Evening times-Republican., 1920-09-28
MARsHALToWn IOWA SEPTEMBER Is 1920

ting into the elevator at the end OF
the hall, while Jethro, protesting,
| was turned back.
His old gent an LADY," queried
| Muggs, in the little bare reception
room, when, the mariner had returned
thither. 0 Jim and the cripple, still
waiting there, came close to hear the
| news.
"Ay, lad" said Lawless, nodding
| his head 81 had my work cut out for
me TO bring 'em; but they're here,
an none too soon, I'm thinkin'. III
ever man was on Il lee shore, with
all anchors draggin, its him"
! A chill struck to the heart of
| Muggs.s such as not even defeat In
the squared ring, not even loss OF
/ his time championship, had ever
caused. 1t voiced itself in a curse
| on the shipmaster and on the Stages
Alpha and Omega OF the eopspir-
acy that Ind brought his idol TO the
dark portals of death.
"Well. fellas,1 said he, grimly,
4 res Only one gdod ting ! can
! Slip V.lh, aa It's dis Meiny's cooked.
! all right, an his old man just now
| croaked off in de boob--de cooler,
y,ih know, down on Hanover. He's
gone, anyhow. but if he hadn't OF
| went, I'd put him up de escape me
| self. wit me Own two mitts, s'heip
mel"
Upstairs i'm the cool quiet room on
the fifth floor, DR.. Tressor and Ssl-
fxia. were yoicing in the language OF
deed the thoughts. hopes and prayers
true prayers for all their rough up
| skill-~that the watchers in the re-
ceptaon room were eentefins upon
the wounded man: translatins into
terms of science the supreme appeal
of life against the epcfoachinE lnl-
minenee OF death.
For few minutes, not long aftef
sylvia had begged and got the privt-
lege of sharing in this battle, Brad
| ford had won up thru the tides OF
oblivion to a vague, misty conscious
ness. His tired eyes, hazily opening,
had seused glimmering whltsness
all about him---a silent, watch1ni
whiteness, MS il all things were waif-
| Ing. brea4hless. for the turning OF
scme cosmic wheel of destiny
White walls, white ceiling. white
aproned figure standing by hts white,
| white bed--esersthing VAS ~hite'
everything half-seen in the Intang-
ible fogs OF his dim upderstabaipg'
I.anguor and weakness wrapped MN
| like n cerement He comprehendeh
nothing clenrly. sensad nothing det-
pite,y. knew only that he 10y afioht
in n still wear,,Nss, calmed in the
| Cargasso Sea of letlal inertia ina,
whel,ned him till he could pol slf
a finger---a sea that, with lis IiSiHe
tides. threatened to engulf him IN lts
n,a,l,ing waters Of oblivion.
/ Only this much he knew-thjs. and
1 a stab like pain at every breath,
/ Mistily he wondered what this pain
might be and why the taste OF salt
should hotly battle his lips: why his
/ body should be swathed in con :
stricting earapace; why, now ana
then. the mhite-aproned figure
4 shonId wipe his mouth with some
1 thing soft and white. Thus for 1T
tie while he lay there, obsehreiy
seeking to lay hold upon some con-
4 tact with reality. Then all at once,
as some small spark of life k.3wed
1 m In him above the seas of death,
| he made shift TO fix his eyes upon
i the hand above his face and on the
/ soft white thing 1t held.
Red! There was red on that sort
whiteness! What might that mean!
! The sudden wonder famed lbs spark
of consciousness to tiny, flickering
/ flame. Slowly, waarily he raised his
ewes along the nurses arm to her
/ shoulder, to the face bending over
. bim-tbsn. as he let them rest mo-
ment there. he knew, he understood.
/ "Sylvia!"
/ His blood stained lips inaudibiy
I framed the word he had not strength
to utter. For brief moment his
| eyes met hers, questioningly. Won
/ deringly, with supreme outgoing
Of his soul to hers. Then came the
! tides and seas of darkness once
again, with drifting formless mists
! and yapors over all A far-off roar
! ing, like the beat of surf upon a
far-off, unknown shore. echoes about
his falling senses; all vanished, faded
and fas lost.
/ The door opened, noiselessly. The
shipmaster appeared, with Martha.
Tressor turned. his face like flint,
"Doctor." exclaimed the old man.
hoarsely. rs he"
/ "Shhh!" warned Tressor, raising
his hand. He @tiptoed to the door
mo noise here, absolutely none! No
4 scene! The slightest disturbance
i you underestimate
Martha began to cry, silently, the
tears dripping on her tremnlons hand
as 1t clutched her husbands arm
The shipmaster, white-faced but
holding himself in check, peered at
| the DOCTOR.
u (to be continued).