The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1915-03-05

O0A1s u1tQ M41xefys want %
ten ron now that / have always loved
you. and only yon-
And | you. Margery." he answered.
And they forgot their peril, and the
approach of death. and, side by side.
their arms about each other, they
watched the kissing light Of dre and
water until the water won.
The submerged stern biased NO
longer. Only the sea threatened them
now. But the deck wal getting lower.
and the bow uplifting. and. anxious
only to prolong those moments Of hap
piness that had come hack out Of the
past. too late. they sought b upper
bridge.
Silently they sat there. watching the
slow. u~p-creeping Of the water. OVER
the horizon q faint light was creeping.
and slowly dawn hung out her Aaming
banners In the sky.
A drizzling rain began. and. forget
ting that In q little while they would
be struggling In the waters. they
moved within the shelter Of the little
room that had been occupied by the
wireless telegrapher. There they
crouched together.
IF we could have our lives over
again!" said Gardiner. II never knew
how sweet life vas meant to be-"
1--WE would be wiser, DEAR" an
swered Margery.
Mechanically she turned over the
papers heaped upon the little table.
representing messages received for
many on board, but not delivered.
Gardiner stared out into the sea. 1t
seemed impossible that the ship could
remain af1oat more than half an hour
longer.
"Margery," he said. II believe there
will be a chance for US. l ana going
! to throw this table overheard when
IKE end comes, and we will spring to-
gethSg: 1t will keep us afloat until
until some possible rescue. And. ii we
live, you wffh> come with me. You
shall be mine fuSeEer. dear. and we
will start our new lifee in a new
world"
Eyes, I will come with you" shy an
swered mechanically. Her face wes
very pale. Gardiner looked at her; he
was 0uAPAAoOu at hOA ACduy oSAuASS
cence; he had expected that the pas
sion which swept him OF his feet
would at least be met by the plea Of
duty. There was no shrinking In
Margery's mind.
Il will come with you, to the worlds
end" she answered, slipping her hand
in his.
He strobe out on the tilted deck.
and, clinging to the rail. peered sea-
ward, where the ball of the u was
springing into the sky. Black against
it rode a tiny craft.
"Margery!" he shouted, drawing her
to the rail.
1t carried the hope OF life. And the
minutes passed and they stayed there.
watching the ship grow larger. The
vessel had been sighted. and, though
the stranger could not know that there
were living beings aboard this dere-
lict, she was pushing hard toward
them for investigation.
Half an hour had passed. The yes.
sci vas now plainly to be see She
was a British cruiser. It was . furf-
u race between her and the sea.
Clinging to the rail. Gardiner felt the
deck at an angle of 60 degrees beneath
him. The ship was trembling, pre-.
cursor of the final plunge under the
waves. But life was looking 1T them
again, and the war vessel was very
e
He tore his Goa from his back and
waved it frantically. The cruiser was
now less than a mile away. Suddenly
a boat shot forth from her side.
And the last minutes Of the fight
were never clear in the mans mind,
so close was the finish. But he seemed
to remember that, as the ship strained
and heaved. and gathered herself for
destruction, they slid down the up.
raised side into the boat hat lay be-
meath, manned by a dozen sturdy blue
Jackets. There came the hard ply of
oars to escape the dreadful vortex, and
suddenly where the liner had been
was only a great swirl of bubbling wa.
ter.
Half an hour later the two sat side
by side upon the warship's decks.
Gardiner was studying his compan.
ions face. Would she regret? Would
she change? Would life alter her will.
ingness to go with him, while her hus-
band lived.
He knew that, as she had drawn
him, so she had the power to send him
out into life, hopeless.
Margery turned toward him and
slipped a paper into his hand.
Read that" she said. Il found 1t in
the wireless room"
Gardiner read: your husband died
last night"
Copyright, 1914, by w. G.. Chapman.)
Chinese Locks.