Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1917-12-05
CHAPTER v.
The Sea of Jelly.


He sank like a stone. No glimpse Of
Nm could be had. No rescue was pos
hble.
Donald chung to the edge of the
hoot and scrambled in. He saw the
amazed recognition flame out on Ida's
oca He knew then that she loved
him and his impulse to seize her in
his arms was almost ungOvernable.
But at the same instant, looking
mast her into the sea, he experienced
the same illusion that had beset him
within the house in Baltimore, and
again outside it-that Of a woman's
misty form outlined upon the water
Donald made a cup of his hands.
"Dayies, fling out a rope" he
baWled.
But the submarine was some dis
lance away, and in a moment a wall
of fog came down, blotting her out.
Ida Kennedy watched Donald with
spproyal. She had always liked him;
shaken as she was now, his advent
seemed the work of Providence. She
had questioned her heart before she
sailed, for she had known that her
future was of her own choosing,
whether it was to be spent with him
or no.
Donald continued to call loudly, but
the F55 was drifting in the mist and
cutie invisible. It was in fear of this
sudden happening that Donald had
told Davies to make for Fair island
he could not get a rope to the boat.
Fair island, less than six miles
away, was the secret rendezvous
where the oil-ship and biplane were
70 await the F55, the former to re-
Plenish her fuel supply, the latter to
accompany her back to the mother
ship.
Donald picked up a pair of oars
from the bottom. He realized that he
would have to pull toward Fair island
alone as soon as he got an mixing of
its direction, with the chance of being
fog cleared. But it was approaching
undOwn, and the probabilities of their
Spending the night in the boat seemed
strong.
he sat with the oars in the row.
locks AS he allowed one to drift
through the water he discovered, to
his surprise, that it was apparently
plunged into a mass of some jellylike
Substance. He dipped his hand into
Hand ScOOped some of it up.
The water was apparently curdled;
lie thickened milk, and on both sides
Of the boat, which rolled in it heavily
snd high in the viscous medium.
AS ne withdrew the oar Donald had
no sensation Of pulling it from be-
|e'n the cIinging fingers of child.
he looked down. It occurred to him
ust ne might have got the blade en-
alSIed in some marine growth; but
We water was clear, almost black, and
" NE same strange, jellylike consist
elcy everywhere.
1Aen, to MS amaZement, he realized
-4I the boat was moving!
g, " was not like the pull of tow
~uE which is a sequence of crescendo
.Il uIninuendO, of starts and jerks,
y ne rope grows tight and slack al
I.''ateIy. 1t was a constant impulse.
vas an intelligent impulse.
" was beginning to grow dark. and
IoW seemed useless until the fog
11sPeFSed. It was impossible to gauge
~ - direction. Besides, to pull against
, Vat force would have been arduous,
- 10 pull with it might have led to
inspected difficulties.
poAaId backed water in experiment.
: .''olIIy he felt the force increase.
vas an effOrtless, persistent push,
nUser than his own powers, and
SIS, it mat Ne ouiD nv
=. suddenly he felt a singing sensa-
MN Oh the back of his hand. He
.5u N the oar. Five small, red
y - mad sprung out on his wrist, and
1eSA seemed to have been cupped.
=, ,-alu Capped his other hand down
d.. !" and encountered something
a. -,-' and cool, which seemed to
IN. away 1t was like the f1irper of
.5, seal or, again, like the hand of
,llId or monkey.
I'VE same instant Ida screamed.
ST.. saw that she seemed to be
s s-sgilng with some invisible adver-
s,l, HE boat was tipping danger
y Donald flung his weight over.