The Washington times., 1916-09-16
JAFFREY GAVE DORA HIS PROMISE

nightmare OF toll and peril. Andrews
and second were there yelling orders.
We obeyed In some SUBJ conscious way.
How We heard don't know. For peace
and quiet give me a battlefield. Twenty
hours In semi darkness. scarce able to
stand. fighting blind. mad forces OF
half a ton each.
"Liosha worked as we'll as any man
in the bunch. / only caught sight OF
her now and then, you see what
We had to do. don't you? We
had to secure all these Internal things
that were running amuck and ease up
the rest OF the cargo that had got
tammed on the port side. There were
accidents. Three or four were knocked
out. Peterson. the Swede. had his leg
crushed. Liosha Joined me and We
worked together without speaking. Her
long. thick hair had come down and she
had hastily tied II In knot, just as you
might tie a knot In fowl. and she pad
thrown off things like everybody else,
and only a flimsy cotton. sleeveless bod
Ice, or whatever it's called. drenched
through and sticking to her. made "a
pretense OF covering her from her waist.
1--WE had Just, with exhausted mus
Giles. made a whole stack fast. and were
standing by. painting, haggard eyed.
the sweat running down anyhow. twenty
OF us. Dagoes, Dutchmen. Englishmen.
In the dim twilight-just SHAFT or pale
Illumination coming slick down the lad
der where the hatch was open-hansing
on to edges and corners OF cargo, when
suddenly the ship. caught on top OF
wave, Vibrated In n slckening shudder,
plunged, and then with an Impetus or
cataciysm. wallowed to starboard. An.
drews shrieked. Stand clear!' Most OF
the men leaped and flung themselves
away. But 1 stumbled and fell. Before
I realized the danger or q vast sildlhg
crate, two strong arms were clIled
round my waist and i was flung aside.
TO sIIther and roll down the swayiny
deck until | was stopped by the bulk
head, When / picked myself up. / saw
half the men securing the crate ana the
other half grOveling around something
on the deck, IT was Aosha: Sne lay
white and senselesS with biood s''eam-
ing from her head,
lin a mortal funk i took her up the
ladder with the help OF another fellow.
and carried her to her cabin. l never
this vessel. We got her into her bunk
aft: 1 sent the other chap for brandy
and first-aid appliances from the ships
stores and did what could to discover
how far she was Injured. or.o h.a han.
pened than a nasty scalp wound. But
her escape had been miraculous. She
had saved my life; for as lay on the
deck, the crate charging direct. would
crushed by body against the side OF
the hold. A fraction OF a second later.
and II would have been her skull and
her body instead Of mine: but she just
managed TO roll practically clear until
she got caught by the swerving side OF
the crate. hope you'll understand what
a heroic thing she did. She faced what
seemed to be certain death for me: and
| n Is thanks TO Liosha that I'm able Ia
| tell YOU that I'm alive. And she, God
bless her, walks about with her head
bandaged, among an adortng ship 3
| company, and refuses to admit having
| done anything wonderful"
And, indeed, to confirm Jaffery's last
statement, here Is a bit OF a scrawl
from Liosha-her complete account OF
we've just had the most awful
storm I ever did see. The cargo got
| loose in the hold, and we had 70 fix
| IL up. ] got cut on tho head and
had to stay in bed till the storm fin.
ished. ! must say II gave me- an awful
headache, but there. guess I'm bet.
"Idosha flourishes," he writes I'm one
of his last Vesta letters, like a virgin
| forest OF green bay trees Gosh! 6he'I
splendjd ! take back and swallow ev.
cry presumptuous word I've said about
her. And I suppose, owing 10 oui
knockabout sort of intimacy, she hai
| adopted q protective. motherIy attitude
| toward me. In her great, spacious klnt
/ way, she gives you the impression thai
| she owns Jaffery Chayne, and know,
exactly what II for his good. women's
ways are wonderful but weird"
He must have thought himself Vastly