The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-04-11
Indeed a
Cheerful c,
Tale
FIVE FRIDAYS
tcopyrisAs. Frank A. Muns.y Co,

which sheltered the cove the waves
were piiing over themselves In boiling
torrents where a sharp toothed reef
was hidden a couple Of feet below the
surface.
The explanation OF the revolver
shots was obvious. A small steam
boat was jammed hard and fast on the
rocks and was pounding herself with
a violence which prophesied a short
life for her hull Just as I appeared a
man forward of the pilothouse fred q
revolver In the air. As soon as he saw
me he began to wave his arms yio-
lentiy and pointed to three other lg-
ures crouched on the deck.
BY this time the rest Of our party
had caught up with me.
HE seems to be signaiing,r Bopp
interpreted sagely. Wonder what he
wants"
what wouid you want II you were
In a boat aground In the lake with
every chance Of going to pieces in ten
minutesr' / yelled 80 as to be heard
above the sea. IL suppose you would
be wishing for some poached plover's
eggs on a strip Of toast"
They can't expect US to come out
there and get them" he decided. mo
boat could live In that sea. 1t would
be suicide to attempt to reach them"
"We must do something" Lucille de-
cided, with ready sympathy. am
very fond of the captain. He's been
bringing our supplies for ten years"
"Is that the supply boatY' Bopp de-
mnnded.
why, yes; certainly"
"We must do something at once"
Bopp began to run around In busy cir
cles In the sand. "We must attempt
to reach the poor devils. Kent, where
Is that boat Of yoursT'
81 drew Il up on the shore here, right
alongside the dock. why, where IL itT'
"Gone, eh2" Bopp shook his head
knowingly. Probably the heavy sea
washed 1t or"
yes, but no sea ever united the knot
I had In her painter around this post
here" Kent would have seen q mys-
terry In Utopia. His mind insisted
upon being pitted against the unknown.
"Well. what are we going to dor
Bopp said helplessly. Those poor dev.
lis out there are counting on US. Think
of being on q vessel loaded with bread,
butter, eggs, vegetables and meat and
having II break up under your feet.
What shall we dor
I'm afraid we won't have time to do
anything. I decided. "Her back Is
broken. It's only a question Of sec
onds now"
The people on board realized 1t too.
Ther hastily launched . life raft over
the side and scrambled on to II as the
decks crumpled beneath them and be-
came O twisted mass Of timbers that
writhed for q moment and fell back
into the waves to become driftwOod.
The raft fortunately had cleared the
wreck In plenty OF time and was now
drifting past our cove toward the naia'
land. The men on board scented busy
arranging q sort of mast and sail made
out Of an oar and q couple OF oilskinSl
When they got that rugged up two OF
them held II up while a third attempt.
ed to steer with a second oar.
They're going to try TO land on the
other point OF the cove" Lucille said
"We must be there to help them when
they come ashore. There are rocks
about a hundred yards out where the
raft viii strike II Il isn't driven past
She led or on a dog trot which tool
the last tuck out of me when I attempt,
ed to follow. ] got there some way
however. but minus the power Of
speech.
Don't land hereI" shouted Lucille
into the teeth Of the gale. Dangerous
rocksl r.
They discovered the rocks for them
selves almost immediatcs and slid ca
from the raft In d compact group. Tn
der the direction OF Kent, who had read
q book ahont lt somewhere, we form,
ed ourselves into a life line by holding
on to n another's hands and vAdine
out Into the surf.
One BY a the ~shipwrecked victims
struggled to MS and were passed on up
to the shore. Three were landed Ia
this way, but the fourth failed to make
Il. I could see q head bobbing up and
down a hundred feet away, but In a
moment the head disappeared alto
gether.
Gro BE coNrrNuED.,