The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1920-12-17

and to walk briskly along the deck until sn
reached the forecastle. She could not have ex
planned to herself what impulse took her there;
1t was something outside herself some strange
power working detached. yet compelling her to
obey Its behests.
She crouched up In the bows, watching the
sparkle of water spring gurgling from the fore
foot. watching the frothing bubbles stream away
on either side the black bluff bow.
VainIy she shook herself and assured her own
heart OF Its foolishness. vainly she tried to drag
herself away from her selfappointed post. The
air was chill with the beginnings of the dawn
wind; she shivered repeatedly and remained.
Mrs Hapshott lifted her eyes and searched the
seas far rim Her gaze returned. only to be
lifted again suddenly she stifened where she
stood, md her strained.
She sprang upon the rail and stood there erect.
her eyes peering intently. Was 1t fancy or could
she actually see something?
There. In the middle dstance-a veritable
speck In the waste Of waters-was 1t shadow
was 1t the fin of lurking shark. or was it-was
If? Two seconds she looked. then she ran aft.
the watching her In wonder.
.Hiram-out there-what is 1t. what Is 1T
Hiram. heard a cryl"
She clutching at him Historically and
pointing with trembling finger To humor her he
fetched his binoculars and focused them. Mad
denfncly slow she thought him. He searched
'sBack the maInyard!" he roared in mighty
voice From the forepeak. whittier he had de-
scended the mate came aft at run the men
following fast.
sThere's raft out there-some one on It,"
said Hapshott slowly. his voice almost drowned
by the clatter of the swinging yards
1t was Captain Hapshott himself who sprang
into the boat that was hastily lowered; 1t was he
who urged the rowers onward. Mrs. Hapshott,
now that the thing done. possessed by
ot,upac fbat xot hoId nvrToo otapn
something strange happening out there be-
yond the range of her vision; but all was work.
ing together for good She tried to focus the
binoculars on the boat and on the fragment that
fioated ahead but she was all unused to the task,
and could make out nothing but blur.
The boat turned-hung motonless; those
aboard we're busy at task. Then the oars
shot out like the limbs of a gigantic spider; Mrs.
Hapshott's heart beat faster and faster-so fast
that only with difficulty could she draw her
breath.
"sbalI we haul you up, sir?" hailed the mate.
reaching far outboard and from Captain Hap
shott's Iips came a hoarse, unreal cry that Jones
took as an affirmative.
The boat shot alongside; still the captains wife
did not move from her position by the mzzen-
mast. The tackles were hooked on, swarmed
up them and added their weight to the falls; the
boat leaped upward, was swung tnboard.
"Bear hand here" she heard her husband
say and then the mists vanished from her eyes
and she clearly. Captain HapsnOtt was COM
ing aft, talking earnestly to the mate And In
his arms he carried a little childl
Mrs. Hapshott acted exactly as If she had been
expecting this gift from the sea. She held out
her arms and took the wailing mite, hushing it
deftly against that broad maternal bosom of hers
coaxing it. smiling down into its crumpled face
1t mattered nothing to her how the babe had
come-it was there Its tiny fingers around her
finger; its little head nestled against her heart.
"a dead woman and a living child-no signs Of
Identification" The words came to her ftfuiIy.
forcing themselves through the strange. haowed
joy that filed her being. "No telling what's hap
pened-must be wife of some skipper-sole sur
vivors-who knows2 The womans dead. poor
thing-but the child seems strong enough-wiI
be later"
"If we'd been sailing yesterday we'd have
passed 1t in the dark likely" said the mate ;
wed never have It, God look at Mrs.
Hapshot; she's grown younger"
The skipper walked across to his wife.
"We1l have to advertise" he said, shakiIy.
toying with the little graspIng hands. .But like
ly no one will claim tits much any
ones-pli tell the steward to make some milk
ready"
"'Unto US a child is given,'" said Mrs. Hap
shott soIemny. "Hiram, this is Gods Christmas
present to you and me-"