Evening star., 1926-12-28

" HE man in uniform was youns
and boyish. but his eyes were
blazing with enthusiasm.
Il Maybe you don't know it. >
he said, but you've seer
something in the line of seamanshir
you're never likely to see again, even
If you sail for the rest of your lives
The old man pulled off trick. He
was half helpless with one screw gone
Now he's got a sea anchor. and the
rest of ii is easy. When this thing
blows itself out there won't be any,
thing TO it,
But the men on that ship" per
sisted Sidney.
The men on that ship pulled us
out of a bad hole" said the young
officer. "And we're going to do as
much for them. We might have gone
through the way we were, but it didn't
look particularly good. When you
get into a mess like this you need all
the engine power you've got.
ut looked bad when we were drift.
Ing down on that old bark 1t was
touch and go whether we'd be able
TO miss it. You saw the old man
shoot line, and perhaps you thought
we were trying to save the fellows
aboard of her. Not on your life! We
course. they didn't know that. But
the old man did"
The young officer paused to wipe
the perspiration from his face
1T was a sort of $3.50 business, /"
he explained. Wed never have been
able to get her for a sea anchor if
there hadn't been somebody aboard to
handle line. The fact that there
was somebody on her made it worth
the chance. We'd have tried to edge
out of the track sooner If it hadn't
been for that. But the old man figured
close. He took q chance, but he fig.
ured that he was giving his passen.
gers the best of it in the long run.
Ordinarily he'll go as far as anybody
In trying TO help a shipwrecked crew,
put his passengers always come first.
AS soon as he saw there was some.
body aboard that bark he decided to
make use Of them if he could. And he
knew might we'll they'd be willing to
help. The old man always carries a
surf-gun aboard, it's one of his per.
Sonal hobbies. He's q good shot with
II, too, II the newspapers get hold
or this. they'll make him famous. So
far as I know, this is the only time
IN history that a disabled ship picked
up a. wreck and used it for a sea an
chor. I guess that's going somev'
Sidney murmured her admiration.
she did not understand the seaman.
ship OF 1t, but she knew that Can't.
dinary.
And after the storm is over?" she
asked.
oh, Wen cut It loose then. Wen
nave her folks off by that time.
They're at it now, in fact"
The officer made his way forward
again, and Sidney and Trask followed
MIN. eager to see what the astute and
oisagreeable master of the Gulf
stream was doing for the human occu.
pants OF his sea anchor
They found that still another line
mad been sent into the face of the gale
ana that 1t had gone true, as all the
others. Blodgett had aimed the gun
nlnsen. His own ship was safe; SO
long as the hawsers held hey was will
Ing to turn a hand to the rescue of
the helpless creatures on the hulk
that lay to windward.
A struggling crew on the forward
deck dragged out a breeches buoy and
mounted it on the slender line. 1t
seemed small and puny in the face of
the gale, yet Capt Blodgett clearly
had faith in it. With a pull that came
from somewhere out in the mist the
buoy disappeared over the bow.
Minutes elapsed before the passen.
gers on the Gulf Stream saw 1t again.
Tor a fresh cloud of rain descended,
plotting out every glimpse of the dere.
net. 1t was close aboard, rising out
or the crest of a sea, when thev sight.
ed it. An instant later the buoy came
IN over the rail and was seized bv a
Knot of deckhands who awaited If
Two men We're lifted out. One of
them was able to walk, but the other
was a limp figure. He was carried
into the cabin, followed by his fellow
voyager. The buoy went out into
the storm again.
Three trips it made, and three times
It came back to the Gulf Stream
freighted with miserable and exhaust.
ed creatures. The captain of the dere.
Iict climbed out heavily upon the deck.
last Of an the survivors, saIuted me-
chanically and collapsed loosely as he
did so.
British bark" said the Young off.
Ger, as Trask sought him out in the
cabin. ''The first blow took the sticks
out of her. But they're not in bad
shape. 1t isn't cold. and they've only
been in the rigging about six hours.
Lucky guys, I call them''
He went off, whistling, balancing
himself skillfully on the plunging plat
form underneath his feet
T'rask and the girl looked at each
other. Her eyes were shining with ex-
element
II think I'm beginning to love Can't
Blodgett. she exclaimed. He's won.
derful"'
Trask nodded
"IOnipry two things ut C,ca el,o
on. Saving us and then saving them
And none of us really understood until
II was all over. Can you imagine any.
thing more magnificent than that?"
Suddenly Trask smiled. and a whim
Steal look came into his eyes
Work aboard for the lady in the
first cabin" he said "A shipwrecked
sailor is as good as war hero, any
day"
II don't like you for that, Billy
frowned Sidney. I'm sure she has a
very fine ideal"
"I wasn't criticizing her ideal" said
Trask. "Only there's such a thing as
being smothered in sympathy"
Sidney bit her lip and looked away
Then. as the ship lurched upwa rd
violently. Trask was flung backward
into an embrace that well-nigh
crushed his ribs. He managed tC
squirm of 1t as he regained his
feet and turned to confront Keeler.
Mr.. Trask''
Hello, Keeler. You almost broke
me in two, confound you. Where have
you been?"
Looking for you, sir.''
There were anxious burrows in the
face of the Tennessee Tornado, bu
they slowly smoothed out into lool
Of intense relief and satisfaction as III
beheld his charge intact,
1--WE had terrible night and morn
ing, sir" said Keeler, reproachfufly.
"You might have known that / was
all right