The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-06-04

little girl, playing with my dolls.
"a. school was smothered with at
tentions. At home ] was suffocated
with nurses. companions hated,
chosen for their wealth and rank.
Later was decked out. sent to a
finishing school. all my nature
cramped and hardened by luxury and
convention. And | always longed for
my emancipation.
do you know what we women have
to look forward to? Marriage. That
is all. And we are not free to choose
My father is not unkind to me. but
he understands nothing. 1t is not he
who traded me, but convention again
1t Is the pressure of circumstances
of environment, more terrible than
physical force. So am traded for the
coronet Of viscount. That is why
am going to England-to marry him
And il l could be a man and free as
you are free then only could begin
to live. Good-by."
She turned away hurriedly and he
saw the tears streaming down heI
cheeks. He made no effort to follow
her, but stood watching her, like a
man in a dream.
He dreamed of her during the long
night, when the cattle ship pitched
and tossed heavily in the trough OF
the channel, and the binding fog came
down. The timbers of the old shiE
groaned as the waves buffeted her
At his post the captain strained tc
catch sight Of the Foreland lights.
Suddenly, with a crash that sent
every timber Earring, the line1
stopped, shivered, and keeled over
The shock sent the cattlemen flyine
from their hunks. They rushed out
into the open space between the pens
From the upper deck came cries and
the sound of seamen running. Won
en- began to scream. Through the
haze doomed up the squat form of @
collier.
There was no possibility of mistak
ing what had happened. The liner
rushing at full speed through the
fog. had struck the collier. not with
her bow. but amidships, a glancinl
blow which had ripped her outer
sheath nearly halfway from the bow
She was keeling lower-she would
60 under within a few minutes. There
were no water-tight partitions on the
old ship, and. If there had been, they
would have been Of little aid in such
a situation.
After the first confusion the cattle
men gathered between decks anG
waited. Outcasts as these men were
they had the discipline of the sea.
They did not know that Mayne was
lying unconscious upon the fo'c'stle
floor. where he had been flung by the
shock. They waited quietly enough
listening to the racket overhead. The
seamen were trying to lower the
boats But those on the port side
were near the water, those on thu
starboard unable to be launched ow
ing to the angle of the vessel
The passengers had been Assem-
bled. The stewards were runninf
hither and thither with lifebelts. Thu
grimy faces Of the stokers appeared
above the ladder The fires had al
ready been flooded
Fortunately the cattle ship carried
few passengers. Even the port boat
suff1ced to contain them. The collier
had backed away and megaphonet
through the fog. Order was restored
out Of chaos. Even the cattlemer
were remembered.
Only, before all could be taker
away, the ship keeled over and dis
appeared in the swirling waters.
AS she went down the fitting decl
slid Mayne into the water. The shocl
of the immersion revived him; he
found himself gasping and battling fol
life in a whirlpool of believing cat
tie and floating planks from the pens
He managed to catch one and sup
ported himself. Over the invisible
water came cries and screams, which
gradually grew fainter.
He was awake now. He knew what
had occurred. It was strange that al
that moment he thought, not of his
past love SO dishonored, but of the
girl he had seen.
And, as he pictured her, he saw hel
face painted upon the drifting haze
Another instant and he was staring
into her eyes.
She was clinging to the keel of an
upturned boat. which had been swept
down into the rapids, carrying its in
mates to destruction in the swamp
Of the liner. How she had lived
through those moments of agony she
never knew; she thought afterward
1t was because Mayne was so near
because there was life for both of
them, to be lived together.
He saw her upturned face and
swan toward her. moment later
he was clinging to the boat beside
her, supporting her. He climbed
upon the keel and pulled her up after
him. She sank back into his arms
Day broke and the fog drifted away.
Upon the horizon appeared the white
sails Of fishing schooner She was
bearing down upon them. The girl
lifted her haggard face
"Ail my past. all have, my family,
my friends were on the ship-in the
boat that went down. she said.
And my past he began
"Listen!" he cried f1ercely Il want
to live again, new life, untroubled
by any thoughts Of the past. have
money in my clothes-enough to help
me to begin that life. And I want to
help you to begin yours