The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-11-04

60 PHiGd, pound lOr CnltCd
& States coast ports.
When the IVyomtdh was anchored inside,
among the native wherrics and dugluts
tEat swarmed asout the man-o'-war, Ike
waterbugs about drifting twig, was one
near the gangway in which a swart native
man stood up holding aloit two pasteboard
boxcs.
"Bokkis no belong m big fella rarstcr;
belong m washec man, he explained with
native cxcitability, to the boy who came
down the gangway ladder to receive the
packages. Which was to say that the
+ boxes did not belong 90 an officer, but to 4
sailorman
The officer of the deck, glancirg at the
inscriptions on the paa,cboards, understood
as much, for they were addressed TO "John
Whittier quartermasler, L. S. s. IVyomtdh.'
Whittier, stout youth OF prcpossessing
countenance, came aft with puzzled air;
but, after looking at the boxes doubttuliy
icra moment, his gray eyes suddenly bright
cned wonderfully, and gathering up the
gifts, as he knew them to be, he hurried
with them to his rendezvous in the pilct
house.
On the boxes being opened, in one was
disclosed a dainty shcaf OF artificial flowers,
evidently wrought with tie patience cf
loving hands; in the other was a dclcctGblc
luncheon of cold chicken, frosted cakes,
biscuits and cupped jellics, and tiny flask
Of wine. Tucked between the protecting
napkins was 4 scented envelope from which
Whittier drew legibly, if hardly artisti-
cally, penned note:
1. 1 90. 1 :.
before ou-a was fairly out, but il the luncheon 4,
stale, remember that The love that sends II never
will be- We are homcward bound the Sal
bhida--AIrs. Carter and |. Sydncy is beautiful but
Los Angeles will look better TO me- lyc timc
to write With the love that you know all abou; al
ready-ALrcE"
With the missve in his hand the sailor
stood erect staring out through the pilot
house window toward the luminous south
cast, where the Ropes Of Maui hung over
the evening and made a heavenly gate
through which the ship that carried Alice
was passing.
The Wyomtdh coaled and went out the
next evening, in the tail end OF a heavy gale
that had been scourging that section Of the
South Seas for the last twenty-lour hours.
Her destination was Honolulu, and Cap
tain Ridley Monkaster was resolved on
making record trip, with view to VIM
dicating certain alterations in the machin-
cry that had recently been made on his
persistent representations to the Depart
ment at Washington. Captain Monkastcr
was the type of individual who will never
admit himself in the wrong, who viii never
shirk in one iota task assigned him, nor
ever devate ha.r's-brcadth from q line OF
action that he has I'D out for himself. In
wars alarms, such men are invaluable; in
the gentler walks Of life, they are liable to be
lacking in the amenities and deficient in
humanity.
A hundred miles out from the Samoan
port, the IVyontdh received a wireless
message from the station on TGtua:
Native traders from the east report a vessel
wrecked on the Loomec reef. Supposed to he ;he
SHbhida."
Whittier was on duty beside the helms
man when this message was handed 10 the
captain, standing within four feet OF him,
who read it aloud 10 the officer OF the deck,
crumpled it up in his fist, showed fist and all
into the pocket OF his uniform coat, and
complacently remarked that, if the IVyom-
tab maintained the average OF her first
hundred knots, she would easily outdo any
speed performance that had yet been rackcd
out OF her.
The executive officer had gone on to the
bridge, but on learning that the captain was
lying down, that no order had been given
by him as to changing the course, and that
apparently none was intended, lie returned
to the superstructure deck, where he paced
athwartships past the junior officers
grouped in earnest, but low-voiccd, con
versation-in profound reflection, lifting
his lean face now and then to look into the
sutry south where full, unblemishcd
moon created a world Of white night-light,
gossamer but impcnetrabe.
The absurdity OF sleep never entered
the distraught quartermastcr mind Ills
sleeping quarters at sea were in the steering
engine room far aft and below, in company
with a coppersmith and gunner's mate,
where they could be convenient in an
emergency should anything 60 wrong with
the steering engines 10 lie supine in that
noisy den tonight would have been hell
beyond his endurance The vision OF a
frail girl the Others Of the doomed COM
pany he saw only dimly clinging to the
spume-lashed~ rocks Of Loomee spent,
slipping, shrieking assailed him vividly
enough here in the open, where he could
move and act, il only TO beat his anguished
h-e;~ .ish a irenzied fist and call on God