The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1915-12-09

moved n was sorry he had spoken
In any path OF performance there
IL but one step which 10 i~rreyocabls.
namely. the final one. and In Charlot,.
Farnham's besetment this step was ,hs
mailing OF the letter to Mr.. Galbraith.
Many times during the evening she
wrought herself up to the ~plungins
point. only TO recoil on the very brink.
and when ut length she gave I'm thu
the struggle and went to bed. thu
sealed letter was still under her oil.
low.
Now II is a well-accepted truism that
an e~xasperated mi OF duty, like
remorse and grief. fights best In tho
night watches. II was OF no avail In
protest that her intention was atm
mistaken. Conscience urged that de-
lay was little less %culpable than refus-
al, since every hour gave the criminal
an added chance OF escape. The min
utes dragged leaden.winged, and to sit
quietly In the silence and solitude
OF the great saloon became a nerve.
racking impossibility. When Il went
past endurance. she rose and ,iepped
out upon the promenade deck.
The Belle Julie was approach.
ing a landing. The electric search.
light eye on the hurricane deck
was Just over her head, and It's gr vat
white cone seemed 10 hiss as II poured
It's dazzling food OF fictitious MONDAY
upon the shelving river bank and the
sleeping hamlet beyond. Out OF the
dusky underglow came the freight car
riers, giving birth to a file OF grotesque
shadow monsters as they swung up the
plank into the field Of the searchlight.
The foot plank had been drawn In,
the steam winch was Gathering. and
tho landing stage had begun to come
aboard, when the two men whose duty
II was 10 cast of ran out on the fitting
stage and dropped from its shore end.
one OF them fell clumsily. tried to rise.
the other scrambled up the steep bank
and loosened the half.hitches In the
wet hawser. With the ~slackening OF
the line the steamer began to move
out into the stream. and the man at
the mooring post looked around to
see what had become OF his com
panion.
Get n move on youse." beloved
the mate; but instead OF obeying, tho
man ran back and went on his knees
beside the huddled figure In tho
shadow.
At this point the watcher on the
promenade deck began vaguely TO UNI
derstand that the first man wal dis
abled In some way. and that the other
was trying to lift him. While she
looked. the e%ngine.room bells tangled
and the wheels began TO turn. The
mate forgot her and swore out OF a full
heart.
She put her fingers in her ears to
shut out the clamor OF abusive pro-
family; but the nan on the bank paid
no attention 20 the richly emphasized
command to come aboard. Instead, he
ran swiftly to the moofing post. took
n double turn OF the trailing hawser
around 1t and stood by until the strain
Ing line snubbed the steamers bow to
the shore. Then. deity casting of
again, he darted back to the disabled
man, hoisted him bodily 20 the high
guard. and clambered aboard himself:
all this while McGrath was brushing
the impeding crew aside 70 get at him.
Charlotte saw every move of the
quick.witted salvage In the doing. and
wanted TO cry out In sheer enthusiasm
when II was done. Then. In the light
from the furnace doors. she saw the
face OF the chief actor: II was the face
OF the man with the stubble beard.
She could not hear what McGrath
was saying, but she could read hot
wrath In his gestures. and in the way
the men fell back out OF his reach.
All but one: the stubble.bearded white
man was facing him fearlessly. and he
appeared to be trying to explain.
Griswold was ;rying to explain, but
the bullying first officer would not let
him. II was a small matter; with tho
money gone, and the probability that
capture and arrest were deferred only
from landing to landing. q little abuse.
more or less. counted al nothing. hut
he was grimly determined 10 keep Nc
Grath from laying violent hands upon
the negro who had " listed his ankle
in jumping from the uptilted landing
stage.
mo; this is one time when you
don't skin anybody %alive!" he retorted.
when a break in the stream Of abuse
gave him "A chance. "You let the man
alone. He couldn't help II. DO you
suppose he sprained an ankle purpose
ly to give you n chance to curse him
out?"
The mates reply was a brutal kick
at the crippled negro, Griswold came
closer.