The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-10-24
Rev. PeHcIeS PefeKs-Pirafe

steamer plunged into it for two
days, now climbing like a mountain
sheep, her decks showing steep as
a hillside now diving like a prairie
dog. kicking her heels into the sky;
| the wheel racing like buzz-saw and
| her bottom showing blood re-. The
cable eased and dropped, then sung
like a iiddle-string, cracking our tim
! bers and twitching the equilibrium
ont from under us.
"On the second night | found 4
! demjohn in the forrad hold, and the
bowling of the storm dwindled into
the sweet signing OF pine trees. Doc
AM | bought the United Verde and
the Comstock Lode, tanned lions and
cured oorns the size of fap-iacks.
till everything faded away.
Il was awakened by that same
weight on my chest and my face
peelins off under the advances OF
Cleopatra. | scrambled out with
bad head, wondering at he pres
ence of Hannibal and the bear. Then
felt queer motions. The boat slid in
all directions, short ami violent. and
the steady surge of the lighter was
gone | heard the swish of water
outside the banging cabin door. and
when ! staggered to a window
looked out through a Mhirling rain
onto empty miles Of bilious hcaying
waves.
We've adrift. Doc We're adrift,'
Il shook him and he stared around
trancev and bewildered. Nothing
showed but our hat box teetering on
the top of the rollers. Then he spie
the animals
How did they get here?
The barge must have gone to .
pieces lin the night and in the panic /
they broke away and came to you. .
All day We drifted while the rain .
beat the waves out flat, and by
ils1it We IOuC vi dDlft easy.
"'Can you run an engine? says
Peters. Although possessed of an in.
innate knowledge of the animal Or
5anism, | never operated a mechan-
sm more complicated than a wheel.
barrow. | couldn't diagnose the vi
ais Of wringer. to save my life
Sure, says !; I'm natural ma
hinist. At the age of twelve / dis.
ected a coffee-mill and most got
together alone SO I crawlei into
he engineroom ana built a fire
Vnen | turned the gas into her she
moved off fine, the big paddle-wheel
pat, spat, spatting astern, and the
ough of the smokestacks sounding
lamed encouraging.
"T1I assume command. says Peri-
les, taking the wheel, and salute
lyself.' He pulled the whistle cord. =,
Her owners must have had
ense of humor. for they'd saddled ,
he pore little child with an adult
hree hundred,horse-power siren. One
f these fire-whistles grown in lum'
er yards with Shrek of torture
nd the volume Of runaway gas
yell. It vocalized scale of harrow
ng tones that ran the animals
razy, and the steam guage down to
ero.
"All night we steered by what Doc
allied Alfalfa in Ursy Miner He
as dead wrong. though. II was the
,orth Star he aimed at. Next day
,e raisel land But such land II
tuck out OF the ocean quick and =.
Ugh and snow was on the noun =,
aims Bye and bye we found a bay
nd ran up onto the beach and got :
# to stretch. We made her fast O.,
nd turned into the top hunks, where
'leopatra couldn't demonstrate her
redilections.
Where do you reckon We are? :
avs Peters, next morning
Dunno says I, may be Alaska
lay be Sibeery,
See here, says he. I've been
linking of a scheme. Here we are, =
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