The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1909-06-05

breeze. Well be on our way again
by dawn"
A savage CLEAN came into the cap.
tain's eyes.
Didn't l hear a woman talking to
you, Carltonl"
Eyes, SIR"
well, don't you dare to let that
woman come near me Do you hear
me p
The second mate shook his head.
II hear, sir, but can't make any
such promise.
Thecaptain' S look was6erce indeed.
Whats that p
The second mates voice grew
softer.
Don't get excited, cap'n. You
see you don't know what's happened.
That woman is sort of bossin' the
ship just now. You ask the first
mate"
The captain stared.
"What In blue blazes does that
foolishness mean?" he hoarsely de-
manded. Haven't you told me every
thing that's happened1'
"Not about her, cap'n," the Sec
ond mate promptly replied. He
moistened his lips. "In the first
place, 1t looks as if she saved you
from goin' overheard. Jenkinson
saw it all. There was you, helpless
as log, an there was the woman
holdin' to your collar for dear life,
and there was the old Alcestris on her
beam ends. An then, sir, when the
ship righted an a lot of TIL deck
hands ran for the boats, she was right
there among 'em an beggin' 'em, an
shamin' 'em, en- KILN what might
have been panic right there an
then. Mr.. Saunders will tell you,
sir. He got there when twas all
over"
The captain drew long breath.
Go on, Carlton"
"Well, an she's tn passenger l
spoke to you about"
"What passenger"
"Why, the one that's doin' tn doc.
torin'. It seems that she was a hos
pital nurse when she was younger an
she knows every rope In the business.
Nursed whole minin' camp through
a fever once. That's where she got
used to facin' men. Say, you ought
to have seen her stitchin' up nasty
cut in Tom Martins shoulder. An
the way she snapped the bones back
In my arm was merry caution. But
it was you she patched an plastered
up first of allan she says she'll
have you on deck again by tomorrow
afternoon, sure" The second mate
paused. 80 yor see cap'n, there
amt nobody on tn ship that would
wan'tto interfere with the lady. You
ask Saunders.
There was a little silence.
"Guess I'll try to sleep" said the
captain.
''She said it was the best thing for
you," remarked the second mate.
The Alcestris limped along her
course, and the sun shone fair, and
the bruised and battered ones grew
stronger.
And then it was the night before
the overdue steamer crept into port
and the officers were giving COM
plimcntary dinner-and the recipient
of this honor was the woman who
talked. There was to be a loving cup
given her when the ship reached
shore and the details could be ar
ranged-a loving cup to which each
person aboard had contributed bit
of metal-a ring here, a gold coin
there, a dime, shilling, even cop
per. And all these pieces were to
be fused into cup of loving remem-
brance.
There had been singing and
speeches from the officers and passen-
gers, and brief, though much ap.
plauded speech from the honored
guest-who seemed to have suddenly
lost her volubility.
And presently the captain rose, his
pale face flushing beneath the white
bandage about his head.
II Just want to add a word to what
has been so we'll said," he slowly an
nounced, His gaze rested on the wo-
man who talked. "Ifthis dear lady, "
he went on, "can find any question in
Gods world to ask me when I am on
official dnty, and I can find In Gods
world any answer to give her, she
shall have it promptly and cheerfully
even if / have to stop the ship to
deliver It,"
And he sat down amid thunders oi
applause.-W. r. Rose, in C2e0elan0
Plain Dealer.