The Springfield herald., 1913-03-28
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STOLEN >&
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bu MARTINA BELLINGER.
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MARTHA BLI,LINGER.
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gone. Sick at heart, he again rushed
on deck. Was he mistaken after all?
Or had they hidden her in some Sc
cret part of the ship where he could
not find her?
When Jimmy got back to the deck
he saw that the groups had gathered
on the port side. Sharp orders were
being given. He crowded to the rail
Ing. straining his eyes to see. and
found that they were transferring the
ships company to the boats. A rope
ladder swung from the deck to boat
beneath. which bobbed like cork be-
side the big. plunging yacht. Two peo-
pie were in the boat. sailor standing
at the bow. and a large muffled figure
of woman sitting in the stern. JIM
my at once knew her to be the
apathetic fat woman he had seen q
few minutes before on deck. His eye
searched the company crowded about
the top of the rope ladder. and sudden
ly his heart leaped. There she was.
at the edge of the deck, waiting for
the captain to give the word for her to
descend to the boat below. AS Jim
mys eyes grew accustomed to the
darkness. he saw her more and more
plainly. pale face framed in dark
hood. tall. cloaked figure waiting
calmly to obey the word from the su-
perior offlcer.
1t was the third time Jimmy had
seen her. but he felt as II he had found
one dearer than himself. His eyes
dwelt on her. She was not terrified:
her nerves were not shaken. "I am
ready" she said, turning to the cap
tain. 1t was the same fine, free voice,
suggesting-Oh, what did 1t not sug-
gest! Never this dark. wild night of
danger! Jimmy thrilled to 1t again as
he had thrilled to 1t once before. He
waved tubilant hands. Agatha Red
mond!" he called. across the space
and heads(rhat divided them.
Whether she heard his call he did
not know. At that moment the word
was given. and she turned an almost
smiling face to the captain in reply.
She knelt to the deck and got footing
on the slippery rope. Men above held
it and helped as best they could, while
the sailor below waited to receive her
Into the little boat. She was steady
and quick as n woman in such peril
Gus position could be. AS she de-
scended, the rowboat, insecdrely held
to the Jeanne Dare, Slid sternward
a few feet; and while she waited in
midair for the boat to be brought up
again. the Jeanne D'Arc gave a
mighty plunge. The captain shouted
from the deck. sailor yelled, then
another; the dipping sea tossed the
yacht SO that for an instant the boat
below and the woman on the ladder
were hidden from Jim's view. Ee
climbed over the rail and edged along
the narrow margin of the deck until
he was few feet nearer the rope,
his heart humping with fear of
calamity.
And even as the thought came, the
thing happened. The wrenching of
the ropes. insecurity of their fasteu-
ings. some blunder on the part of the
seamen-whatever 1t was. the rope
loosened like filament of gauze. and,
with its precious burden, dropped into
the angry water. Before a breath
could be drawn. the black waves
churned over her head.
As. for the second time, Jim saw
disaster engulf the Vision that had
such power over him, he was seized
by cold numbness
"Oh, you brutes!" he groaned
aloud: but his groan had scarcely es-
capped him when he heard loud alter
cation among the men. and In a mo-
ment. the usual tones of Monsieur
Chatelard commanding:
Never mind! Quick with the boat
en- the other side!"
The seamen rushed to the opposite
side, now impatient to make the
boats. In the fear that was growing
momently upon the men, there was
no one to give thought to the van
ished woman. Jimmy clung to the
rail for second. peering over the
water. With cry of gladness he
saw her pale face rise to the surface
of the water several feet away and
toward the bow.
Keep up a second! It.s. nll right,"
he shouted. Quick as thought he
snatched life preserver from its
place on the rail, and ran forward.
He called thrice, Keep up. I'm COM
ing!" then threw the cork swiftly
and accurately to the very spot where
she hoated. A second longer he
watched. to see II she gained 1t. It
seemed that she did. and yet some
thing was wrong. She was not able
to right herself Immediately In the
water. but fioundered helplessly Jim
my knew that her clothes were ham.