearing there was the old call eehoing through the shipl
 He staggered, and passed a hand across his eyes, and laughed.
 Nothing to it. Be-" he said weakly, I'm crazy. I'm hearing funny noises. First thing you know I'll be busy tying knots in the tails of pink kangaroosl I'm I'm batty!"
 
 the salon toward large easy chair. But he stopped half way, for the ''calr' had been answered and two people were talk ing'-
 His head swan and he reeled to the chair and dropped. gasping, into it. And then, as if he had been shot out by d strong spring, he leaped up laughing hys- terically and thrusting his shaking hands before him gropingly.
 Come on, Bo!" he cried Come on! It's all right We're saved. It's the wire less!'
 He plunged into the little room where the receiving instrument was. His shak- ing fingers touched the rubber knob, and desperately he began to "call."
 Who's the goat?" asked one of the takers presently; and Hedderley laughed with all his voice, and straight ened in his chair. and felt strong-and rattled away craz;ly at the key.
 Pm Hedderley," he wrote.
 "Bill or NanT' came the query. Don't jokei I'm wreck-'
 Thought so from your sending. Try promo"
 "Marooned."
 How intelestingl'
 Darn it, listen"
 Such a language"
 And Hedderley broke in with an apology; for he recognized the writing as that of a woman.
 Don't mind that; but what's your joker"
 Wont you understand. I'm ship wrecked"
 How long do you expect to remain where you are?"
 'The rest of my life if I can't get you to take this thing seriously 'Oh, by the way-where are your" "ln a dinky rock-bound cozy corner in the middle of the ocean somewhere"
 But what part of the ocean?" How the How do you expect me to know, when there isn't a sign on the station and no time card-' Ask some one"
 Nobody to ask"
 "On shore"
 Nobody on shore-not anything on shore.