The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1918-04-05
CHAPTER VII

WOmanly concern.
us she drowned?" she asked.
/ shook my head negatively.
Just swallowed a little too much
water, guess" explained one of the
men from the boat. She'll be all right
as soon as she gets cup of hot coffee
in her"
Who is she, Captain Perkins, and
why is she dressed that way?" asked
Lucile ignoring the reference to coffee
Il dunno who she be-" said the cap.
tain. 'She come aboard at Buena
Vista and said she was going to Fair
View"
Dressed like thatT"
No, sir; she was dressed swell
when we struck the rock over yOnder
] told hes we might have to swim and
she'd orter dress just as light as posi-
ble. She went into the cabin with her
grip, and when she came out she was
like this and asked me if l calculated
that was light enough. l lowed it was,
and we didn't have no time for expla-
nations, because just then we broke in
Two"
We made a rough stretcher and car
ried the unconscious girl to the house.
When we had placed her in an upstairs
room we left her to Luciles care and
had a stag party in my bedchamber.
There were now six men of US.
OF the newcomers the captain was a
tail. wiry Old man with sharp, ferret
black eyes and a set Of whiskers cor
rectly trimmed for one Of the natives"
in Shore Acres"
One of the other men, a green, lanky
youngster, was obviously an employee
obviously passenger The boatmen
were inclined to take things philosoph-
ically. The passenger was annoyed
and uncomfortable under the incon-
veniences he had been made to suffer
He was not a fat man, but he had a
build similar to mine before l started
fasting.
| offered the passenger a suit of my
clothes. You're about my build"
suggested.
He looked at me with disfavor as if
TO say, Il hope not" but accepted just
the same.
told the captain and the other man
I would outfit them with some Of Mr.
Green's old clothes. | rummaged the
closets, but all | could find was Il
slightly moth eaten suit of evening
clothes and a red and white blazer. l
had never suspected Mr.. Green of own
ing anything as frivolous as that.
The captain possessed himself of the
evening clothes and while he was put
ting them on l asked what had hap
pened.
Il didn't have no business putting
out" be replied, but that good looking
girl there seemed in an awful sweat to
get to Fair View, end old as l be, l
let her hOrnSwoggle me. My biler were
not in first class shape. In fact, may
say that some of her dues was con-
structed on the general principle of a
doughnut, which is more hole than any
thing else Jim, here, my engineer,
ain't regular engineer, being as how
he learned by correspondence, but l
hired him because he's one of the best
cooks in the state. He must have done
something wrong
The other man tried to interrupt.
Il knOw"-the captain brushed him
verbally one side-"but you must have
done something. Anyhow we plumb
lost our steam completely Drowned
the fires too. Afore we could do any
thing we straddled the rocks out here
aud you know the rest. Now if you
want o rafting good cup of coffee and
some bacon and eggs just turn Jim
loose in the kitchen"
looked at Bopp, and Bopp looked at
Kent, who grinned.
'1rhere amt any coffee" he announc-
ed "and there amt any bacon and
eggs"
'Well, anything will do, even tea"
'There amt anything"
"WhatT The passenger was on his
feet in an instant. Nothing to eat?"
mot thing"
Good heavens!" he raYed. wen ali
starve. am positively faint with hun
ger now. What shall / do2"
"Why don't you try fainting? sug-
Cestcd Bopp sEli2bly.