The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-02-15

He was reused by his steward. That menial laid hand his shoulder and he was forthwith awake and competent
 "A ship to windward, sir, shown' flags" said the steward. "The mate 'ud be glad if you'd go to the bridge'
 Alright" said the Captain, and stood up Tn distress, eh?"
 "By the looks of her, sir" admitted the stew ard. who had been waiter ashore "she seems to be a mast two short, sir, so far as I tell. But couldn't be sure.'
 He helped the Captain into his oilskins deft1y, pulling his jacket down under the long coat and held the door open for him.
 Some three miles to windward the stranger lay, appealing vagabond. The Captain found his son standing on the dag-chest, braced against a when she peeped up. momentary silhouette, over the tall seas He turned the Captain ap- preached.
 Cant make out her flags, sir," he said. 'sroo much wind. Looks like a barque with only her mizzen standing"
 "Gimme the glass;" said the Captain, climbing irons and took look at her, swinging accurately to the roll of the ship. Beneath him the wind whipped water tumbled in gray leagues; the stranger seemed poised on the rim of it. From her gaf, dot Of a flag showed blur against the sky and string from her mast head '1rhatH be her ensign upside down at the gaf" he sad "Port your helm there; we'll go down and look at her."
 The Captain took his ship round to windward of the distressed vessel, running astern of her with in quarter of mile. She proved to be the remains of barque as the mate had guessed, deep-laden wooden ship badly swept by the sea. From the wing of the bridge the Captains glasses showed him the length of her deck, cluttered with the wreck of houses torn up by the roots, while the fall of the spars had taken her starboard bull warks with it. Her boats were gone; davit stuck up at the end of the poop crumped like rams horn; and by the taffrail her and sodden crew clustered and cheered the Burdock.
 The Captain rang off his engines and rang again to stand by in the engine room The mate up the ladder to him while his hand was yet at the telegraph
 "Lifeboat's all clear for lowering, sir," he said Noble Peters. Hausen and Ryland to go in her" He waited
 The old Captain stood looking at the wreck while the steamship rolled unanimously in the trough.
 "Who goes in charger he asked after a min 'rll go. father" said the mate eagerly He paused, but the Captain said nothing
 And I'll just see to the hoisting out of that boat" said the Captain. Good thing had you put in the pins'
 The third mate on the bridge rang for steam and mace lee for the lowering of the lreboat. tore loose from her bed "vast hauling! Be1ay! Now out with the davit, mel"
 He stepped pace forward as they passed out the line. Haul away" he was saying when the bosun shouted hoarsely and tried to reach him with a dash across the slippery deck blanks. The mate screamed, the Captain humped his shoulders for the blow. It all happened in flash of dis aster; the boats weight pulled the pin from the checks of the block and down she came, her stern thuddng thick1y into the deck while the Captain limp and senseless, rolled nertIy to the scuppers When he to he in his bunk. He open ed his eyes with shiver upon the familiar cabin with it's atmosphere of compact neatness, it's gleam ing paint aud bright work. A throb of brutal pain in his head wrung grunt from him, and ther he realized that something was wrong with his right arm. He tried to move it, to bring it above the bedclothes to look at it. and the effort sur prised outh from him and left him dizzy ant shaking. The white jacket of the steward came through m. .st that was about him.
 "Better hope sir," the steward was saying "Beggin' yolr pardon, but you'd better lie still sir. Is there anything could bring you, sir?"
 Did the boat fall on me?" asked the Captain carefully. His voice seemed thin to himself
 ''Not you, sir,' replied the steward. Mot s to speak, tn top of you. The keel 1t you on tn shoulder, sir, an you contracted a thump on tn 'ead."
 ~And the wreck?" asked the Captain
 ."The wrecks crew is aboard sir, bark vavasou, of London, sir. The mate brought 'em off mos gallantly, sir was to tell i'm when you com to, sir"
 "Tel1 him then" said the Capbain, and close his eyes, wearily.
 "Wen, Arthur" he said.
 The tall young mate beside him.
 "Ah, father" he said cheerfuly. 'Picking U bit, eh? That's good. Ugly accident, that"
 "Yes" replied the Captain locking up into hi face "Block split, suppose?"
 "Yes" said the mate. That's 1t. How do yo feel?'
 "You didn't notice the block, suppose. whe you put the new pins il? ?' asked the Captain.
 Can't say did" answered the mate, Tor r have changed it. You're not going to blame m' surely father?"
 The Captain smiled. "No, Arthur, I'm not goin to blame you," he said 'T want to hear how yo brought off that barks crew Is it a good var for Minnie?"
 At Barcelona the Captain went to hospital an they took off his right at the shoulder. Th Burdock went back without him, and he lay his bed wondering how it that the loss Of a arm should make 8 man feel lonely.
 He was quickly about again. Then it wa that he discovered strange thing; it was h right arm, the that gone, that hndere him. The scars of the amputation had healed, b, unless he bore the fact deliberately in mind, + felt the arm to be there. He tried to button h braces with it, to knot his tie, to lace his boo and had to overtake the impulse and correct with effort. When his clothes on, he p, his rieht hand in his trousers pocket then r nembered that it not there, and withdre hastily the hand he had not got. During the wa the trouble remained with him; it muddl<