The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-07-18

ter bring the cook along to steer while
you watch your engine. Have him fix
light supper before he starts"
Bivens was vastly amused at Stu
arts orders. :
Stuart scanned the horizon, watch
ing flock of ducks working their way
northward. The sign was ominous
Birds know which way the wind is
going to blow before it comes, and If a
gale is on the way they always work
into the teeth of it.
1t was useless to tell this to Bivens
He didn't have sense enough to under
stand it. But Stuart quietly made up
his mind to take up the decoys and
row in as soon as the tide ebbed down
to two feet of water.
In tse rNSentme he would make the
best of the situation. The ducks be-
gan to come in and decoy like chick
ems He killed half dozen and in the
excitement began to forget the fool
hardness of the trip.
Bivens shot dozen times, missed,
got disgusted and began to fret and
complain. He said:
"Jim. would you mind telling me the
mental process by which you rejected
my offer? You're the only man I've
struck on this earth that didn't have
his price"
Perhaps we have different ways of
fixing values. You are not yet fifty
years old and wreck. What's the
use? What can you do with your
money now?'
1T brings luxury, ease, indulgence,
power. admiration, wonder and the
envy of the world"
whats the good of luxury If you
can't enjoy it, ease if you never take
it, indulgence when you have lost the
! capacity to play, power if you're too
busy getting more to stop and WELD
it?"
"Jim, you're the biggest fool I ever
knew, without a single exception"
Stuart glanced anXiously toward the
yacht. 1t was 3 o'clock. The tide had
ebbed half out and there was barely
enough water on the flats now for the
tender to cross. 1t was showing hard
err and the wind had begun to inch in
toward the north.
"No more ducks today, CAL" Stuart
said briskly, returning to his tone of
friendly comradeship. We've got to
get away from here. It's getting colder
every minute. 1t will be freezing be-
fore night"
well, let it freeze" Bivens cried
peevishly. what do we care? It's
just ten minutes run when the tender
comes"
To Stuart's Joy he saw the men start
the tender.
ITS all right; they're coming nowv
he exclaimed. wen have another
crack or two before they get here"
He crouched low In the blind for five
minutes without getting a shot, rose
and looked for the tender. To his hor.
ror he saw her drifting helpless before
the wind, her engine stopped and both
men waving frantically their signals OF
distress.
"My Godv' he exclaimed. 'The ten
der's engine is broken DOWN.
"Why don't the fools use the oarsY'
"They can't move her against this
windw
"Will they go to scar Bivens asked
with some anxiety.
"No; they'll bring up somewhere OF
a mud fat or marsh in the bay on thi!
low water, but God help them If they
can't fight their way back before food
tide"
"WhyT Bivens asked incredulously
They'd freeze 10 death In an opeI
boat tonight"
Norwegian saiiors1 Bosh! Not OF
your lifel They were born on ice
bergs"
Stuart rose and looked anxiously a
the receding tide. He determined t
try to reach the yacht at once. He pu
the guns into their cases, snapped tn
lids Of the ammunition boxes, stoves
the ducks he had killed under the sterl
Of the boat and stepped out into tn
shallow, swiftly moving water. He de
cided to ignore Btvens and regard hir
as so much junk. He pulled the boa
out Of the blind, showed it among tn
decoys and took them up quickly.
| 1hS buOW udu CtuSeu W Iull, duu III
cold was increasing every moment
Stuart scanned the horizon anxiously
but could see no sign of the disable
tender.
He had gone perhaps 200 yards whe
the boat grounded on the fats. 81
saw at once that It was impossible t
make the yacht until flood tide. Tn
safest thing TO do was to get out an
push to the island marsh, 200 or 80
yards away. There they could TAX
exercise enough to keep warm until tn
tide came In again. 1t would be
wait of two hours In bitter cold an
pitch darkness.
. Btvens sat up and growied
whats the matter? Can't you hui
ry upf I'm freezing to deathP'
I'VE can't make 1t on this tide. W
will have to go to the marsh"
| a. A.