The Penn's Grove record., 1920-08-20
ME keen eyes of Wolf Larsen,
master of the sealing schooner
5 Chnct hound e.. Ioannnnn

@1N
master of the sealing schooner
Ghost, bound for japanese
poaching grounds, spotted the bobbing
head of Humphrey Van Weyden amid
the waves of San Francisco bay, into
whose waters Humphrey had been
thrown as a result of a shipwreck. A
few moments more and Humphrey was
aboard the Ghost.
Rescued, he faced his rescuer with
thanks and a request to be put ashore.
The skipper eyed him %curiously.
"What do you do for a living?" he
asked.
IL am a gentleman" Humphrey
stammered.
"Who feeds your"
II have an income.'
Wolf Larsen's lips curled in a sneer.
"You stand on dead mems legs. You
couldn't walk alone between two Jun
rises and hustle the meat for your
belly for three meals. You stay here
as cabin boy for the good of your soul.
Til make a man of you."
Instant rebellion leaped into Hum
phrey's eyes,. Before he could protest
there came a sudden interruptions
clamor from the real cabin boy, a
great husky youth who stood by. Wolf
Larsen turned and crashed his fist into
the boys stomach. Crumpled like a
wet rag around a stick, the lad col
Iapsed into a heap on the deck.
"Well," said Wolf Larsen m~eaningiy
to Humphrey, shave you made up your
nind?"
The spark of manhood In Humphrey
died out.
yes" he replied weakly.
"Say Yes, sir!'"
Eyes sir"
And thus Humphrey passed into the
servitude of Wolf Larsen, the Sea
Wolf. His blinking eyes, half reveal
ing and half e%oncealing his terror, sur
veyed his master and thus appraised
him: Massive of build, like a huge
gorilla; with a strength, savage and
ferocious; features of no evil stamp;
eyes of battling protean gray, some
times as chill as an Arctic landscape,
sometimes all aElOw with lo~ve-lights-
intense, masculine and compelling
which at the same time fascinate and
dominate women until they surrender
in a gladness of joy and Of relief and
sacrifice"
His creed, the mighty will which en-
gined Wolf Larsen, was short.
Life is a ness" he declared. 1.-THE
big eat the little that they may con-
tinue to move; the strong eat the
weak that they may retain their
strength. The lucky eat the most and
move the longest, that is all"
His company on shipboard: seamen
sodden and sulIen by drink. more ami
NAL than human j; a group of seal hunt
ers, wild reckless nomads, ignorant OF
an ordered worldEall slaves in body
and spirit to the Sea Wolf.
Yet there was a gentle side to Wolf
He could discuss literature with
Hump" roll over his lips the poetic
glories of Shelley and Browning, argue
the sciences with amazing fiuency and
be disarmingly charming at times.
As the days rolled ON and murderoY
quarrels made the hours hideou4,
backbone gradually stiff
ened. He dreamed of killing the SEE
Wolf. But Larsen fascinated him am
Ike some splendid animal, some CAN
gerous beast, held him in a spell. he
knew the world should be rid of such
r monster, vet Larsen's eyes compelled
Day by day, with not a gleam OF gra-
c~iousness to break the orgy of british
hess, this tragic drama went on Hum
rhrey despaired of even a CLEAN OF
Sunshine. Suddenly fate interviewed
In the person of Maude Brewster.
Like Humphrey, she came to the
tihost from the sea, saved from a
wrecked liner. Like Humphrey, she