The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1916-10-03

: I'VE don't like it," frankly con-
| fessed Captain Sackett. "It is hard
to get men to stay in these ships
They have the name of starving their
Rcrews"
"How absurd" and the young man
began to pace the deck. "Sir James
would be shocked. If you only knew
him! He is the most open-handed
! considerate old boy in Liverpool
always founding or endowing some
thing or other And in his own
home-why, he can never do enough
for his people,"
The skipper withstood the provo
cation to say more. 1t was hopeless
to try to make the son understand
that the Sir James Babb Norcross he
knew was not the man his shipmas-
ters cursed behind his back.
But in the captains silent scru-
tiny Hayden Norcross detected some
thing like pity. He colored and
spoke sharply.
"You think my father is RESPONSE
bic for this outrageous provender.
should say you owe me an apology"
Il can't quite fathom why" grave
ly replied Captain Sackett II have
accused nobody. However, 1 like to
see man stand up for his dad"
This was the nearest they came
to an issue until the Chiffon Grange
ran into succession of gales. and
it ceased to be a holiday lark of a
voyage. Under lowering skies. over
sea gray and unheaved. she crept
Isluggishly eastward, her speed fall
ing off day by day. 1t had not been
expected that at this season of the
year she would have to struggle
against shouting heau winds and
laundering combers. June was sup
posed to be halcyon month.
The Atlantic pounded the labor
ing steamer with gigantic blows, and
across the we'll deck the waves hiss
ed in frothing green floods. The
crew became spent and bruised and
disheartened Sleep ana rest were
denied them. They damned the ship
and the sea, crawling about in wet
clothes. clinging to life lines and
stanchions, or climbing from the
fire-room to ease their burns and fill
their tortured lungs with cool air.
The bonds of discipline had held
them silent as long as luck favored
the voyage. Now Hayden Norcross
heard them call his father names to
curdle ones blood And as the
weather turned even more menacinR
they yelled jeeringly at him when the
offlcers were not present to check
them.
Their derisive qualification be-
cause he was in the same boat with
! them made him vince and shiver.
He tried to piece together the wind
blown fragments OF what they said
His smooth pink cheek was a shade
paler and his eyes were troubled as
he shouted in Captain Sackett's
ear:
Il can't stand much more from
these filthy blackguards. Can't Won
put stop to it? What are they
jawing about? Am sort OF
Jonah? You might think this shin
was floating coffin when she left
New York harbor."
Perhaps she was!" roared Can
tain Sackett as he watched a huge
sea tumble over the bows while the
chiffon Grange quivered and groan-
ed In every plate and beam.
He looked wrinkled and old as he
stood braced on the bridge in his
dripping oilskins.
Il tried to keep you out of II ="
ne added. Il said all | could all ri
was obliged to. But you had to play
TINS game with me. And by what
the barometer tells me God Al
mighty may take hand in it before
.sundownH"
His impassioned earnestness be-
wlldered Hayden Norcross, who had
not dreamed of danger. With the
superb egotism of his years and sta
tion he believed it impossible thar
disaster could befall when he was
on board. The tumuIt of wind and
sea was terrifying, but what gen.
timely frightened him was thel
glimpse of some mystery. sinister
and tragic, that had been purposely
withheld from his knowledge The