The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-01-31

There the captain ran and beheld Jim
Hanway on his hands and knees in the
snow, with his haggard face lifted to
the sky. sending forth dOieful answers
to the heartbroken plant of the coy
otes.
What the deuce, Hanway-" be-
gan the captain.
Hanway raised himself TO his knees
and turning his drawn face upon the
captain, pointed off down the white
river and said with q weak, expfiss-
sionless voice: Il told you she'd have
supper ready, didn't l, cap2 Seems Ike
I did-let's see. She's sitting Up by the
fire waiting-and I'm not coming home
because cap, ] can't get the throttle
open somehow. Throttle's busted,
somehow - and she's waiting-been
waiting-and supper's setting-gettins
huh ?"
Hanway passed a shaking hand
/ across his brow and fell to sniveling
like a frightened boy.
The captain put Hanway to bed ard
! explained matters to the others y no
d. had turned out. It's nothing but Jim
Just a bit off his head-thOught he
/ was driving her SOUTH
But the captain paced the deck TIL
| dawn, mutteTing to himself. he was
/ haunted with a premonition that he
I
/ something big and black and terrible
moving down upon him. as Hanway
/ had put it. The awful stiffness seemed
/ pregnant with disaster.
| The dawn crept like a shiverins thing
across the white expanse, and the sun
| lifted a pale face above the ghOstly
| bluffs Hanway slept heavily in his
bunk and the captain did not appear.
| The three others fried the bacon for
their breakfast and ate in silence. THEN
! they sat about in the engine room and
| waited. Waited for what? They old
not know; but the monOtOnous winter
! hush seemed ever about to bring forth
| some unutterable horror. The perish
ing of their five companions In the bliz-
card and the madness of Hanway We're
| having their effect.
Conversation seemed impossible. a
question called forth only a laconic re-
ply Late in the afternoon the second
pilot leaped to his feet and with
clinched fists paced up and down the
| engine room.
Why don't you talk?" he growied.
why don't you talk? Hang you, why
don't you sing OF yell or talk
His two companions turned blank
faces upon him for answer.
You're all Internal lunatics-that' :
what you are" whined the second
I UliOL. HdtAflE tue AtDyA III Wv ~ 8
got it in for the Lucas. I tell you
you're & parcel Of
Just then the great outer silence was
broken by a wild son sung in Taucou'
tones. The three leaped to their feet
Who had dared to shout so loud into
that terrible stiffness? It seemed like {
challenge to some invincible sleeping
/ enemy.
They rushed out on deck. and higl
= above them on the curved roof Of tn
I pilot house they beheld the captain
] looming huge against the SKY. He wa
e without coat and hat, and his hair tei
\ ! IN tangles about his bloated face. II
= was evidently very drunk.
: Upon the slippery edge Of the TOO
e he stood, balanced upon his toes like
q ballet dancer. IeeTing down upon tn
< suddenly appearing audience TheT
| bowling low, he raised a thick voice
o "Entertainin the Chic) coyotes! chic
t Good of me. dontcha think"
z Then he suddenly began his son
Z again and swung off into the dIzz
: rnazes of a rowdy dance He clOgget
he shufflej. he p'rouetJed- he CHASED
Keeping time with one giddy foot Il
n kicked high for the edifcatiOn of a
e imaginary bald-hesded row.
e Louder and wilder grew the SONG
q faster and faster he danced. TheI
q swinging too near the slippery edge
S the roof. he went off in a whiriin
: spray Of SNOW. struck the huTTicaH
d deck. and bounded off. landing at II
feet of the three spectators.
e He lay very still. 4 siugg sh streal
e of blood oozed from his head and rec
5 dened the snow about him. The thre
gazen horror-stricken. This was II
e something that had been waiting abol
e them in the silence
For many minutes they stared upo
: the quiet face that seemed to thel
e the visible center from which emanate
e the awful hush. At length they carrie
d the body into the engine room; but I'll
< ] captain was dead.