The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-02-12

 to the port fore rigging Here he listened to the jovial badinage called back and forth between the captain of the ship and the captain of the tug.
 Mot much chance of sympathy from that fellow" he muttered he lifted his head the rail and looked Tue of the tug stood forward, one of them holding a coed heaving line and aboard the ship the focking forward at the mates behest to where large nawser lay the fore hatch with it's end passed over the bows and back under the headgear. As the tug came abreast of the fore rigging, Howard mounted the rail- steadied himself by the lanyard and carefully tossed the bot tie. 1t struck the coil of heaving line held by the man and dropped the rail without breaking. Then it rolled along it and seemed doubtful which way to fall.
 Catch that bottle and deliver the message in it," he called.
 One of the men sprang toward it, but 1t eluded his fingers by an inch and fell overheard.
 Come down out of that" roared the mate from the forecastle deck.o What's in that bottle?"
 Message to my lawyer, if you want to know," answered Howard, sullenly, as he watched his bot tie bobbing astern on the tide The whirlingsneav- ing line from the tug attracted the mates attention, however and he busied himself with the passing out of the towline. But the captain running forward, as Howard climbed down.
 "What'd you throw aboard that tug?" he demand ed, gripping Howard by the collar again.
 "A message to-" Howard was being shaken vigorously, and good judgment dificult-but he remembered the admonition of his adviser
 "A message to my brother. apprsing him where am," he stammered.
 
 "He told message to his lawyer" he said. "Your lawyer?" queried the captain squntng sus- pciously at Howard, "Got lawyer, have you?"
 T said my brother, sir. He's plumber "The bottle went overheard anyhow. captain" said the mate.
 Hell of a. rich man, you are-you and your Jaw. yer and your plumber" He flung Howard from him and went aft but the mate looked him up and down, seriously and thoughttully for a moment; then as though satisfied with his conclusions, said: Make the best of it. Be civil and quiet and do what you're told, and you p,ay come out all right"
 As Howard able to steer and box the compass from his yachting experience, he kept at the wheel most of the day, and lookout through all of his night watches deck.
 Standing at the wheel and OF lookout is con. ducive to thought; and on this passage out Howard went into solid, searching thought into himself and his acts, looking, of course for the reason of his plight He found it, first, in the last drink at the last dive he had entered then because he had left the party then because he had joined it. and finally to his mood and the of the mood, his quarrel with Mabel Ross. And here the quest became of value Aside from the charge of efeminacy he could not but admit that she was right, that he had been weak, lazy, careless selfish, and heartless And sne had called him beautiful. He thought ot the two red on his face that he would carry to his grave, and hopeA that this judgment overruled. But it was hard school he was going to. Wealthy, a yacht and horse owner, member of more clubs than he could without effort, petted, spoiled. good catch of metropolitan society he was now
 
 worse, farmer, "soldier" who could not swab, scrub paint errands inteligently the inferior of the meanest foreigner of the But he iearned {. few things of value-to keep out of the way of moving objects, animate inanimate; the mini mum of difference which his different superors for ward and aft required to satisfy them and he rapid ly acquired appreciation of the dry, subtle humor of forecaste discourse and acquaintance with the deep and genuine refinement of face and voice that comes to the toughest of men under extreme phys cal suffering.
 In this frame of mind he was appraised one rainy day by the gances and gestures of his shipmates at work around the deck that something ing up astern; and, looking back. he beheld sight that set his blood tingling He knew her. knew every line, corner and curve of that pet of his and never since her builders had delivered her had she appeared beautiful in his eyes, She came charging along, taut and trip black shiny, and graceful, her bow lifting and plunging, throwing spray over her bridge and carrying "bonein-her teeth" three feet high, with the black smoke of forced draught belching from her funnel and on her bridge feature not put there by her builders vicious secondary gun, such is carried by scouts and torpedo craft Beside this gun stood figure in long, yellow oilskin coat and sou'wester and near at hand, base down the deck, large mega phone, feature, like the gun.
 The captain appeared on deck, and lounging against the after house, inspected the yacht through his glasses. The first mate joined him, and they exchanged comments. Howard. drenched by the rain, chilled and aching from his long trick at the wheel, and excited by the prospect of release, >A~