The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1916-03-03

when they would creep in like sea
wraiths, one by one. out of the gray
Wainwright. the hunter whom Wolf
Larsen had stolen with boat and men.
took advantage Of the yelled sea and
escaped. He disappeared one morn.
ing In the encircling fog with his two
men. and we never saw them again.
though II was not many days when
we learned that they had passed from
schooner to schooner until they finally
regained their own.
had read sea romances in my time,
wherein figured. as a matter Of course.
the lone woman in the midst of ship
load OF men; but learned. now, that
] had never comprehended the deeper
significance of such situation-the
thing the writer's harped upon and ex-
plotted so thoroughly. And here it
was. now. and was face to face with
1t. That it should be as vital as pos
sible, it required no more than that
the woman should be Maud Brewster,
who now charmed me in person as
she had long charmed me through her
work.
She was in striking contrast to
Wolf Larsen. Each was nothing that
the other was. everything that the
other was not. noted them walking
the deck together one morning and
likened them to the extreme ends OF
the human ladder of evolution-the
one the elimination of all savagery,
the other the finished product of the
finest civilization.
But this day, as | noted them pac-
ing up and down, saw that 1t was she
who terminated the walk. II was in
his eyes that ! saw the cause of her
perturbation. Ordinarily gray and
cold and harsh. they were now warm
and soft and golden, and all adance
with the tiny lights that dimmed and
faded, or welled up till the full orbs
were flooded with glowing radiance.
Perhaps 1t was to this that the golden
color was due; but golden his eyes
were. enticing and masterful. at the
same time Turing and compelling, and
speaking a demand and clamor of the
blood which no woman, much less
Maud Brewster. could misunderstood.
Her own terror rushed upon me,
and In that moment of fear, the most
terrible fear a man can experience,
knew that in inexpressible ways she
was dear to nYe. The knowledge that
| loved her rushed upon me with the
terror, and with both emotions grip
ping at my heart and causing my
blood at the same time to chill and
leap riotously, felt myself drawn
by power without me and beyond
me, and found my eyes returning
against my will to gaze into the eyes
Of Wolf Larsen. But he had recovered
himself. The golden color and the
dancing lights were gone. Cold and
gray and glittering they were as he
bowed brusquely and turned away
Il am afraid" she whispered. with
SILVER. II am so afraid.
|, too, was afraid, and what OF my
discovery of how much she meant to
me my mind was in a turmoil; but |
succeeded in answering quite calmly:
All will come right, Miss Brewster
Trust me. it will come right"
She answered with a grateful little
smile that sent my heart pounding,
and started to descend the companion
! stairs.
For long while remained stand
ing where she had left me. There
was imperative need to adjust N.Y.
self, to consider the significance of
the changed aspect of things. 1t had
| come, at last, love had come, when
least expected il and under the most
forbidding conditions. or course, my
| philosophy had always recognized the
| inevitableness of the love call sooner
or later; but long years of booksh
silence had made me inattentive and
unprepared. And now it had come!
In what could have been no less than
an ecstasy, left my post at the head
of the companionway and started
along the deck. murmuring to myself
those beautiful lines of Mrs. Brown
ing:
l lived with visions for my company
Instead OF men and women years ago
And found them gentle mates. nor
thought to know
A sweeter music than they played to
me.
But the sweeter music was playing
in my ears, and l was blind and OBJ
livioss to all about me. The sharp
voice of Wolf Larsen aroused me.
What the hell are you up TOT" he
was demanding.
had strayed forward where the
sailors were painting. and l came to
myself to find my advancing foot on
the verge Of overturning a paint pot.
"Sleep-walking. sunstroke. what?"
he barked.
mo; Indigestion" retorted. and
continued my walk as IL nothing un-
| toward had occurred.
At the midday dinner. Wolf Larsen
| informed the hunters that they were
to eat henceforth In the steerage. II
was an unprecedented thing on sealing
L a. L.. 1. o.