Evening star., 1925-06-21
Bound for (; g.,i Rio 2;is;, Grande


ling sea climbed over the six foot bul,
/ warks and filled her decks.
/ Bills Eurted DaL!, now, sir -
screamed Pegwell, shivering in the
grip of cold and numb agony Bill
was the bosun. He hung twisted and
pallad between the two men who lift
ed him. They bore him forward.
Chips stood across the sill of the
smashed door of the tiny cabin they
shared.
This amt no place for hurted
mani Chips grumbled. Tell tn Old
| Man he ought t. be took care of aft
They told the skipper.
| No room aft, the skipper howled
at them. Put him in the foreeastle
| ii it's any drier.'
They bore the man below Instinc-
| lively they laid him in old Pegwell s
bunk, for il was driest. All were wet.
! PegwelIs at least boasted wooden GOV.
erings.
Pegwell himself covered the silent
| form with blanket. He needed no
! hint to cover the pallid face. too. He
made no protest when a sailor gently
! pulled another blanket from under
| the bosun.
| Jacks cruel cold. mate" said the
sailor. He wrapped Jack, another
storm victim, in the blanket with
rouShened hands that trembled.
Overhead the seas thundered on
deck. The Stella fought her stubborn
! way against the gale under three
! lower topSailS. reefed upper main top
sail, and treble reefed foresail with a
ribbon of fore topmast staysail.
| The gale died out. A fair wind
! came. The ship sped north again,
scared but sound, clothed in new
! canvas. triumphant. They buried
! Bill and Jack in Peswell's bedding.
| BY this time Pegwell had little left
| of his grand outfit. AS the rags of
his mates gave out, he Srumblingly
gave of his store. Grumbled and
gave. That was Pegwell. But he
never let go of that little blue cloth
needle case inscribed, Larry, from
| Mary" Slyly he had picked at the
! stitches until the word Larry was
! becoming indistinguishab BILE. When a
| few more threads fell out he could
show his treasure TO incredulous
sailornen. and they would never know
that the obliterated name was not his
own.
THE crew scuttled from the Stella
like rats when she docked. Only
| Pegwell hung on. Alone OF the out
ward bound crew before the mast, he
! stubbornly resisted all the efforts OF
the mates to get him out. They
could ship a new crew homeward at
| half the wages paid outward. None
! of the deserters waited for their
| wages Their forfeited pay was so
much profit to the ship. But Pegwell IL
refused TO be driven out. Cheerless
and bare his bunk might be. 1t was.
! There was always the little blue fold
| ed housewife to remind him that he
had shore job once, over against a
| snug little store. And the ambition
! that had famed then still burned.
| As for quitting the ship. PeGwell
| had wages due. Not "A lot, but wages
| still. If he completed the voyage
/ drawing no advance whatever, buying
nothing from the sloop chest, he would
| have coming to him nice little nesr
egg which might hatch into d home
| at last.
| Homeward bound round the Horn
| Peswell showed his little blue house
| wife to the new hands. They We're a
! hard lot They made ribald fun about
! it. They stole his poor bedding. and
dared him 10 identify II. He endured.
! They stole his sea boots. PeSwell en-
! dured that. too. But somebody stole
his little blue housewife, worked in
silk. -; from Mary" and there
was a fight.
/ 1t was a young weasel of a wastrel
! who tried TO prevent Pegwell from
! taking back his treasure. But the old
! seaman fought on sure feet on a reel
| ing deck: fought with righteous fury
swelling his breast: fought without
| feeling the brutal knee or the gouging
! thumb. And he beat his man, recov-
cred his treasure, and earned much
| freedom from molestation.
In the bleak, soul searching gales
/ off Cape Stiff, Pegwell suffered in
| tenSely. He shivered and froze in si-
| lence.
| The old sailor had always his little
| blue cloth treasure. He whispered
his troubles to it as he shivered in his
wet bed-it was the one comfort no.
! body could take from him. He might
! shake with cold and wet all through
| 4 watch below, but there was ever be-
! fore him the vision OF that snug little
store. the pretty, laughing girl whose
! big brown eyes yet held trace of
/ trouble. Somehow he grew to fasten
| the responsibility for that trouble on
| Larry. And. once established, his own
| grievance against the man smoldered
| 1iercer.
| When the tall clipper furled her
sails in her home port again. Peg
wells bitterness against Larry Bland
| had intensified to such a degree aS to
surprise the old chap himself.
| The rest of the fo'maSt hands had
| drawn something on account of wages
and gone ashore to spend that and
| mortgage the balance due. But not
| old Pegwell. He would carry ashore
every dollar coming to him from the
voyage he ought never to have made.
| He would buy a suit of clothes and
stout shoes that would last, put the
| rest of his money in safe hands. then
! look for Larry.
"Itll he him and me fer it, he
muttered.
THE ship paid off. In an hour Peg
l. well entered the little store. and
,, in 10 seconds more a Cape Horn voy
age in a cardcase packet was a van
, ished horror. The big brown eyes of
Mary Bland glistened with welcome.
Il am SO glad to see you again,
Pegwell.' she cried. 1T was so good
of you to change places with Larry.
| hope YOU had a good voyage. Won't
You come inside?''
Pegwell grinned sourly. He had
meant 10 say something about that
change of jobs. Instead. with warmth
seeping through his bones clear to his
heart. mellowing it again. he forgot
Larry and smoked himself into rosy
visions under the musical spell of
her voice.
In an hour they were as intimate AS
before the Stella went out. Mary had
told him, shyly, that Jack wanted a
speedy wedding: she had barely hint
ed that brother Larry was stumbling
block, Immediately suppressing the
hint. She had offered to work Peg
wells name into the little blue house