, 1923-07-25
SATAN

was the foretop of a ship, right
enough, and. a hundred to one, so he
declared, the foretop of the NOmbre.
Ratcliffe. wondering vaguely why
he seemed SO pleased over the find,
considering the sand conditions, asked
him the chances of raising her. Then
said Satan, seeming to turn his gaze
inward upon his awful and profound
knowledge Of the sea and Its ways:
III you was to get all the dridgers
from H'vana to Pensacola and dridged
till your eyes bulged out O. your head
an your tongue hanged down to your
heels, you wouldn't clear-siltin'-but
she's a sure enough mug trap"
How do you mean?"
"Why. with that story and that
chart an that old foretop. 1 could set
half Havana diggin' like dogs for a
bone, to say nothin' of private parties
an syndiklts an such things-maybe
| will. too, some day"
They put out after breakfast for
tie Haliotis and another load of "old
junk" Satan rowed back with 1t.
leaving Jude and Radcliffe on board
Ratcline collecting things forward,
and Jude %grubbing about in the So
loon.
Having collected the odds and ends
in n heap, he turned his eyes to the
Sarah. Satan. having tied up the
dinghy, was busy transhipping his
plumber. Then the beauty of the morn
ing sea flooding into the lagoon, held
him for a moment. He followed the
gulls in their flight, noted the sudden
break from emerald to ultramarine
deepening to purple, and beyond the
reefs the sudden glitter of a leaping
fish. Then he remembered Jut down
below.
He came to the companionway and
down the stairs.
The cabin was brilliant with sun
light. with water reflections through
the open portfolios playing on the
ceiling and polished maple and venesta
of the walls. Across a pile of truck
and bunk bedding heaped on the table
he caught a glimpse of the upper part
Of Jude.
Jude. fancying herself entirely
alone. and yielding to some prompt
ing or other. had picked up the de-
spised go-ashore hat and put 1t on /;
she was looking at herself in the mir
ror fixed to the after bulkhead. She
was looking at herself with her head
now straight and now tilted slightly to
n side, then the head turned, but
she did not see Radcliffe; her eyes
were still fixed on the hat, she was
looking at 1t sidewise.
All her unconscious movements
might have been those OF a lady In a
mIlliner's shop trying OF a hat in a
critical spirit.
She had not heard him coming down
the companionway. owing to the fact
that he was in his bare feet, and she
did not hear him go up again.
On deck he tool his seat on an old
box upended close to the mainmast
stump. and considered the thing he
had just witnessed in a philosophical
spirit.
1t was like seeing a chrysalis crack
and a butterfly's wing p%rotruding.
II Jude had not been admirlng her.
self in that hat. then sight was a liar
and Its evidence worthless. But Jude
was as honest as the day. She had
greeted the thing with derision.
brought It on deck to show as an OBJ
ject OF mlrth. and flung 1t down the
skylight opening with contempt
yesterday morning.
What had happened since then to
make her consider the thing at all, let
alone wear II before a looking-glassf
Had she put II on In derislon and TO
see what n guy she lookedf Not a
bitl She had made friends with that
hatl Those few movement of the
head spoke of consideration not deri-
sion. In n language old as the earliest
feather headdress and more universal
than Esperanto.
Then he remembered last evening
on the sandspit and her sudden pas
sage from dependency to high splr-
Its; he remembered her queer little
laugh MS she removed his hand from
round her walst-had that been the
| sound of the rift coming in h chrys-
| ais casingf
For a ONE he almost yielded to
| the desire to 40 below and see II the
butterfly had really arrived. Then he
| checked himself. There was time,
| plenty OF time: besides. Satnn was
putting on agaIn In the dinghy for
another load.
sntan, over this business. like n man
In drink or n lunatlc. had his hot fits
| and cold fits. A hot ft had suddenly
| come on him.
Th. notroi.paradin engine Ind he.