Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-08-20

: attention TO the remainder OF an ouuly
assorted crew. to gain first impressions
of the few who assumed distinction in
her estimation by reason of individual
peculiarly, position or subsequent
activity.
For one there was, naturally fore
most, the captain. calling himself Angus
Lobb and claiming Nova Scotia for his
birthplace; a tall, loose-jointed rogue,
with a bold eye, a fixed smirk (who
rather fancied himself with the ladies)
and bushy black moustache overhang-
ing his mouth, through which he Ill
tered liquid nourishment and the kings
English with equally vast and discord-
ant gusto.
His first officer. answering to the
name Of Claret. Cynthia identified as
the man she had noticed pacing. the
bridge She hit him of, to her salts
faction, in a phrase: a man in mono
tone; a soft-voiced. close-mouthed,
saturnine person, apparently owning
some pretensions to education, and a
secret. gnawing contempt for himself,
his employment, surroundings and as
sociates.
Opposite the captain, at the farther
end Of the table, sat Mar. Youngling,
chief engineer. fat and easy-going, with
moisture in his beaming eye. and in his
breast pocket lit developed) a photo
graph of his wife and children grouped
stolidly round a plush sofa.
There were several others present
mostly men of a shadowy stamp in
Cynthia'ss understanding: figures with
faces and functions and names: Bergen,
Greenaway, Spelvin, an inevitable
Smith. Murray. =.
Easily dominant (Rhode being alb
sent) she found her vis-a-vis, Hippclyte
Perez, a Brazilian, swart as one could
wish a buccaneer, but suave and sleek
as any cat; a rather portly person. yet
alert and positive in action, with a
bland urbanity enhanced by a bright
black eye and the hint of a cheerful
smile about his mouth, where, as on
cheek and jowl the close-shaven beard
added a purplish, shade to the native
darkness of his skin.
With a graceful courtesy, not over
done. an easy command Of perfect Eng
lish on the tip of a glib tongue, and a
wide range of conversational subject
matter; with his fetching and seeming
imperturbabIe good humor and an air
of leadership conceding not an inch to
opposition; here. Cynthia recognized. in
this man Perez was a personality Of
unusual force. as formidable as that of
RhOde-with, perhaps. an even greater
I
higher order of endowments considered.
His status on shipboard was unde-
fined-or rather. it seemed to Cynthia
from the Difference accorded him by
everybody present, definite but I'M
named. He was easily a leading spirit,
possibly the leading spirit but GER
tainly nothing less than full partner in
the enterprise.
With what excuse shall transpire,
Cynthia thought to detect in the man
ner Of all, with few exceptions lin the
number of which Rhodes was not, a
spirit Of tacit resentment and diligent
tolerance Of the presence Of women in
their company. Perez. to be sure. was
specifically too well-bred not to mask
his feeling, were that hostile; while
Captain LObb was too entirely the
lady's man to grudge himself this ex-
ceptional opportunity to parade his dis
astrous destinations. OF the others, not
one discovered to Cynthia's perceptions
an aspect Of welcome, or indeed any
thing but passive enduTance; as who
should say, This is not womans bust
ness; what are you doing here?
1T was this almost unanimous atti-
tude that first rendered the young
woman really uneasy and suspicious. To
that luncheon hour she had been con-
tent to question lightly and without
actual concern the true nature of the
Cynthia's mission: a reinsurance as
trifiing as that of the steward Aclxlins
commonplace explanation had been suf-
ficient TO quiet her most serious appre-
tensions With the encouragement pro-
vided by the. extraordinary fashion in
which she had become involved in the
affair. her ina gination. youthfully sus-
ceptible and romantic, had invested II
III -
turesome lark. The fairy god-mother
had waved her magic wand-and If the
legendary golden chariot had turned out
prosaic ocean steamship, the bewil-
dered Cinderella wasn't inclined to
oaviL There are prospects less calcu-
lated TO captivate the mind of youth
than that of a voyage over summer seas
to an unknown port. .. ..
She dissembled her misgivings, but
not more admirably than madame-to
assume the latter similarly affected, as
she probably was. But the old lady
was in high feather with herself
Against opposition she was having her
own way, and she had the additional Joy
residing in the knowledge that she was
making life a misery for her bette rouge.
1t was a great day for madame; she
shone accordingly, exchanging a run
ming fire OF amusing inconsequences
with Perez. her opposite at table, and
between whites diverting herself hugely
by coolly appropriating to her compla-
cent self all those artful Establishments
aimed past her ample bosom by the gall
liant captain, at the head of the table. to
her right. for the subjusstion Of poor
Cynthia on her left.
That man Lobb, my DEAR" she con-
fided to Cynthia later, while they pre-
pared for a siesta in their staterooms-
that captain is such an infatuated ass
I don't need to fret about him. But
Perez-now, there's an accomplished
scoundrel. Look out for him. child"
Cynthia, amused. protested family
against the sweeping nature of this
apparently premature Characterization,
but madame calmly brushed aside OBJ
jections
Tut! . When you've lived as long
as 1 have, my dear .. And not only
that, but what's he doing in this galley
If he's an honest man? g.. A danger
Gus person, Cynthia-mark my words;
much more so than George Rhode
more brains, depth, subtlety. There's
a SOFT Of elemental honesty about
Rhodes wickedness that 1 find rather
fascinating; he's so loaded with sin he's
bow-legged carrying it. but he's no
hypocrite. But this Perez, he's just the
kind to smile and smile and be a viii
lain still"
Certainly one can't say that Of Mr..
Rhode"