Evening star., 1921-09-04

but Oceania, every one was happy.
Always. in this happy, golden girdle
of the earth. seas were warm, and
sky and water Jswsl-colored; islands
were always green and fresh. flowers
grew on coral beaches day In and day
out forever.
On the ship the decks were dark
ened by cool awnings: people lay In
long, cane chairs. reading. smoking.
calling the black boys to bring iced
drinks, and watching the matchless
panorama OF the midtropic world
slide by. Sometimes they went for
days without q sight Of land; again.
group after group of fairy islets
came and stayed and passed beyond
the rail: smoking volcanoes reared
their dragon-heads: canoes with crab
claw sails and wild brown sailors
clad in a scarlet waist-cloth and
knife went flying by upon the barest
surface of the sea
The passengers were very content
crossed the line into Oceanfa. and 1t
was now the Land s-of-Time.
forever and evermore. Yes.
there would be a jetty and a port
some som day: even ssa customs Officers ,Ss.a
things, but they did not believe them.
So the passengers on the liner were
very happy. and said so. They told
each other that they had never had a
voyage like it-not a thing wrong
from the sixties to the equator; no.
body quarrelling; no bad weather.
even where 1t was to be expected; a
perfect ship, and all the marvels of
all the world widening out before her
as she went on.
They were seven days out from the
last port when Fortune turned and
smote them. Agnes took i'll with
pneumonia.
Agnes was aged sixteen. a girl like
a lily-if one can imagine lily pos
sessed of a strong sense of humor.
and a taste for deck sports.
WHEN she became i'll no one
thought that it was very much
just at first. All the young people were
fond of sitting out upon the fore
castle head after dark, to enjoy the
cool river of wind that pounded over
the ships bow; colds had been caught
in that way; other things besides
colds, without doubt, for these even
ing winds were best enjoyed. and most
sought after. in pairs. Agnes and an
American boy. of not much more than
her own age. had been especially fond
of sitting out there after dinner, the
girl in evening dress. displaying her
thin but pretty neck and shoulders. 1t
was not considered dangerous In
those latitudes; at least, 1t had not
been. till now. When Agnes took i'll
the forecastle-head was deserted-to
the entire satisfaction of the officers.
who had long maintained that pas.
sengers were better in their own part
of the ship-and wraps that had lain
untouched in cabin trunks since the
Mediterranean came suddenly forth
again.
In cabin 21. occupied by the girl
father). the stewardess had hard
work to keep her little patient as
quiet as the nature of the illness de-
manded. All day long steps passed up
the door The cold storage was ram
sacked for fruit: eau-de-Cologne de-
scended in deluge. Agnes was so
young and childish. and such uni
her friends. men and women. coming
in from time TO time. 4t: happened
that there were extremely few wom-
en- on the boat. and that two Of them,
just at this time, went down with
some small tropical ailment, and were
confined to their cabins; however, the
two others, Mrs. Arthurs and Mrs.
Waite, also at least a dozen OF The
man passengers. kept coming In and
out. until the stewardess put down
making the young lady worse, and must
stay away.
Whether the visitors were the cause
or not. the girl did grow worse. with
terrible rapidity. The stewardess. VINO
had travelled longer and more widely
than any one else upon the ship. said
she had never seen case Of pneu-
monia as bad. Agnes father was
half out of his mind: the little girl
suffered terribly, and nothing could
be done. Like too many tropical
steamers, they had no doctor on
board. He was convinced that her life
could be saved If only medical aid
were obtainable. and he counted the
again. to the nearest port Port Tor.
res was the name of the place; chief
and, one might say. only town OF the
great island Of New Gaboon. There
was a government medical officer
there of sorts and a hospital of sorts.
1t was evening before they made
New Gaboon; already the giant peaks
Of that strange, unknown island were
lifting through the blood-co1ored sun
set sky, when the captain came down
door of cabin 81. The stewardess an
swered through the lattice.
Yes. sir. I'll come ont and speak
to you" ,.-.
mo. SIR" The stewardess' voice was
hrm. It'll come to you on the after
deck directly"
Captains do not usually take orders
from stewardesses: but the command
er Of the ship turned away at once.
and went on deck. whistling softly
and unpleasantly as he did so. 1t was
very quiet there: all the passengers
were at dinner in the grand saloon.
amidships.
The stewardess came out in a min
ute-a tall. lean woman. with dark
eyes and graying hair. and a quiet.
secretive face. Yet there was some
thing likable In 1t. too.
"Well?" said the captain, looking
straight at her with his sharp. sea-
blue eyes.
shes going fast. sir" said the
Last till we get imp
Il think so, SIR"
ssVOU know. It may be nothing
nothing at all. Can't pronounce
without the DOCTOR"
"Yes. sir" her manner was respect
full. "But-that last port was full Of
1t. They were keeping it quiet. sir.
I heard after we'd sailed"
What about my having a look?"
I'VE can't afford to have you made
a contact, with the crew you've got"
She had momentarily dropped the sir.
something abroad that night. that
made little Of ship rank.
II ought to. damn it" said the cap
tain. angrily pulling bis beard.
''Sir, those Malays-"
sll right, all right. Let me look at