Evening star., 1912-11-24

his way, contemptuous of further oontroversyf if the
one-sided colloquy could be so caed-or possibly be-
he knew his 1t neither safe healthy
push Shark Gascogne too far But the giant beach
cornber too surprised to feel resentment.
"H m. Seems real rlled, Joe does Now what did nc
by all that paaver? Why shouldn't the Belle
port or pass safe? What's all this muck about the
Alindora anyway The trainmen had spoken Of
crooked work the beach; but he had not believed
them: he knew they worse gossps than old women
Anyway, he had never been implicated in anything but
what he regarded the legitimate despoiling of the
seas offerings, and he took what he got at the risk OF
his life.
would come enough-and if any of the beach gang
in it, he would find it out, know the reason why
For the moment he threw the thing aside as he did all
things that perpexed without annoying him. He gave
the short laugh that was more nearly an index to the
mans reckless character than anything else could be,
and turned in at the cottage gate.
WHAT passed between Shark Gascoigne and the
one person in Barnegat who thoroughly admired
the bravery and herolsm of coastW1se sailors and
boatmen' in general and certain brawny, laughing,
broad d-shoudered in particular, does not matter.
From that interview Gascogne departed with certain
well defined notions of the upright principles governing
a clean minded girl like Ruth Malory,-naybe slender
in her knowledge of and conditions but very
Rock of Gibraltar in the morality of the ages.
Shark Gascoigne felt as if he had been to church.
The young woman's standards of honor accorded i'll
with his nefaous calling and the realization de
pressed him in way he would have scofed at short
time before-When he dealing with his ship chand
lery agent up in the city, for instance He had cold
feeling that he had lost something he should get
back something he could never square, and for the
moment remorse gripped him in both hands.
"Shes right, all right! It's better to run straight,
SOS We look folks in the eyes without havin to
crack em there right after. She thinks sailors the
greatest ever-specally coaswise boatmen that battle
with the sea- an life savers, savin wrecked slornen
at imminent peril Of your grandmother
As he swung down to the bay, passing Pop Evans
tavern, group of bosterous baymen shouted to him
to join them. Ordinarily he would have accepted with
avidity, and outrioted the lot: he replied by
shake of the head, like absorbed mas shaking off
irritation and passed out of sight the treste
that spanned the water from the mainland.
At the end of the trese lay his objective, the small
n white buildings of the Ships Bottom Life Saving
Station, and back stretching for twenty miles north and
south the strip of sepia sand the wreckng beach
of the "Atlantic Graveyard that served breakwater
for the whole extent of Barnegat Bay
Dusk falling; but Gascoigne noticed that the
fishing fleet at anchor in the bay There would be
that night the days evanter had not yet
blown itself out. The boom of the surf ahead
continuous rumble; not the usual broken sleepy
wash.
"Nust been coarse work in that Mindora e-off.
Big lem Casco amt in the habit O gettin stove up for
nothing Say he's busted some ribs and the moorboats
smashed" the beachcomber speculated uneasilv He
glanced at the sky. The storm riders out mm-
presage of another wild night such the preced-