The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1909-06-25

ness. You can't make II; you knew
afore you started you couldn't. YeuE
be in among the shoals pretty DOE
and then you and the Dora Bassett II
go to smithereens and cart that poor
innocent city man with you. He don't
know that, but you do. And all on ac-
count OF a ~red-headed little tougby
from the back alleys Of New York, and
a girl that amt none Of your relations.
You deserve what's coming to you"
And yet, even while I was thinking
1t, ! was glad l was making the try.
Glad for Redny's sake; particular glad
on account of what It might mean to
Martin and Agnes; and glad, too. Just
out Of general cussedness. You see,
twas like a fight; and there's a heap
OF satisfaction once in a while In a
real old-fashioned, knock-down and
%drag-out, rough.and-tumble fight-that
Is, when you're fighting for anything
worth the row
The storm kept on; seemed as II
'twould never let up. And we kept on,
too, three reefs in by this time, and
tbt JlD uOWu. anu Will CNCly tdCh Il
callated we was making better head
way towards the bottom than any
where's else. I couldn't see nothing to
get my bearings from, and hadn't no
idea where we was, except the general
n that, up to now, and by Gods
mercy, We was afloat.
Then, at last, the gale begun to go
down. A landsman wouldn't have no.
ticed the change, but l did. 1t stopped
raining, and the wind was easing up.
BY and by the haze broke and l caught
a glimpse of Middle Ground light, al
most abreast of us. l unbuttoned my
ileskin jacket and looked at my watch.
Half-past two, and only three-quarters
of the way to Wapatomac. We'd been
eight hours and a half coming a dis
lance that I've made over and over
again, in that very sloop, in less than
three. Hartley caught my sleeve.
will we get there?" he shouts. His
face was all shining with the wet and
his hair was too heavy with water
wen to blow in the wind. y
Don't know" I hollers back.
"We1l try"
He nodded. The clearing of that
haze had helped me considerable.
could sight my marks, the lights, now,
and We made faster time.
At last, after what seemed a fort.
night more, come the first streak OF
gray daylight. The clouds was break
ing up and it would be a nice day later
on, l judged. But there was a livinG
gale still blowing and the waves was
running savage over the shoals ahead
The channel was narrowing up and
had to watch out every second. l sent
Hartley amidships to tend center
board.
We beat in through Long Point
reach. The life.saving station is or
the Point, just abaft the lighthouse.
see the Teller in the station tower
open the window and lean out Il
watch us. l callate he wondered
what asylum had turned that pair o
lunatics loose.
Past the Point and now we conn
about for the run afore the wind VI
the narrows. Wapatomac village wa
in plain sight.
with any sort of luck" says
well be alongside the dock by quar-
ter-past five. The down train leaves
at 25 minutes to eight. You can thanl
your stars, Mr.. Hartley"
Twas a pretty cock-sure thing II
say, and 1 ought to have known bette,
than to crow afore we was out of thu
woods. But we'd come through so ia
enough sight better than a REASONABLE,
man could expect.
The narrows Is a wicked place. Thu
channel is fairly straight, but scan
width, and on each side of it Is
stretch Of bars and rips that are ba,
enough in decent weather. Now the,
was as good an imitation Of as salt
water Tophet as I want to see. Stril
after strip of breakers, with lines O
/ billing, twisting Sticks and whirlpool
} between. And the tide tearin
} through.
sent Hartley for'ard to look out 70
} shoals. He had one knee on the edg
of the cabin roof and was climbing VI
{ when I happened to glance asterr
There was an old "he" wave comm
"a regular deep-water grayback.
Look out!" I yells. STAND by!"
That wave hit us like a house tun
bling down. I'd braced myself an
was, In a way, ready for it, but Har
ley want. He was knocked for'ar
I ON his face. Then, as the bow jumpe
up, he was chucked straight bacl
wards, landing on his shoulders an
left arm against the ce~nterboard wei
He turned a full somerset and his fee
knocked mine from under me. Dow
l went and the tiller was yanked out
! my hands.
l Waves like that hunt in dr0ves, gel
: orally speaking. The next n wa
e right on schedule time. Up we wen
and sideways like a railroad trail
Then down, "Bump!" on the bottom
g lin again. and down. 'Thumr