The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-04-24

Continued from Yesterday
Then in the fer distance to the right
appeared . faint point of flame. which
grew larger 1t was approaching. and
he dispassionately viewed It; and
when he looked again for the two.
they were gone, and In their places
were two clouds OF nebula, which re-
solved into myriad points Of sparkling
light and color-whirling. encroach-
ing. until they filed all space. And
through thom the larger light was
coming-and growing larger-straight
for him.
He heard a rushing sound. and
looking for 1t. saw In the opposite
direction formless object. as much
darker than the gray Of the void as
the fame was brighter, aid 1t too was
; growing larger. and coming. And 1t
seemed to him that this light and
darkness were the good and evil Of
his life. and he watched. to see which
would reach him first, but felt no sur
prise or regret when he saw that the
darkness was nearest. II came, closer
and closer. until 1t brushed him on
the side.
What have We here, Rowland p"
said voice. Instantly. the whirling
points were blotted out: the universe
of gray changed to the fog; the flame
OF light to the moon rising above it.
and the shapeless darkness to the
form OF the first officer. The little
white figure. which had just darted
past the three watchers, stood at his
feet. As though warned by an inner
Inconsistencies OF danger, 1t had
come in its sleep. for safety and care
to its mothers old Iover--the strong
and the weak---the degraded and dis
graced. but exalted--the prosecuted
drugged. and ALL but helpless. John
Rowland.
with the readiness with which a
man who dozes while standing will
answer the question that wakens him,
he safd---though ne stammered from
the now wanirr effect Of the drug:
'Myrn's child. sir, it's asleep" He
picked up the night-gowned little
girl, who screamed as she wnkened,
and folded his pea Jacket around the
cold little body.
Who ID Myra." asked the officer In
bullying tone, in which were also
chagrin and disappointment. You've
been asleep yourself"
Before Rowland could reply shout
from the crow'a-nest split the air.
Tee" yelled the lookout: ice
ahead. Iceberg. Right under tho
bows" The first officer ran amid.
ships. and the captain, who had sre-
manned there. sprang to the engine
room telegraph. and this time the
lever was turned. But In FIVE sec
onds the bow ct the Titan" began
to lift. and ahead. and on either hand.
could be seen. through the fog. a field
Of ice. which arose in an incline to a
hundred feet high In her track. The
music In the theatre ceased. and
among the babel Of shouts and cries.
and the deafening noise of steel.
scraptng ana crashing over Ice. Row
land heard the agonized voice OF q NO.
man. crying from the bridge steps:
"Myra--Myra. where are you? Come
back
Chapter VII.
Forty-five thousand tons--dead-
weight--rushing through the fog at
the rate Of Atty feet a second. had
hurled itself at an iceberg Had the
impact been received by perpendicu-
lar wall, the elastic resistance OF
bending plates and frames would have
overcome the momentum with no
more damage to the passengers than a
servere shaking up. and to the ship,
than the crushing in Of her bows and
the killing. to q man Of the watch
below. She would have backed OF.
and, slightly down BY the head. An
ished the voyage of reduced speed.
to rebuild en insurance money. and,
benefit. largely. In the end. by the
consequent advertising OF her indie
strucibly. But 4 low beach. possi-
bly, formed by the recent overturn-
ing Of the berg. received the Titan"
and with her keel cutting the Ice like
the steel runner OF an ice-boat. and
her great weight resting on the star
board bilge, she rose out OF the sea.
higher and higher-until the propel-
iers In the stern were half exposed
then, meeting an easy, spiral rise In
ed, overbalanced, and crashed down
on her side. to starboard.
The holding-down bolts Of twelve
boilers and three tripie-expansion en-
gtnes. unattended to hold such
weights from a perpendicular floor
ing. snapped and down through 4
maze Of ladders. gratings and fore
and-aft bulk-heads came these giant
I niasses Of steel and iron. puncturing
the sides Of the ship. even where
backed by solid. resisting ice: and
nlling the engine and boiler rooms
with scalding steam. which brought a
quick. though tortured death. to each
Of the hundred mon on duty In the
engineers department.
~. Anid ..he roar o., escaping steam.
and tho bee-iike bussing OF nearly
three thousand human voices, raised
IN agonized screams and callings from
within tho enclosing walls. and the
whistling Of air through hundreds Of
open headlights ~ the water. en-
tering the holes OF the crushed and
riven starboard side. expelled Il, the
Titan" moved slowly backward and