The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-09-14

The sun dipped down. and in an In
slant the fog. only partly dispersed
closed In again. And as Donal,
watched. he saw the pupils slowly di
late in the dim light until they be
! came as large as saucers. The ston!
! glare between the unwinking lids
which fringed them like a shadow. thu
| monstrous expansion Of the pupil!
sent the blood through Donald's hear
! in icy jets.
Then, reSaining courage. he dashed
his fist into the monsters face, anC
the struggle began. He felt the i'm
pact of his knuckles on flesh, and il
gave him new heart. At least he was
fighting thing of flesh and blood, and
not a demon.
Ida lay swOoning across the seat
where the monster had dropped her as
it turned to face its new adversary
And in the rocking boat Donald fought
for his own life and that of the girl
he loved.
For the first time he understood that
Masterman's story was not the dream
Of a disOrdered brain, but the expert
ence of one who had striven to warn
a skeptical world.
And afterward he understood why
the boat had spun so dizzily long after
the vortex created by the sinking Of
the Beotia had subsidized. Even then
the swarm of monsters must have dis
covered their prey
Perhaps it was the plankton in the
water. the jellylike infusion on which
they fed, that had brought them there
perhaps the presence Of drowning
men. Perhaps they had brought the
planktOn with them. eQ clipped for
some dreadful journey.
Donald tried to lock his arms about
the Shiny thing. but he could get no
firm grasp of it. And each touch of
the f1ippers drew the blood to the sur
face of his skin by suction, bringing
out rows Of reddening spots that
stlng. He was fighting a devil fish
with the intelligence Of man, armed
with invisibility, creating Overwhelm.
ing horror by its presence alone.
He felt his strength falling him. He
was dragged toward the edge Of the
rocking boat.
He stumbled and fell. He felt him.
self held fast; he felt his ribs were
compressed in a stinging wise.
But as ne fell his hand grasped one
OF the oars. Donald snatched it ur
and. with last effort Of desperation,
freed himself for an instant. He !
raised the oar and sent the sharp |
edge of the blade crashing forward.
He heard the sound as Of torn bal.
loon. The squirming fiippers uncoiled.
The boat tipped to the edge and right.
ed itself. A splash followed. Donald
sank down upon the seat.
Then gradually milky cloud began
to diffuse itself upon the face of the
waters, till 1t acquired the shape Of a
lwarflike body, supine upon the
waves, with the short limbs, terminal
ng In the webbed hands, budding at
obtuse angles to the trunk.
Donald sprang toward Ida, to shield
her from the sight of II. o He knew
hat II she awoke and looked she
would go mad. But she lay uncon-
'cious across the seat and did not stir.
The boat stopped. There was a con-
used splashing in the water. The
lead sea-beast was rent asunder under
)onald's horrifled eyes; torn limb
rom limb BY that abominabls swarm.
notified, pinkish ichor spread itself
lpon the face Of the ~.
Donald plunged In his oars and be.
an to pull With all his might, driving
be heavy boat through the water. The
iankton gave place to clean ocean
gain. The sun had Get, and It was
rowing dark: with the fail Of night 4
emile wind came up that began to dis
Ipate the fog.
Through the drifting mist wraiths
ppeared jutting cape that reared
self toward the spangied clouds.
'onald pulled for an hour. Then he
ell forward over his oars. He was
Of another stroke, but he
elieved that he had left the sea devils
ehind,
He cast his eyes along the horizon.
here was no sign of the F55. He
lrned toward Ida.
AS he bent over her her eyes opened.
he looked at him intently and sighed.
he horrors Of that day seemed tenn
Orarily to have benumbed her mind
nd robbed her Of memory. And Don
Id did what he had never dared to do
efore.
He raised her in his arms and kissed
err.
Il love you. DEAR" he said. IF we
Dme out Of this-as we SHALL want
on always. Will you have me, Ida?"
She raised her lips to his for answer.
And in the happiness Of that mo- :
ent, which atoned for all that they
I'D endured. Donald perceived that
le boat had begun to move again
he respite had been Of brief duration.
Incredibly pertinacious, and cruel
eyOnd belief, the monsters had once