The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1914-06-05

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half circle and stood against the wind
easing his boat as best he could when.
ever he saw heavy wave coming
Our boat was broad and strong. and
although we were every moment in
danger. believed she would keep right
side up.
The girl was sitting in the stern OF
the boat and after considerable effort
had succeeded in shipping the tiller
AS soon as she had done this l made
better Roadway, not having to keep
the boat on her course. My helmsw0-
man was evidently used to boats and
| knew how to steer course which,
since both we and our object were at
| the mercy Of wind and tide. was most
| likely to bring us together. But the
| strength of the wind alone was so
great that 1t was constantly blowing
us off our course.
The object boat kept sinking out of
sight in the hollow between two waves
and in one of these depressions seemed
to have gone under.
"Can he-swim?" asked.
l received no reply to my question
till the boat appeared on the crest of
wave, when the girl gasped that he
could swim. but not very well.
"Can you swim?" l asked. looking
about the boat for something on which
to float. for 1 was beginning to fear
we should be capsized.
Like a duck" was the comforting
reply.
'If we go over try to catch one Of
the oars"
Again the boat, which was now not
more than 100 feet from us. went be-
tween two waves, and when seen
again there was only her mast above
the surface. and that was slowly set
Ting. But Bob's head appeared, and
he was swimming for his life. l had
been in hopes that if his boat went
down before we reached him he would
find something to cling to. but evident
ly he had not.
keep her straight toward him" l
shouted to my pilot
She did not faint. and he did not
lose his head. She kept her eye fixed
on him--that is, when he was riding
highland exerted all her strength on
the tiller ropes. now shouting to me
to "pull strong on starboard.' now
strong on port" then. after losing
sight of our object for quite awhile,
''back water"'
She had scarcely spoken the last
words when saw the struggling man
not dozen yards astern. | obeyed
the order, but gained nothing. Ship
ping the oars, turned and took up
coil of rope l had noticed behind me
and had kept in mind for an emer-
gency.
the coil toward the swimmer. but did
not reach him. Passing the line to the
girl, took up the oars again and
backed water with all my strength.
But l had lost distance. and 1t was
some minutes before l could get near
enough to warrant her making another
throw.
Twice she threw the rope. and twice
it fell short. On the third throw it lay
within few feet of him. By a des-
perate effort he grasped it, and. / back
ing. the girl pulling on the rope. we
got Bob beside us. when. dropping the
oars, | pulled him in. though | was
obliged, for fear of upsetting the boat,
to wait till the side he was on was
tilted upward.
AS soon as | got him in he lost con-
seriousness; but, leaving him to the at
tentiOn of the girl. who took off her
shawl and put it over him, l bent my
efforts to getting ashore. But we had
drifted near the rocky coast and would
have been lost had we not been seen
from the shore and boat put out for
us. So intent was | on the rescue that
1 did not see it till had looked about
me. Our friends reached us when we
had drifted to within n quarter of a
mile Of the rocks and | had not suf-
ficient strength left to pull away from
them against the wind. They took us
in tow, and in due time we were taken
on the dock
Fortunately they had brought
stimulant, which was given to the per-
son we had saved, and he recovered be-
fore we left the boat. When all was
over the girl collapsed. but only for q
few moments. Then for the first time
she seemed to realize her Indebtedness
to me, and with a world OF gratitude
on her features. but not spoken I'm
words, she put out her hand to me.
My other hand was grasped by the
man we had rescued, he. too. express
ing by look rather than word his graft
tude. He was about the same age as
the girl, though could not tell wheth-
her he was older or younger. Both
seemed to be about twenty. / pro-
posed that we go where he could be
warmed after his cold bath. and led
the way at Il brisk pace up the dock
and over the beach to the dunes, then
back of them to the village. where, en-
tering house, he was put to bed with
hot water bottles without and hot
punch within. Before leaving l said
to the girl:
HE must be very dear to you or you
would not have risked your life for
him."
"And yours" she replied.
"He is
"My brother"