The Red Cloud chief., 1909-03-25

tOOl THIS Is your ma DuSt OF CrdSl'
ness. You can't make II; you knew
afore you started you couldn't. You'll
be in among the shoals pretty soon
and then you and the Dora Bassett II
go to smitherecns and cart that poor
innocent city man with you. He don't
know that, but you do. And all on nc.
count of q red.hcaded little toughy
from the back alleys of New York, and
a girl that amt lone OF your relations.
You deserve what's coming to you"
And yet, even while | was thinking
Il, | was glad | was making the try.
Glad for Redny's sake; particular glad
on account of what 1t might mean to
Martin and Agnes; and glad, too. just
out of general cusscdncss. You see,
twas like n fight; and there's a heap
of satisfaction once in n while In a
real ol~d.fashioned, knock.down and
drag-out. rough.and.tumble fght-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
the jib down. And with every tack |
cal'lated we was making better head.
way towards the bottom than my
where's else. ! couldn't see nothing to
get my bearings from. and hadn't no
idea where we was, except the general
one that, up to now, and by Gods
mercy, we was afoat.
Then, at last, the gale begun to go
down. A landsman wouldn't have no.
ticed the change, but | did. II stopped
aiming, and the wind was easing up.
BY and by the haze broke and I caught
a glimpse of Middle Ground light, al.
most abreast of us. | unbuttoncd my
ileskin jacket and looked at my watch.
Half.past two, and only th~roe.quarters
of the way to Wapatomac. We'd been
eight hours and a half coming n dis.
lance that I've made over and ovor
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
even to blow in the wind.
Don't know" l hollers back.
"We'l try"
He nodded. The clearing Of that
haze had helped me considerable. l
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 eve"y second. l sent
Hartley amidships to tend center
board.
We beat in through Long Point
reach. The l~ife.saving station Is or
the Point, just abaft the lighthouse.
see the Teller in the station tower
open the window and lean out tt
watch us. | cal'late he wondered
what asylum had turned that pair o
lunatics loose.
Past the Point and now we com,
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 leavei
at 25 minutes to eight. You can thanl
your stars. Mr.. Hartley"
Twas a pretty cock-sure thing Il
say, and l ought to have known better
than to crow afore we a out Of the
woods. But we'd come through so fa'
enough sight better than a reasonable
man could expect.
The narrows Is a wicked place. Th'
channel Is fairly straight, but scan
width. and on each side of 1t Is
stretch OF bars and rips that are bat
enough in decent weather. Now the!
was as good an imitation Of a salt
water Tophet as l want to see. Stril
after strip OF breakers, with lines o
billing, twisting Sticks and whirlpool
} between. And the tide tearing
through.
sent Hartley for'ard to look out 70
shoals. He had one knee on the edg,
of the cabin roof and was climbing W
when I happened to glance asterr
There was an old "he" wave cominI
) "a regular deep-water grayback.
Look OUT" l yells. Stand BY"
That wave hit us like a house tum
I bling down. I'd braced myself an
| was, in a way, ready for 1t, but Hart
! ley want. He was knocked for'ar
| on his face. Then, as the bow jumpe
) up, he was chucked straight bacl
wards, landing on his shoulders an
: left arm against the centerboard wei
He turned a full somerset and his fec
knocked mine from under me. Dow
l went and the tiller was yanked out G
my hands.
Waves like that hunt in droves, ger
: orally speaking. The next n wa
right on schedule time. Up we wen
. and sideways like a railroad traiI
Then down. "Bump!" on the bottom
. Up again. and down. "Thump
Crunchtp