The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-08-29

the cruel uncertainties of a merchant
mariners life. With his Puritanical
training, and his Puritauical prOneness
for the academic solution of nice moral
problems, John had long ago decided
that if he had a right to marry at all, it
was only with q woman of his own
class, Injured to the tragedies of the sea.
1t was already decided for him. Offhand,
that he could not fall in love with Miss
Minturn. 1t was q hard decision to
agree with, but he managed it.
And he had no sooner agreed than.
after the manner of men on the brink
Of love- he lost sight of the ethical as
spects Of his case in a sudden, over
Whelmingly TOseate vision of what
might have been. With astonishing
I Vividness he saw Helen Ninturn, Helen
Grierson now, turning away up the
gravel path that leads through banks
of tiger lilies TO the side door of the old
white house, after a goodbye whose
sadness was not at all painful. Just as
vividly he experienced the rapturous
completeness Of each return from sea
when Helen GriersOn would be waiting
for him under the old gnarIed trees Of
the orchard. And as each successive
picture rose before him he became less
and less the Puritan ciasping thOrny
duty with Unhinching hands, and more
and more the TebelliOus boy complaining
at his fate and half inclined to try
fall with it.
A sudden stiffness called him from all
that On long fair-weather voyage
one becomes tuned to the ever-recuring
movements and thousand muffled voices
of a snip and they pass UnnOticed, ex-
cept when they stop. It took John
moment to realize that the Hanxow's
engines were shut off and that only her
momentum was carrying her forward
with a gentle whisper of water along
side. quite different from the sharp
kissing and bubbllng of the waves
parted by a vessel under way At the
same time the watch officer on the
bridge sang out in a mellow roar, Bark,
ahoy. What bark is that?"
It was hard to bring to any one who
has not experienced it a realization of
the hugeness and emptiness of the Pa
cific, or Of the mOnOtOny of a voyage
across its thousands of leagues of slow
Is heaving blue. Even those who have
crossed the Atlantic often have little
conception of the desert waste ole
ocean really is, for the thronging com
merce between Europe and America
moves in a very few narrow and crowd
ed lanes, where it is as natural to meet
OF.
But in the vast eXpanse of the mid
Pacific, where the Hankow was then.
even on established routes of passage
the CLINT Of a sail or the smudge of a
smoke plume on the dim horizon line is
an event. Once off these little fire.
quented paths a disabled ship might
drift for months undiscovered, now that
the ubiquitous whalers are gone. To
speak another ship there is a rare event.
and the hail of the second mate brought
John to his feet.
He flung open the door Of the port
gangway and saw, close aboard to lee
ward as the HankOw swept slowly on,
a magnificent sailing vessel. Only a
breath Of air was stirring, there on
the northern edge of the Trades. and
she had all sail set to catch it. It was
bright moonlight. though the sky was
fiecked with the outposts of the trade
wind clouds, and every taut rope and
tapering spar Of her was elean-cut as
a shadow, while the swelling squares
of canvas glinted like sheets Of silver
She was a sight to make ones breath
catch, appearing there so Unexpectedly
out Of the night, in what had seemed
an empty sea.
Bark ahoy;" the watch officer hailed
again, and from the stranger, now fall
ing rapidly astern in her drift to lee
ward, a thin and eerie voice returned
an incOmprehensible answer Then sud
denly, with a rattle of brace-blocks. the
barks main-yard swung aback, and
John heard the soft thudding Of wind
beaten canvas as her light sails were
let go and clewed up. From her
spanker-gaf line Of red lanterns