Rocky Ford enterprise., 1913-02-07

physique, 30 tnRt appetite, ana even
desire of life itself. temporarily dis
appeared in the gloom Of seasickness.
In spite of difficulties. Jim tried to
find out something about the boat.
The seamen were none too friendly;
but by patching up his almost forgot
ten French and by signs, he learned
something. His sudden failure of
strength in the water had been due to
blow from floating spar. as q
bruise on his forehead testified; "the
old man." whom Jim supposed to be
the captain. was hard master; Mon
sieur Chatelard was owner. or at least
temporary proprietor. of the yacht:
and the present voyage was an un-
lucky one by all the signs and omens
known to the seamen's horoscope.
The sullenness of the men was ap-
parent. and was not caused by the en-
forced presence OF a stranger among
them. In fact. their bad temper be-
came so conspicuous that Jim began
TO believe that 1t might have some
thing to do with the mysterious ac-
tons OF the man on shore. He pom
dered the situation deeply; he evolved
many foolish schemes to compass his
own enlightenment, and dismissed
them one by one. He grimly reflected
that man without clothes can scarce
ly be hero. whatever his spirit. Not
since the days of Olympus was there
any record of man or god being re-
ceived into any society whatever
without his sartorial shell, thought
Jimmy. But in spite of his discomfort.
he was glad he was there. The in.
tuition that had led him since that
memorable Sunday afternoon was
strong within him still. and he never
questioned Its authority. He believed
his turn would come, even though he
were prisoner in the fo'casIe of the
Jeanne D'Arc.
As the violence of his sickness
passed. Jim began to cast about for
some means of helping himself. Grad
ually he was able to dive into the for
gotten shadows of his French learn
ing. By much wrinkling of brows he
evolved a sentence. though he had to
walt some hours before there was a
favorable chance to put 1t to use. At
last his time came, with the arrival
Of his former friend. the sailor.
belt7" he inquired with much conf
dence. and with pure Yankee accent.
The sailor answered with shrug
and a spreading of empty hands.
Pas de money-belt. pas de panta-
Ion. pas de tousi Dam queer Amayri.
cain!"
Jim was not convinced of the sail
or's innocence. but perceived that he
must give him the benefit OF the
doubt. AS the sailor intimated, Jim.
himself. was open to suspicion, and
couldn't afford to be too Jealous in
calumniating others. He fell to think
ing again. and attacked the next
Frenchman that came into the TO-
castle with the following:
"Kond jaytay malade don ma tate.
kee a pree mon money-beltT
It was the ships cook this time, and
he turned and stared at Jimmy as
though he had seen a ghost When
he found tongue he uttered a volume
of opinion and abuse which Jimmy
knew by instinct was not fit to be
translated. and then he fed up the
ladder.
On the fourth day. toward evening.
James had a visitor. All day the yacht
had been pitching and rolling, and by
afternoon she was laboring in the vio-
lence of a storm and was listing badly.
James WIS a fearless seaman. but II
crossed his mind more than once that
IL he were captain, and II there were
a port within reach. he would put into
1t before midnight. But he could tell
nothing of the ships course. He
turned the subject over In his mind as
he lay on his bunk in that peculiar
state halfway between sickness and
health. when the body is relaxed by a
purely accidental Illness and the mind
is abnormally alert He wished in
tensely for bath, shave, and a fair
of clothes. He longed also
to go up the hatchway for a breath of
air, and was considering the possibil-
ity OF doing this later, with blanket
and darkness for a shield, when he be-
came conscious of pair OF neatly
legs descending the ladder.
1t was quite a different performance
from the catlike climbing up and
down of the sailors.
Jimmy watched in the dim light un.
til the whole figure was complete. fan
supplying. In his imagina-
ton, the coat. the shirt. the collar
and the tie to so with the trousers
all the things which he himself lacked.
Was there also hat? Jimmy couldn't |
make out, and SO he asked:
Have you got on a hat?"
A frigid voice answered. "T beg your
pardoni"
81 said. are you wearing a hat?
couldn't see, you know"