The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1909-03-31

unbi hVt pRtlh, ~ ~ sA~fs =
ling 81 canYas, and de fog began drift
Hing away lie q. great white cloud.
lsIeaying revealed ths;yista f;cold gray
sea stretching about us. Lord. but 2itl
Fad look barren and desolate that
ceaselesslyi heaying expanse iof; water,
amid which We were hut the smerest
speck, scarcely more important than
those floating cakes. Of Ice. tossed by
the waves through which We sought
passage. =
+ AT. six o'clock we took careful stock,
OF our supply Of provisions. and served
out small ration all around, after
ward arranging. the several watches
forEthe night and distributing, as equal
iy as possible, the blankets and extra
clothing. The, wind felt colder, the
sea coming up bit, and Dade and
Kelly fixed up a piece Of spare can.
vas at the stern ito protect the steers
man from the. dash OF Icy spray. De,
Nova took the filler, and seeing no
signs Of a bad night ! lay down amid
ships. though not until l had COM
PEELED Lady, Darlington to seek rest
also. Whether she found II or not ]
can not say, but | was asleep instant.
ly, and knew nothing until Johnson
called me at midnight. II
There was no great change in co1-
dltlons as ] stumbled sleepily aft to.
take the tiller. The boat was sailing
free, but with a reef In the mainsail.
| owing to a marked stilening OF the
wind. The intense loneliness Of the
scene cast an even stronger spell over
me now.-those awful wastes Of soil.
tude above and below; the : far-on
steely glitter Of stars; the nearby
white crested waves; the little. insig-
nifcant dot Of boat Sin which we
tossed. thought upon those leagues
upon leagues Of barrenness stretching
away to the north, east: west, south,
the vast fields OF Ice the extent OF
storm.lashed seas. the seeming hope.
lessness of our efforts at escape, and
choked In my throat, my lips pressed
tight. my eyes staring bllndly out In.
to the smother. ~ e$.s,
Suddenly the blanket at my feet
stirred, and Lady Darlington sat up,
her back against the gunwale and face
upturned TO mine. The cold CLEAN
Of the moon revealed her features,
clear cut as a cameo. framed by the
darkness OF her hood. could dis
tinguish the delicate tracery Of her
lashes, and. beneath that light, the
| gray Of her eyes appeared black.
II have been studying your face, Mr..
Stephens" she said quietly, "and have
read there the helplessness Of our SIT,
uation." - g.,,
Il rallied instantly. endeayoring to
speak lightly.
"You translate wrongly. That was
only the depression Of. the scene yon.
der; the awful loneliness Of sea and
sky affected my spirits. You should
not draw hasty conclusions"
Nor have l. Even such sea and
sky never gave you TINT look of de.
SPAR. I know you too well to believe
that. You consider our situation des,
perate." +.
1 looked at her closely. but 1t was
not fear saw in the npllfcd face.
cit Is certainly serious enough" !
admitted. believing It useless TO at:
tempt any deceit, but not hopeless.
We have staNch boat under us, suf.
ticIent food for I'LL our probable needs,
and a favorable wind. While there Is
HE there Is hope" H5
She made little eloquent gesture
OF the hands. IA
please do not say that Those
words are always the last effort 10
bolster up courage. Keep them for
the men, but trust NE with the exact
truth"
ASK and will answer" @
What chance have We OF rescue?"
l turned my eyes away before ven.
turing to reply. yet dared not utter
an untruth. ss5
1.-TWO: the being picked up by some
passing vessel or the attaining Of in.
habitable land" s
.Are there any vessels in THIS sea
at this season."
1T Is hardly probable there are, I'M.
less It should be some whaler blown
from her course around the Horn"
Then our only practical hone lies
In reaching land by our own efforis?"s
She leaned forward, her hand touching
mine as 1t grasped the tiller, her earn.
est eyes compelling me to look at her.
''Yes."5 .....$.
"How-how far away Is this land?'
I II hesitated. actually afraid myself
to speak the answer. but, her hand.
clasp merely frightened.
PLEASE tell me. II wish to know
the very worst. Such knowledge will
be easier 10 bear than this awful
doubt" I. X 4t.''l ~
but I hardly know myself" con.
feSsed desperately. Il have had no
observation for several days, and can
only g,lcss the rate OF progress of the
Sea Queen, or Our drift during the
storm. will be perfectly honest with
yca. though. and give you my best
judgment. ] be..eVa We must be be.
tween four and five hundred miles to