Omaha daily bee., 1921-07-24

we had better trans snip, sau stephen
We've drifted out into the Arkansas not far
from where 1t empties into the Mississippi and
IL We have to go on to Vicksburg We will be
more comfortable aboard a larger vessel. Let's
kick this boat OF ours ahead
He shifted himself around to the side OF
Claire and they began to strike out with their
feet driving their float at a fair progress which
promised soon to overhaul the house not far
ahead. There slight danger of the parti-
sliding apart, the buoyancy OF those be-
meath thrusting them UP against the submerged
one on which their weight rested; also because
the apex of their triangle was between Claire
and Stephen.
"A twin propeller craft" Stephen observed
"noncapszabe and nonsinkable"
zone ought to play safe with big gold ship
ment" answered Claire.
'Right-o. Especially when you happen to
be chained to 1t. Lucky for mo we swapped
berths. | half awake when we got let
down, so I grabbed the curtain rod and swung
there till got foothold. Providentially my
berth jammed 1t might have crushed you"
Thanks to you, I'm still alive and kicking"
Claire answered.
And. thanks to the kicking, they
able to exchange n precarious float for more
stable one. The floating house. which looked
like big square box. had revolved in eddy
that its front was now presented obliquey to
them, about 0 feet of it being above the water,
while the was awash. Two upper story
windows were clear of the stream, and above
these was painted an inscription In crude Ver-
million letters, the ms and the SIS reversed
Cotton Pickers Bank" and beneath, storage"
Good thing for the cotton pickers they
haven't started to pick" Stephen observed.
Lets kick this thing around to the back"
They accomplished this and found the rim
of the roof about foot under water. Stephen
passed his valise aboard. scrambled up after
it, then turned and held out his hand to Claire,
who for the first time realized with a
shock that she was scarcely clad at ALL But
there no help for it, and bong sensible
girl. she took the outstretched hand and a mo-
ment later was standing, as Stephen expressed
it, ION the quarter deck" superb. unshrink-
ing figure in her thin. wet pajamas Stephen
without glancing at Claire began to drag the
pieces Of Pullman partition up onto the roof.
Their weight had caused the f1imsy structure
to careen at even greater angle.
wed better lfeboat." said he
might want to abandon ship II we should hap
pen to aground. Besides, once the sun gets
up this tar paper is going to get awful hot
He fitted the triangular pieces together near
the front of the roof when Claire sank down
upon them with sigh of fatigue. less from ex-
haustion than the tremendous strain Of the
last three hours. The day coming apace
and presently the sun rose and sent its crimson
horizontal beams across what much resembled
a Of fluid mud. Sitting side by side with
their hands crossed in front Of their knees they
looked out across the desolate waste. Here and
there were farms along the banks of the river
and far ahead jetty ran out into the stream
Some motor boats also visible moored to
the shore, but no immediate succor in
sight. There also about them a great mass
of floating debris trees. and logs and frag-
ments of shacks, and not very far distant a
waterlogged skif which Stephen eyed covetous-
ly. But Claire observed that never once his
eyes rested upon herself, and this fact gave her
new esteem for him.
She reflected that she really was about as
much in his debt as it is possible for person
to be In anothers; that, resistant to the panic
Of the other passengers who had fled forward
while there was still time he had remained
terribly incumbered by the heavy valise not
only an inconvenience but grave danger. to
fight for and accomplish her release She be-
iieved absolutely that he would have gone to
the bottom Of the creek with the car sooner
than have abandoned her. had been in danger
of doing so at any moment with the coach at
perilous pitch which needed but the slightest
setting or its support to roll over into the
stream. This knowledge sent a warm glow
through her and made her feel that she had
done him great injustice.
Its going to be scorching hot in about
an hour he said, "but sure to be taken
of before we begin to crisp up. Besides we
can always keep wet. We could do with bite
to eat though" He rose, crossed the roof, and
returned with two fiat stones from those ce-
mented around the base of the stove pine then
reseated himself at her side
What now?' asked Claire
Watch and learn" he answered
Stretching the chain the corner Of
one stone. he began to strike it with tho other
about a foot from his wrist
You think of everything don't your" asked
Claire.
"Ah! but you see I'm an INVENTOR"
But is that playing safe?" she asked,
amused
1T would prove so IL should happen to fall
overheard But my present object is to swim
over and get that skiff. Then we can split pad
dies off our raft and ashore"
He contiued his hammering softly so as mot
10 break the stone. which was wearing con-
siderably from the process
i suppose you think" Stephen observed a.
ne tapped away. "that the contents Of this yaliss
should by rights belong to you"
Not now" Claire answered ANY such
claim Is more than settled"
He shot her sidelons look then rIancea
quickly away reddening slightly. Then Won
CONSIDER that there is no existing claim between
i didn't say that. I said that what possible
claim that might have on you was settled"
zap! tap! tap! His head was bowed over
MS task, and Claire. glancng at him in turn.
discovered that his shipwrecked condition addsd
10 rather than diminished his attractiyenass
Inc water had curled his chestnut hair In pleas.
ing fashion and his skin was very clear and fns.
ms eyes doubly fringed with long black curyinR
lashes and his profile Of pure classic Grecian
type, but without the softness lent by the chisel
OF Praxtfles He had more jaw and his chin
was square rather than rounded while the lips
instead Of being FULL were straight and Arm
Ihen' watching his task, its method puzzled
her, Tor instead OF tapping continually On ons
point OF the chain he now spread II the length
OF the stone and proceeded to hammsr his sess
ment fiat.
why are you doing that? she asked.
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