The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1915-04-07


! sprang excitedly to my feet.
Il wonder, / wonder" L re-
peated, pacing up and down.
Maud's eyes we're shining with
anticipation as they followed me.
She had such faith in me! And
the thought of it was so much
added power. l remembered
Michelet's ITO man, woman is as
the earth was to her legendary
son; he has but to fall down and
Kiss her breast and he Is strong
again" For the first time I
knew the wonderful truth of his
words. Why, was living them.
Maud was all this to me, an un-
failing source of strength and
courage. had but to look at
her, or think of her, and be
strong again.
1T can be done, Il can be
done" | was think and asserting
aloud. What men have done, l
can do: and il they have never
done this before, still / can do
IT,"
What? for goodness sake"
Maud demanded. DO be merci-
full. What is 1t you can do?"
I'VE can do it," i amended.
why, nothing else than put the
masts back into the Ghost and
sail away"
Humphrey" she exclaimed.
And | felt as proud of my con-
ception as II Il were already a
fact accomplished.
"But how is it possible to be
done?" she asked.
II don't know" was my an
swer. Il know only that | am
capable of doing anything these
days"
] smiled proudly at her-too
proudly, for she dropped her eyes
and was for the moment silent.
But there is Captain Larsen"
she objected.
Blind and helpless" an
swered promptly, waving him
aside as straw.
But those terrible hands of
his! You know how he leaped
across the opening of the laza-
rette."
And you know also how ]
crept about and avoided him." |
commended gayly.
And lost your shoes"
you'd hardly expect them to
avoid Wolf Larsen without my
feet inside of them"
We both laughed, and then
went seriously to work construct
ing the plan whereby we were to
step the masts of the Ghost and
return to the world. remem-
bered hazily the physics of my
school days, while the last few
months had given ME practical
experience with mechanical pur-
chases. l must say, though,
when We walked down to the
Ghost to inspect more closely the
task before us. that the sight of
the great masts lying in the water
almost disheartened me. Where
We're we to begin? If there had
been one mast standing, some
thing high up to which to fasten
blocks and tackles! But there
was nothing. IL reminded me of
the problem of lifting oneself by
ones boot-straps. ] understood
the mechanics of levers; but
where was ! to get fulcrum?
There was the mainmast, fiji
teen inches in diameter at what
was now the butt, still sixty-five
feet in length, and weighing, l
roughly calculated, at least three
thousand pounds. And then
came the foremost, larger in
diameter and weighing surely
thirty-five hundred pounds.
Where was | to begin? Maud
stood silently by my side, while I
evolved in my mind the contri-
vance known among sailors as
shears" But, though known to
sailors, / invented 1t there on En-
deavor Island. BY crossing and
lashing the ends ftwo spars,
and then elevating them in the
air like an inverted "V," / could
get a point above the deck to
which to make fast my hosting
tackle. To this lroisting tackle l
could, IL necessary, attach Sec
ond hosting tackle. And then
there was the windlass
Maud saw that / had achieved
solution. and her eyes warmed
alphabetically.
What are you going to do?"
she asked.
Clear that raffle," / answered,
pointing to the tangled wreckage
oversize.
All, the decisiveness, the very
sound of the words, was good In
my ears. Clear that raffle!"
Imagine so salty a phrase on the
lips of the Humphrey Van Wey-
den Of few months ago!
There must have been touch
of the melodramatic in my pose
and voice, for Maud smiled. Her
appreciation of the ridiculous was
keen, and In all things she I'M
erringly saw and felt, where it
existed, the touch of sham, the
overshading. the overtone. 1t
was this which had given poise
and penetration to her own work
and made her of worth to the
world. The serious critic, with
the sense of humor and the power
OF expression, must inevitably
command the worlds ear. And
SO it was that she had command
ed. Her sense of humor was