Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962, 1916-03-17

ole ~ fboe iHezs lieaiie sadden
/ saaalis from tAe noi d Wsls coming oB'
| " keetas--smaii .h-rg white. ais top
/ ping waves as lts4i as nialaeliite
Lester. there's isgaaan m Biiiys
boat. snd fheg nr headed Tor tia.i.i.
Bilfs crazy. shoa 81 Lester.
The s1uaii struci~-fIie mir was bitter
coil
Lester, when tbey turn back you
turn b.r K. but not til then.
Il tel yoB. Ar. FaHlold- this Is a
tad hgle to lie IN. Time 10 get out
know what I'm talking about.
No doubt Of it. Lester. but there's
woman out there.
All right
The boat came about sturdily.
Calmly Lester took the life belt from
under his rowing seat and buekled II
ON. Crawford followed his example.
The real danger lay not In heading
1 for Pidgin. but In trying TO land or
leave. The tempest-for there was
now no doubt In the mind Of either
man that this squat was backed by
sterner stuff-would drive them with
out particularly grave danger; but to
stop and turn In the middle distance
was matter Of life and death
A blow like this IN the morning never
finished the day. but when the god Of
winds blew his pipes in the afternoon.
snug harbors for mankind. II Is four
miles from Long point TO Pidein.
About n mile out the squall became
n tempest IN fact
Take the rof es, cried Lester. step
ring back into the stern with Crawford.
'I'll watch her and meet en- as they
come"
He knelt. with hand on the battery
switch IF Bin monkeys with his en-
gine. God knows uhatil hnpren to the
DANCED fool. Whats he thinking of:
We can't land and We won't be able
to get away. Were in fine hole. We
can't 90 back now. But you wait
we'll be kinGling wood before night.
There was but one chance-Cranford
appreciated this MS wei a Lester-and
this chance WIS the shaliowness Of the
water In front Of the dock and the
penthouse.
tAA1 - if'l ~ iliNti thttt AiAf bNstAN
themselves would benefit by this
ehaHee Nothing Il the sert. To an
ehor them twenty er thirty feet out
and trust (" luck AMI the strength Of
the eatles. That was HEIR hope of sal
vati8H
As fer their occupants. they would
have 10 slin owe tn sides apd wade
In. water chest high. ut the mercy of
the buffeting surges which would be
flying over the shoal
The sweIls lifted them usually they
had disappeared-and the north waves
battered and smashed against their
quarters growing In height each mo-
ment The wind sang like an orches-
ira of bassoons Il Vas useless to talk.
Uncle Billy had steadied down to
half power, praying under his stubbly
mustache as he had never prayed be-
fore that the engine would not break
down, go back on him" To him a
hundred dollars was large sum, n
third of what he made all summer
with steady work but as the shaft OF
the light on Pidgln grew clearer and
nearer the value of a hundred dollars
diminished proportlonately.
Gladly would he have turned back !;
gladly would he have given a hundred
to be snug in Grimshaw's. the lee side
of Long island. But behind him was
the resolute will of a woman, grown
suddenly strange and not understand
able
There was no fear on her face. Some
how 1t looked lean aud lloness-like He
wished that his tiller rope was hemp
instead of cotton That Lester was
grimly tagging on behind was his only
consolation. Two boats in a gale We're
always safer than one.
He turned and bawled against the
wind: I'm thunderin', tarnation
fool, Miss Wynne. I'm old 'nough t
know better. I'm riskin' your life n
my own. That hundred fooled me.
f they's anythin' on that DANCED is
land wuth stackin' our lives against
I'd like { know whut II is.
"A rajahs ransom, Uncle Billy. And
| am trying TO prevent crime
well I'm committin' one bringin y
out here. A Twin gale. "A Twin gale!'
4 comber broke and seethed over
the stern
The spray blinded the girl and partly
strangled her. She tucked the raincoat
snugger about her knees and feet.
Wisely she had not put It over her
head and shoulders
IF h.r SnfI1 Sha xyanfa1 fran
play. She was n good swimmer, and
the life belt would hold her up IL she
tired Once she looked back over her
shoulder.
~, Qa rcrsfuueHA