Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1916-06-20

| closed my eyes and went TO sleep
again. did NOT know it. but | mad
slept the clock around and it was
night again.
Once more woke. troubled be-
cause | could sleep no better
struck a match and looked at nv
watch. 1t marked midnight. And J
had not left the deck until three!
| should have been puzzled had mt
guessed the solution No wonder
was sleeping brokenly. had slept
| twenty-one hours. listened for a
while to the behavior of the Ghost.
to the pounding of the seas and the
muffied roar of the wind on deck, and
then turned over on my side and
slept peacefully until morning
When | arose at seven | saw no
sign of Maud and concluded she was
in. the galley preparing breakfast On
deck / found the Ghost doing splen
didly under her patch of canvas. But
in the galley, though a fire was burn
ing and water boiling. found no
Maud.
| discovered her in the steerage, by
Wolf Larsen's bunk. l looked at him.
the man who had been hurled down
from the topmost pitch of life to be
buried alive and be worse than dead.
There seemed a relaxation of his ex-
pressionless face which was new.
Maud looked at me and l understood.
His life fickered out in the storm. s.
l said.
But he still lives" she answered.
infinite faith in her voice.
HE had too great strength"
Eyes," she said. 'but now it no
longer shackles him. He is free
spirit"
He is free spirit surely" / an
swered, and, taking her hand, / led
her on deck.
The storm broke that night, which
is to say that it diminished as slowly
as it had arisen. After breakfast
next morning, when 1 had hoisted
Wolf Larsen's body on deck ready for
burial, it was still blowing heavily
and large sea was running. The
deck vas continually awash with the
sea which came inboard over the rail
and through the scuppers. The wind
| smote the schooner with a sudden
gust, and she heeled over till her lee
rail was buried, the roar in her rig.
ging rising in pitch to a Shrek We
stood in the water to our knees as
| | barred my head.
81 remember only one part of the
service" l said, "and that is, And
the body shall be cast into the sea- y"
Maud looked at me, surprised and
| shocked; but the spirit of something
| / had seen before was strong upon
me, impelling me to give service to
Wolf Larsen as Wolf Larsen had
once given service to another man
l lifted the end Of the hatch cover
and the canvas-shrouded body slipped
| feet first into the sea. The weight
of iron dragged 1t down. 1t was gone
"Good-by, Lucifer, proud spirit,
Maud whispered, so low that it was
drowned by the shouting of the wind +;
| OuI saw tAO movement vi u6I lIpG
and knew.
AS we chung to the lee rail and
worked our way aft, | happened to
glance to leeward. The Ghost, at the
moment, was uptossed on a sea, and
l caught a clear view of small!
rolling and pitching, head on to the
sea, as it steamed toward US. 1t was
painted black, and from the talk OF
| the hunters of their poaching exploits
l recognized it as a United States
revenue cutter. l pointed it out to
Maud and hurriedly led her aft to the
safety of the poop.
| started to rush below to the flag
locker, then remembered that in rig
ging the Ghost / had forgotten II
make provision for a fiag-halyard.
I'VE need no distress signal" Maud
said. "They have only to see u.s."
1--WE are saved" said, soberly and
solemnly. And then, In an exuber
ance of Joy, 81 hardly know whether
to be glad or not"
l looked at her. Our eyes were not
loath to meet. We leaned toward
each other, and before l knew it my
arms were about her.
Need II" / asked.
And she answered, There is nc
need, though the telling Of it would
| be sweet, so sweet"
Her lips met the press of mine
and, by what strange trick Of the
| Imagination | know not, the scene in
the cabin of the Ghost flashed upon
me. when she had pressed her fingers
lightly on my lips and said, Hush
| hush"
my woman, my one small woman,
said, my free hand petting hel
shoulder in the way all lovers know
though never learn in school.
my man." she said, looking down
at me for an instant with tremulous
lids which futtered down and yelled
her eyes as she snuggled her head
against my breast with a happy little
sigh.
| looked toward the cutter. 1t was
very close. A boat was being low
cred.
Zone kiss, dear love-" | whispered
zone kiss more before they come. >
And rescue US from ourselves,
she completed, with a most adorable
smile, whimsical as / had never seen
| it. for it was whimsical with love
THE END.
His Philanthropy.
Look here" said the benevolent
| 1nol.irr man "vnu have asked me fOI