Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1909-04-14

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 smithereens and cart that poor
innocent city man with you. He don't
know that, but you do. And all on ac-
count of red-headed little toughy
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 / was thinking
it, l was glad 1 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 heap
of satisfaction once in a while in
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 If
'twould never let up. And we kept on,
too. three reefs in by this time, and
the jib down. And with every tack l
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
one that, up to now, and by Gods
mercy, we was afioat.
Then, at last. the gale begun to go
down. A landsmaa wouldn't have no.
ticed the change, but 1 did. 1t stopped
raining, and the wind was easing up.
By and by the haze broke and 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 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
even to blow in the wind.
Don't know" 1 hollers back
Wen 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 nice day later
on, judged. But there was a living
gale still blowing and the waves was
unning 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 on
the Point, just abaft the lighthouse. l
see the Teller in the station tower
open the, window and lean out to
watch us. l cal'late he wondered
what asylum had turned that pair of
lunatics loose.
Past the Point and now we come
about for the run afore the wind UP
the narrows. Wapatomac village was
in plain sight.
with any sort of luck" says l,
we'll be alongside the dock by quar-
ter-past five. The down train leaves
at rs minutes to eight. You can thank
your stars, Mr.. Hartley"
Twas a pretty cock-sure thing to
say, and ought to have known better
than to crow afore we was out of the
woods. But we'd come through so far
enough sight better than reasonable
man could expect.
The narrows is wicked place. The
channel is fairly straight, but scant
width, and on each side of it is a
stretch of bars and rips that are bad
enough in decent weather. Now they
was as good an imitation of as salt
water Tophet as 1 want to see. Strip
after strip of breakers, with lines of
billing, twisting Sticks and whirlpools
between. And the tide tearing
through.
l sent Hartley for'ard to look out for
shoals. He had one knee on the edge
of the cabin roof and was climbing up,
when l happened to glance astern.
There was an old "he" wave coming
"a regular deep-water grayback.
Look out!" 1 yells. Stand by!"
That wave hit us like house tum-
bling down. I'd braced myself and
was, in way, ready for it, but Hart
ley want. He was knocked for'ard
on his face. Then, as the bow jumped
up, he was chucked straight back
wards, landing on his shoulders and
left arm against the centerboard well.
He turned full somerset and his feet
knocked mine from under me. Down
went and the tiller was yanked out of
my hands.
Waves like that hunt in droves, gen.
orally speaking. The next one was
right on schedule time. Up we went,
and sideways like a railroad train.
Then down, "Bump!" on the bottom.
Up again, and down. "Thump!
| Crunchi'
That time we struck with all our