Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-09-07
trying to come about! If he get into

Inc tnlnS was QOne almost as ne
spoke. A wilder squall than any Of
the preceding ones caught the upper
works of the launch and heeled her
spitefully. At the critical instant the
steersman lost his head and spun the
wheel, and 1t was all over. With a
heaving plunge and a muffied explo-
sion the launch was gone.
Once again Griswold was given to
see the stuff Margery Grierson was
made of in the finer warp and woof Of
her.
That's for u.s." she said calmly;
and then: Help me get another inch
or two on this sheet. We don't want
to let those people on the Osprey do
all the heroic things"
Together they held the catboat down
to it's work, sending it ripping through
the crested waves and fighting sturdi-
ly for every foot Of the precious wind
ward advantage. None the less, it was
the big schooner, thrashing down the
wind with every square yard of its
reefed canvas drawing, which was first
at the scene of the disaster. Through
the rain and spume they could see the
schooner's crew picking up the ship
wrecked passengers, who were cling
ing to lifebelts, broken bulkheads and
anything that would float. So swiftly
was the rescue effected that the res
cuer had luffed and filled and was
tearing on its way down the lake again
when the close-hauled Clytie came up
with the first Of the floating wreck
age. The tiller maiden's dark eyes
were shining again. but this time their
brightness was Of tears.
"Oh, boy, boy!" she cried, with
little heartbroken catch in her voice;
''some Of them must have gone down
wi n her! Can you believe that the
Osr rey got them all?" And then, with
me tweet lips trembling: II did my
best, Kenneth; my very best-and 1t
wasn't--good enough!"
She was putting the catboat up into
the wind, Griswold stumbled forward
to get the broader outlook. Suddenly
he called back to her.
"Port-port your helm hard!
There's a man in lifebelt-he's just
out of reach. Hold her there-steady
-steady!" He had thrown himself
fiat, face down, on the half-deck for
ward and was clutching at something
in the heaving seas. i've got him."
he cried, and a moment later he was
working his way aft, holding the
mans face out of water.
1t asked for their united strength
to get the gray-haired. heavy-bodied
victim Of the capsize over the Clytie's
rail. They had to bring the lifebelt
too; the old mans fingers were sunk
into it with a dying grip that could
not be broken. At first Griswold was
too much pre-occupied and shocked to
recognize the drawn face with its
hard-lined mouth and long upper lip
When he did recognize it the gripping
fear was at his heart-the fear that
makes a cruel coward Of the hunted
thing in all nature.
What might have happened If he
had been alone; if Margery, taking her
place at the tiller and busying herself
swiftly in getting the catboat under
way again, had not been looking on;
he dared not think. And that other
frightful thought he put away, fight
ing against 1t madly as a condemned
man might push the cup Of hemlock
from his lips. Forcibly breaking the
drowned ones hold upon the lifebelt,
he fell to work energetically, resort
ing to the first aid eXpedients for the
reviving of the drowned as he had
learned them in his boyhood. Once,
only, he flung a word over his shoulder
at Margery as he fought for the old
mans life. Make for the nearest
landing where we can get a doctor!"
he commanded; and then, in a passion
of gratitude: 20 God, 1 thank thee
that that am not a murderer!-he's
coming back! He's breathing again"
A little later he was able to leave off
the first-aid arm-pumpings and chest
DRESSINGS; to straighten the limp and
sprawling limbs, and to dive into the
cuddy cabin, under Margery's direc-
tions, for blankets and rugs When all
was done that could be done, and he
had propped the blanket-swatched
body with the cushions so that the
crash and plunge of the pitching cat
boat would be minimized for the suf-
ferer, he went aft to sit beside the
helms woman, who was getting the
final wave-leap of speed out Of the
little vessel.
He is alive?" she asked.
YES: and that is about all that can
be said. He isn't drowned: but he is
old, and the shock has gone pretty
near to swapping the thread"
"Of course you remember him." she
said. looking away across the leaping
waters.
Griswold, with his heart on fire with
generous emotions. felt the cold hand
gripping him again.
He is the old gentleman you intro
duced me to at the Inn the other day:
Galbraith; is that the name?"
Yes" she rejoined. still looking
away; that is the name"
Griswold fell silent for the time;
but little later, when the catboat was
rushing in long plunges through the
entrance to the Wahaskan arm Of the
lake, he said: You are going to take
him to Mereside?"
| YES He is a friend of poppa's.
And, anyway. it's the nearest place,
and you said there was no time to
lose"
Griswold helped the bearers to lift the
blanketed figure out Of the Clytie's
cockpit, and while he was doing it.
the steel-gray eyes Of the rescued one
opened slowly to fix "a stony gaze upon
the face Of the man who was bending
over him. What the thin lips were
muttering Grisyold heard. and so did
one other $50 it's YOU is it, We mur-