Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1910-06-11
IffELAST VOYAGE or THEA
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Aaa ISABEL A 10y

I turned my eyes away before ven'
turing to reply. yet l dared not after
an untruth.
Two: the being picked up by some
passing vessel, or the attaining of in
habitable land
Are there any vessels in this sea
at this season."
ut is hardly probable there are. I'm,
less it should be some whaler blown
from her course around the Horn"
Then our only practical hope lies
in reaching land by our own efforts?"
mine as it grasped the tiller, her earn.
est eyes compelling me to look at her.
Eyes"
"How-how far away Is this land?"
/ hesitated, actually afraid myself
to speak the answer, but her hand
clasp merely frightened.
please tell me. II wish to know
be easier to bear than this awful
doubt"
"But I hardly know myself" 1 con-
| fessed desperately. II have had no
observation for several days, and can
| only guess the rate of progress Of the
| Sea Queen, or our drift during the
storm. l will be perfectly honest with
you, though, and give you my best
| judgment. / believe we must be be.
tween four and five hundred miles to
| the east and north of Dougherty is
land, and not yet beyond the limit of
| drift ice. There would be no use in
| our attempting to turn back for that
| point of land, as it is nothing but a
rock, and we could never find it by the
! mere guidance of compass. Our only
| chance is to bear away to the north
east toward land and the track Of
ships"
How far? What land?"
"The western coast of South Amer
lea; at least 800 miles"
I felt her shudder, and scarcely re-
alizing that | did so. or the signifi-
canoe of the action, impelled by an
impulse beyond all control. l drew her
| hand within both my own as though
in pledge of protection.
at can be DONE" l insisted Such
boat voyages have been accom-
| plished"
She made no effort to draw away,
her eyes still upon mine.
mot through such a sea as this;
not at this season of the year."
could not answer, my lips dry, my
| throat parched.
"You know the utter hopelessness
of it," she went on, stimulated by my
; silence, you know we can never
survive the cold, the closing in of the
| ice, the certainty of storm. You are
sailor, and brave man-trust me
with the whole truth"
at would be almost a miracle" fall
| tered, the words fairly forced from
my lips by her insistence. This is
the beginning of winter in the storm
lest ocean on the globe. God could
do it, but not man."
Her head sank, the white cheek
touching my sleeve, but the fearless
! gray eyes were still open, gazing
straight into mine.
"Then it is the certainty of DEATH"
she said soberly. Death together"
My heart leaped as though 1t had
received an electric shock.
Together! you mean"
THAT l should rather be here, facing
death with you, than anywhere else
alone" she exclaimed swiftly. "Oh,
1 can say it frankly now; say 1t here
before you and God; say it in all
purity and honor. Perhaps tonight,
perhaps tomorrow, somewhere amid
this awful waste of waters we will go
together into eternity. What are the
! dictates of men to us now? What
meaning is there any longer to the
hideous requirements of the world?
We are beyond them all. Here. now,
we can be ourselves, ourselves. To-
night we are free; tonight l can hear
you speak what l have already read In
your eyes, and am not afraid to hear
| it."
"You-you love me?"
with all my heart and SOUL"
With everything else blotted out,
with all else forgotten, 1 sat speech
less gazing down through the mist OF