Williams news., 1922-10-13

| the captain ana OSCkUdnu OI tAS lu6 | and threw them into the sea- Because they were short-handed now upon the tug. and also because consultation was necessary over what | was to be done, the young owner Of | the Mfwaka, Captain Stafford, came | down the hawser onto the tug after the ] line had been put straight He came ] to the wheelhouse, where Benjamin | Corvet was, and they consulted Then Benjamin Corvet learned that the | other owner was aboard the new ship as weIl-Ramsdell-t man whose | money you have just told me had built | this and was soon to build other ships. did not understand before why learn | ing that affected him so much. "'Stafford wanted us (this is what Ben iamin Corvet said) to tow him up the lake; I would not do that, but l agreed to tow him to Manistique. The night was dark, Father-no snow, but frightful wind which had been increas- ing until 1t now sent the waves wash ing clear across the tug. We had gone north an hour when, low upon the wa ter to my right, I saw light, and there came to me the whiStling or buoy which told me that we were pass ing nearer than I would have wished, even in daytime, to windward Of Boul- der reef. There are, Father, no people on that reef; it's sides of ragged rock go straight down forty fathoms into the lake.
 "T looked at the man with me In the wheelhouse-at Stafford-and
 hated himl put my head out at the l wheelhouse door and looked back at the lights, at the new, great steamer. following safe and straight at the end of it's towline I thought of my two | men upon the tug who had been crushed by clumsiness of those on board that ship; and how my own ships had had a name for never losing | a man and that name would De loSt now because of the carelessness or Stafford's meni And the sound Of the | sboal brought the evil thought to me. Suppose had not happened across ms ship; would 1t have gone upon some , reef like this and been lost? I thought that if now the hawser should break, | I would be rid of that ship and per haps of the owner who was on board l as we'll We could not pick up the tow | line again in so close to the reef. The | steamer would drift down upon the | rocks"
 Father Perron hesitated an instant. .sI bear witness,' he said solemnly,
 "that Benjamin Corvet assured me his priest-that it was only thought; | the evil act which 1t suggested was | something which he would not do or even think of doing. But he spoke something of what was in his mind 10 | Stafford, for he said:
 "T must look like a fool to you 70
 keep on towing your shipP | "tThey stared, he told me, into one | another's eyes, and Stafford grew un- 1 easy.
 | "sWe'd have been all right he an- | swered, until we had got help, if you'd | left us where we werer He, too, Hs- | tened to the sound of the buoy and Of | the water dashing on the shoal. You | are taking us too close he said-too
 closer He went aft then to look at the tow 1ine."
 | Father Perron's voice ceased; what 1 he had to tell now made his face
 whiten as he arranged it in his mem | ory. Alan leaned forward a little and
 then, with an effort, sat straight. Con-
 stance turned and gazed at him; but he dared not look at her. He felt her | hand warm upon his; 1t rested there a
 moment and moved away.
 ssThere was third man in the | wheelhouse when these things were
 spoken" Father Perron said, "the mate
 of the ship which had been laid up at | Manistique."
 Henry spearman," sherrili SUD-
 piled.
 ''That is the name. Benjamin Cor | vet told me of that man that he was
 young, determined, brutal and set upon
 getting position and wealth for him.
 self by any means. He watched Corvet
 and Stafford while they were speak
 ing. and he, too. listened to the Shoal
 until Stafford had come back; then he
 went aft.
 "1 looked at him, Father Benjamin
 Corvet said to me, and I let him go
 not knowing. He came back and
 looked at me once taore, and went aga1I
 to the stern Stafford had been watch
 ing him as well as I, and sprang away
 from me now and scrambled after him
 The tug Ieaped suddenly; there was
 no longer any tow holding it back, fol
 | the hawser had parted; and l knew
 | Rather the reason was that SpearmaI 7 had cut iti
 "T rang for the engine to be slowed . | and I left the wheel and went aft ! some struggle was going on at the stern of the tug; a flash came iron , there and the cracking of a shot. Sud , denly all was light about me as, aware [ of the breaking of the hawser ant alarmed by the shot, the searchl1ght O the Miwaka turned upon the tug. Ih , cut end of the hawser was still upol
 the tug, and Spearman had been try1ni 1 | to clear this when Stafford attacke