The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-21
THE SKY-MAN
BY
HENRY KITCHELL WEBSTER
author (,rih Samuel Mer,cinl of Calumet K
Copyright 1910 by The Century Company.

less hope as that message the sea
brought to US.
Her voice faltered there, aud she
bent down abruptly and kissed the
hand that was still CaressinE her own
MY child" he said, your father
and / were like brcthers-nearer TO
each other than most brothers. He
went away knowing that n his Ven
ture failed. IL il ended fatally for him.
as II probably did. ! should regard you
as my daughters just as much
child OF mine as Tom is If YOU hadn't
been IN the case at all. We'd have bulIt
this ship and come up 10 md Tom
Fielding just the same. There. don't
cry. Put on that big fur coat of yours
and come out with me on deck.
1t is safe to say that no craft even
remotely resembling the Aurora had
ever cut the Arctic circle before; but
for all that old Mr.. Fanshaw had
known what he was about when he or
dered the building of her. captain
Corcoran. Of the United States reve-
nue. cutter Bear, a man VINO knew Arc
tic waters and Arctic ice as well as
any who ever sailed, admitted AS much
when he came aboard at ST. Michaels
to pay a call. In fact old Mr.. Fan
shaw knew what he was about most
OF the time. AS his financial rivals were
frequently forced to admit
His later years Of leisure and COM
parative ease had not dulled the In
/ telectual processes of that keen,
shrewd brain of his, aud he knew the
sea better than he knew most things.
! In his early rough and tumble days he
| had Voyaged much at random ABOUT
! the world. and now that he was old,
! a fair proportion Of mis- great wealth
was invested in ocean carriers,
The news from Captain Fielding
, strangely pathetic account of his eH-
| petition and the loss Of his ship whlch
| an Arctic whaler had tished up III
! bottle the summer beforehand nrt
! reached them in San Francisco until
after the passage through Rehring
| Straits was ice-locked for the winter.
Fanshaw had spent the time. there
fore, and devoted practically the whole
Of his personal attention TO building
/ and eauipping the Aurora for the eX~
act purpose to which he meant to put
her Her hull had received the most
thoughtful care, and for just one great
purpose In vain the designers at the
/ shlpyard protested that she would be
slow. uuhandy, wet and lahorious IN
head sea Faushaw replied, tran
outllv. that he knew that as well as
they did, but that a hull of that shape
could not be crushed in the ice, what
ever the milling forces of the pack
| which beset her might be. 1t was TINS
milling force of the pack that had de
stroyed Fielding's ship; that had de-
/ stroyed also-though fanshaw did NOT
know ft-the Walrus. But if the Au-
rora were beset, she would be able TO
wait tin open water came again.
.aA Nit
everything that knowledge and inNen-
ton could suggest. everything that
might prove necessary on her long
| precarious voyage. And after that
she had been supplied with all the lux
uries that there was room for. Fan
shaw had done a good deal OF rough
ing 1t in his younger days, and he
was willing TO rough it again should
the event make il necessary. but until
the necessity should arise, he meant
TO be as comfortable rs possible.
II was altogether likely. they thought
when they started out, that they should
be able to return from their expedi-
ton without wintcring north of the
straits. In that case, the expedition
would be nothing more than COM
Portable yachting cruise. And there
was no use MIR. Fanshaw said. in be
I ginning to eat wairus steak the mo-
ment one got outside the Golden Gate
just because the cruise wGs to be IN
, Arctic waters, Sc the breakfast tC
which he and Jeanne had just done
such scanty Justice was as daintily
served and as appetiZing "a repast as
they could have had In the great stone
house on Mob Hill that Jeanne had
called home ever since her father went
away.
1t was under this reasonable expec-
tation that the voyage would be pro-
ductive OF few dangers and few dis
comforts, that the old gentleman had
yielded 10 Jeanne's impassioned plea
and taken her along.
The moment Mr.. Fanshaw and
Jeanne emerged upon the deck they
heard the sound of oars beneath them
and looking over tho rail saw one OF
the boats In which the shore party had
set out. pulling up along side the &C
Commodation ladder Three men were
in il. two OF the crew and Tom Fan
shaw.
What news Tom" his father call
ed out anxiously enough To belle his
former tranquil manner. Have you
found anything? 1 hope there's moth
ing wrong"
The younger man looked up. lie
saw his father, but not the girl
Nothing wrong" he growled. "excep,
this internal ankle of mine, I've
sprainad il again. and | did 1t just
when" He broke the sentence off
short there, his eye falling at that mo-
ment upon Jeanne,
ITO be Continued.D
DTTZZT