The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1924-07-11
Released by NEA Service, lnc
lSht 1923 bY Little. Blown 81 Co

also kept him personally wei,
groomed Ills beard however would
have been decidedly brown, his
shock u curly hair was light brown,
'All right. Captain Jim pro.
nouuesd az last Go out and help
Ma chris an sou can"
Tho Remittance Man turned IN
obedience. and the tlltiug, wave
washed deck brought him 90 so.
hricty quickly The danger, the
uight and the stars. most Of all tho
eternity OF piuuging waves on which
the ship was borne Weakened an odd,
dark mood, stranger 10 him In all the
reckless. happy years OF HIS youth.
some way hc saw this North u his
In a new light. Fer the first time
since he had come here. he was sober
enough 10 catch tho real tone. Go feel
the spirit 81 these dssoluto seas and
the teric. savage. ToCkbound shores
they washed lie had never thought
about them m particular before. lie
had simply lived IN nightmare
world u drink, and all tho stern
magic ~ this land had passed him
hy. hut he was receptive 20 Il TO,
night
II was such "A mood as could easily
hurl him into tragic regrets n he
had let himself Eo-if he had not
long ago forsworn al regrets In
the first place there WAS no par.
ticular act Of hlH-not even tho tragic
outcome OF the launch ride on the
savannah riyeT-to which he could
directly attribute his downfall: u
had really been combination Of cir.
cumstanccs. many Of which had been
beyond his direct control.
lie had been weak. true enough
drinking rather too much than was
good FOR him. but no moro than other
men Of his class. and not one.tcnih
as hard as he was drinking now IN
forgetfulness. lie had been Jealous
with little cause but this was also
a human trait II was simply that
for all his suspicious beginning, hts
carcfree youth and the wonder Of
those first lncffsble months with
Dorothy--the cards of fate had been
stacked against him. So q was
neither wise nor fitting that he
should yield himself 10 regret. There
was no usN Of fighting when there
was nothing to win. lie could never
go home. lie must always bc n "a.
gitlvc from the world u men. lie
must stay here TIL be died
II seemed 10 him now that this
ultimate end was nearer than he had
ever dreamed There was n strange
sense OF flnality about this voyage.
The wind was like whiplash out
Of tho northwest, singing his eye,
lids. butteting him as he braced him
self on the fitting deck. seeking
every little entrance thru sleeve aud
collar into his vitAlE In the loucli
ness Of his mood Il did not occur 10
him at once that his fellow watch.
man might be- likewise suffering
lie only knew the truth when Big
Chris paused beside him, curslng.
God Vikh l had my coat" he
said. Like dam fool lief II IN dat
natives shack"
THO Remittance Man Fazed az him
In quick amazement. u was true.
Chris heavy mRckinnw shirt nione
saved him from the lash Of the cold
Good Lord, wish you'd take
mine" the Remittance Man mn.
swercd promptly "rm sweating
like q horse
He saw tho look Of incrrdulous
amazement IN Larsons face. "Yas.
you arc" he began in derision.
Il am not fooling, ! guess It's the
liquor besides, I've got carl.
bou shirt underneath" Ho quickly
thrcw Off his heavy seamar'a coat
and held IL out. Wear Il a while.
anyhow we're about tho same build
and X win III you 10 a r. I'll boiler
for Il back as soon as feel chilly "
Big Chris muttered, but slipped the
garment on. lie could not doubt
those ringing words: otherwise wild
horses could not have forced the coat
across his brawny shoulders. Pres.
entity lie turned away, leaving this
man OF cities almost unprotected in
the blast OF the wind.
Why he had acted as he did. he
could not have told you. The dying
liquor had chilled him, rather than
warmed him. nor was there any shirt
OF colddsfying caribou hide under his
outer garment OF heavy flannel
/ He could not exist long In such
cold as this. The frost seemed TO
penetrate his yitals. The dawn was
breaking over the sea. incredible al.
ter this night OF storm and darkness.
but it brought no mercy from the
cold Either nc must leave his watch
and seek shelter below. or else perish
on the deck.
He turned ct last. toward tho pilot
house, but 1t was the strangcst thing
I in all his strange life that lie had IT..
I Ito desire to go. II was not that he
/ was vitality needed on the deck Ra.
I ihcr, IL was an outgrowth of the
nights dark mood. he had seen the
/ end toward which he was drifting all
/ too plain. At least there would be
some semblance Of decency in such a
death--to be stricken lifcless by the
cold in his keeping OF his watch.
But the Remittance Man never
reached the pilot house door. There
was one strange, bewiIdering, blind.
ing instant OF incredible stress. a
quick. cracking. explosive sound that
hardly had time TO reach his eur
drums, and the swift realization, like
a rockets flare, Of irrevocable dis.
aster. The ship reeled, rent, the
cruel crags ripped. caught. hurled IL
over; and the dark waves. foam,
crested, reared. plunged. and smoth.
cred II In an instant. The mans