The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-04-22

SoihetHlHS tffougn clcHcHeC leetn. one cannot swim. She is stunned The boom hit her on the head.'
 The moon was not yet eclipsed. For that the Pole gave thanks as he touched the body of the floating girl. Tn his elation he sent up shout, drowned in the bowling of the blast before which the Abbees fled from them.
 They were already too Tar astern for any rope flung from the launch to reach them.
 In the moments which had elapsed be- tween her fall and his taking his plunge the hurricane had isolated them There was no hope He would swim until he was ex- hausted and they must drown together.
 Those on board were too stupefied or too ignorant to save themselves, let alone cast aways. Von Reulenz and Von Jolt were frankly landlubbers and Edor's muddled wits. when he collected them, would be wholly centered upon the avoidance of the Loophole.
 The Loophole! There was but very slender chance that the castaways them selves could elude it. And that was death; as certain-more horrble-than gradual drowning.
 No! No. All the quick, youthful blood of Rosner surged up in denial He would struggle on until the last moment yes even though it might be dead woman whom he held in an arm even now showing signs of aching.
 But, with all his might he was swimming to his left, fighting the strong pull of the water, struggling, wrestling toward the south. Flinging back his head, he glanced about him. The moon still shone, though the black rolling cloud was at it's very edge. It's last beam, as it was covered, showed him the black bulk of the Loophole crags rearing themselves at so short distance ahead that panic gripped him. Then to panic succeeded hope, mad hope.
 The Loophole was almost halfway across!
 If the current could carry them so far in so short a time, then his idea had not been quite as extravagant as it seemed. If he could manage to pass outside the pincer claws, they had chance-a real chance!
 He was tiny bit of flotsam. drifting who knew whither, every nerve aquiver, every faculty concentrated upon the one aim.
 The burden he carried was utterly passive and inert. If she could have helped it would have been less difficult-but at least she could not hinder.
 An, God, if one could but see! If the blackness were not so impenetrable, if the spindrift did not blind one and strangle one!
 There. The cloud broke in fire! A dag zling glare lit up the broken water and showed him everything. He was swimming in blot of inky shadow-the shadow cast by the Loophole crags!
 Even as he shuddered they were slipping back behind him. He had been safely car ried past, outside, toward the south.
 Such thing as failure now, was how ever, impossible. He knew he should make the land some time.
 He thought of curious little details. How white her fingers had looked as she played with the wild maidenhair in the moonlight on the abbey wall He could recall the exact cadence of her voice she spoke three particular words which seemed to him of the greatest importance.
 What fool he had been not to realize what they were doing, when they started northward from the isle! How fortunate that, when going to help strike sail, she had thrown off her cloak! It would have ham, pered him enormously. He remembered that he had felt angry when he saw her do it, because he did not like the tipsy sailors to have a chance to look upon her loveliness so close.
 Her dress was thin and light. Fortunate, that! And fortunate, too that it had been so hot night as to induce him to lay aside his own coat and collar.
 But mans strength won't last forever.
 Ho cho h.c and more swan with one arm.