Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1916-05-04

W captain Johnny.
1t is. But were piled up on
the reef outside. She may hold fast. I
hope so, for there's deep water astcrn.
and il she slips off she's go down"
I'D like to save my horses" said the
younger man wistIu!ly. Through all
the strain OF the past bali hour or
more his upperuost thought had been
for them. But brennan had no sym
pathy for such sentiments.
"Hell's bells.," he exclaimed. Don't
talk OF horses while we've got women
and children aboard" lie FASTENED
away to assist In transferring his pas
SengerS.
Instead Of following, O'Neil turned
and went below. His appearance. the
sound of his voice, We're the signals
for u chorus OF eager whinnics and q
great stamping of hoOfs. Heads were
thrust toward him from the stalls,
alert ears We're pricked forward, satin
muzzles rubbed against him as he
Gained their terror. This blind trust
made the mans throat tighten aching
ly. He loved animals as he loved
children, and above all he cared for
horses.
He cursed aloud and made his way
down the sloping deck to the square
iron door OF port through which he
had loaded them. But he found that it
was damned. or held fast by the pres
sure outside, and after a few moments
work in water above his knees he
climbed to the starboard side. Here
the entrance was INSTRUCTED by Il huge
pile of ba!eu hay and grain in sacks.
1t would be no easy task to clear it
away, and he fell to work With des-
perate energy, for the ship vas slowly
changing her level. He vas perspir-
ing furiously; the commotion around
him was horrible. Then abruptly the
lights went out, leaving him in utter
blaclness; the last fading yellow CLEAN
was photographed briefly upon his
retina.
After scramDling to the cabin deck
O'Ncil felt for the little bracket lamp
on the wall of his stateroom and lit it.
lie dragged Il life prescrvrr from the
rack overhead and Slipped the tapes
about his shoulders, rejecting that
Alaskan waters arc disagrerably cold.
Then lie opened his travelling bags and
dumped their contents upon the white
cOuntcrpane Of his berth, selecting out
of the confusion certain documents and
trinkctS. The latter he thrust into his
pockets as he found them, the former
he wrapped i'll handkerchic:s before
slowing them away.
All at once lie whitfield and faced the
door with an exclamation Of %aStoniSh-
,ment. for II voice had addressed him.
There, clinging to the casing, stood Il
wonlan-a extraordinarily drawn out
of the darkness by the light which
streamed down across the sloping deck
from his statcroom. Plainly she had
but just awakened, for she as clothed
in Il silkelI ni@ltrole which failed to
conceal the onilii: - Of her body. She
had flung Il quilted dressing gown of
some sort uvrr her shoulders and with
one bare arm ana hand stroNc to hold
it in place. He saw that her pink feet
were thrust into soft. hce!less slippers,
that her hair. black in this light, cas-
cadcl down to her waist. and that her
eyes. which Were very dark and very
large, were fixed upon him with a
stare like that Of Il slccpWalkcr.
at is 50 dark-so strangc--so still!"
she murmureu. "What las happened?'
"God! Didn't they awaken you?' he
cried in sharp surprise.
els the ship-sinking?" Her odd be-
wilderment of voice and gaze puzzled
him.
He nodded. We struck q rock. The
passengers have been taken off. We're
the only ones left. In heavens name.
where have you been"
81 was asleep"
He shook his head in establishment.
How you failed to hear that hub
bub"-
81 heard something. but l was i'll.
NY head-I took something to ease the
pain"
"Ah. Medicine. 1t hasn't Worn Off
yet, I see. You shouldn't have taken
I it. Drugs are nothing but poison to
young people. Now, at my age there
might be some excuse for resorting to
them, but YOU He vas talking to
cover the panic Of his thoughts, for his
w predicament had been serious
enough, and her presence rendered it
doubly embarrassing. What In the
world to do with ,ler he scarcely knew.
His Inns were smiling. but his ewes
were grave as they roved over the cab
in and out into the blackness Of the
night.
"Are we going to drown?' she asked
duly.
"Nonsense!" He laughed in appar-
ent amusement. showing his large.
strong teeth.