Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-11-22

canoe and you can feel quite easy
about it. Here are your paddles-just
throw them down anywhere. Now, if
! you'll just slide little further around
you can manipulate this siren and I'll
| give my entire attention to the engine
! in case we have to cut and run at
| short notice"
Where is the siren?" asked Vera as
she groped about with her hands.
Give me your hand-there. feel
that lever?"
"Oh, yes-I thought 1t was the
squee-gee kind" said Vera as she
pulled at the lever and then almost
screamed at the loud "Boo-oo!" that
| followed
my own invention-that lever"
chuckleG the voice. Great, isn't it?"
"Fine-it's very loud" admitted
Vera. How often shall l sound it?"
Whenever the other fellows stop"
he laughed.
There are SO many Of them the
sounds lap over one another" COM
mented Vera as she managed to get
in another alarming "BoO-oO!"
Again her fellow passenger laughed
and his voice had ring of familiarity.
1t was very battling to sit there so
close to him and not know what he
looked lke-who he was-Or anything
about him. It was very romantic, too,
but Vera was not thinking Of that
somehow, for there was such babel
of sounds about her that all she could
think of was that If she really knew
who this man was she might feel more
confidence in his ability to protect her
from the excursion steamer that was
their greatest menace. So far her
rescuer had proved himself to be quite
at home in his motor boat: he was
strong and cool-headed and he was en-
tirely practical and impersonal. All
those things counted in his favor with
Vera Gale. Suppose the excursion
steamer did run them down would he
be the sort to save her or would he
| let her go?
Vera received an answer to that
question with startling swiftness.
From another direction there came a
medley of sounds-a footing, blowing,
pounding of a steamers screw and
then out Of the fog astern there loom
ed dark shape and before Vera's
frightened lips could utter sound,
her new acquaintance leaned forward.
gigantic form in the mist, and grasp
ing her in his arms stepped overheard
into the bay while the putting steam
| tug sent his boat with the dangling
canoe straight to the bottom of the
harbor where it was not recovered for
| many a day.
The man and the girl went down
and then up again, miraculously es-
Gaping arising under any one Of the
craft that surrounded them. Vera's
companion held her closely with one
arm and with the other he stroked
vigorously to keep them afoat. Pres
emily Vera recovered her wits suff1-
Gently to strike out with her free
arm.
"Bravo!" he painted when he found
| that she, too, was swimming Then,
amid the shouting and whistling and
screeching about them, his voice
arose. Boat ahoy-two in the wa
teri" he yelled.
After that there was danger of their
being run over by rescuers but all at
once he shouted joyfully that he had
found something, and then friendly
hands pulled them over into an open
boat and only then did the man give
up the girl he had rescued.
"If-it-hadn't been-for you-u-u-I
w-w-ould ha-have been drowned!"
said Vera through chattering teeth.
my canoe w-would ha-have gone to
the bottom-so w-would l."
Its at the bottom now and so is
mine!" returned the other cheerfully.
Say, mate, have you got anything
warm to wrap this lady in?"
"Aye-here you are!" and a knitted
jacket was tossed from the fog and
her new acquaintance, sitting beside
her, wrapped Vera in it's comforting
folds
How about yourself?" she asked
after a little while.
"Oh, never mind me-Pm tough"
was his careless reply. But say"
earnestly, you're plucky, do you know
it?"
II was scared to DEATH" admitted
Vera.
$50 was l." he retorted and they
both laughed.
They sat there side by side. Vera
listening to his conversation with the
other occupants of the open boat. She
was trangely contented and happy.
For some unknown reason she felt
that something new had come to her
that afternoon-some new experience
that was to color all her after life.
Then all at once the fog lifted AS
suddenly as it had enveloped them it
Whitfield away before a light breeze,
showing all the maze of boating in the