The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1905-1910, 1910-07-29

~ SSs'ocs
which would be helpless. the sport OF
wind and waves, after perhaps 80
hours. That boat was alone In the
great expanse Of the Pacific ocean.
Somewhere about there were islands
probably. Indeed. on the charts those
seas we're dotted with points Of land.
but they were small. inconsidsrabie.
uninhabited. unknown. In that little
boat she might pass close by many
o. them Without seeing theuf, She had
provisions. such as they were, and
water Sufficient perhaps for a week
or ten days. After that Vpless she
landed somewhere she would drift on
until she starved and died. II storm
came. the launch probably would not
survive IT, Her chances OF escape. in
any event. were worse than problem
atical. The end was almost esrtxtn.
But she was happy. The 1rst resi
ray OF happiness which had entered
her soul since the beginning OF the
great awakening. which hsd culnin-
ated in the frightful scene Of the
night. iiiumined her being. As she sat
In the sterp sheets. her hand ON the
steering wheel, listening to the steady
drumming OF the motor. seeing the
black water broken into foam by the
boats bows flash by her, keeping the
launch steady on her course by the
aid OF the compass needle. her eyes
turned ever and anon to the fast d.
minishing point OF light which marked
the rapidly disappearing yacht and
she realized that she was free. She
had hurled out Of her path-and how
she exulted In her own prowess: II
was something Of a salve 10 her aqul
for the wretched humiliations which
had been heaped upon it-shs had
hurled out Of hsr path and ssrtckan
down as any other animal might have
done him who had brought her b th1s
awful pass. She was away fron him.
free from him. She vas once pRa
so far as wind and wave allowed. the
master Of her fate. the mistress Of her
destiny.
She was glad In her heart, too, that
there were TO be no physical conse
quences from her brief alliance. She
did not realize that there were 70 be |
other Consciousness which not even all |
the water OF the seas over which she |
foated' could wash out There was Q
strange elation In her soul. She felt |
as II In some way abe had indicated |
her right to be. There was semsthing
YET in her PHILOSOPHY ana did oppor- |
tunity serve. could she get free from |
the dangers that encompasssd her. she |
vowed that she would prove IT,
All night long she stayed awake.
keeping the launch In her course.
When morning broke she was sbso-
lutely alone upon the ocean Standing
erect upon q seat. from her low van
tage point she could see nothing but |
smoothly undulating sea. She break.
tasted sparingly from her scanty store
and resumed her post at the wheel.
She was tired and sleepy. but while
the little engine was alive shs could
not leave Il TO Its own devices. She
must hold on her chosen course ~
long as the motive power remained.
She could not lose . moment while
that motor throbbed and beat she
must be alive with t. There would
be time to sleep when II was ex-
She must put as many
leagues between her and pursuit BY
holding the direct course ~ long 40
was possible.
And so she sat there srimly. hands
the wheel through the long
day and through the longer night and
well into the following morning. II
must have been half past ten on the
OF the second day before the
motor stopped. The silence. after the
ceaseless drumming OF a night. a long
day. 9 longer night and a still longer
struck her with the same
strange sense OF shock. She calculated
that the motor had been running for
50 hours and that she had gone $50
miles at lsast on her course. She had
sssa nothing whatever Of the yacht