Evening star., 1928-03-04


jed had no reason To think she was il
any way in love with him. or even
really interested in him.
Did jed hope by the trick he playea
on Capt Dave to swing Svlvias favor
from tho captain to himself' That
seems hardly likely. In fact. jed dldn
think the th.nS cut or plan 1t at all II
wasn't in his nature. He simnsy
snstched suddenly offered chance to
maSe Capt. Dave ridiculous.
The Maritora had finished toaa!n"
At the Missahe Deck aud Was read for
quick set-away. BIT. lust nS Capt
J.sperson WIS leaving the COMPANY
ofices on Superior stree: - hustle To
his ship. he got telephone rHeS>aSt
that his chief engineer. Charley Gram
Call, couldn't crawl out o. bed. Gram
taM had becn SroaHins With sciatlca
ell the WY up the laSos. He in't
Jesp.rson tina; his ismil" doctor end
DAYS rest in bed would s.: him ".
BIT it hadn't.
on. hang IT, l.ic%," exclaimed
G-oye. Caicutt, II. v:c- prs den,.
",ye Il probably h>vc h~c'S Of tim"
n cSiaS up anot!le" eaciH~.: hcre ~
i,iluth today Who's %o.i: >cco1a eng
n..r, Cep?"
Jed St-~k."
rs he cspsh,, Q: handing IA, en-
sir.s?"
"All vish', its Uo 10 yo1. Mayo,
you can PIC; up en- engineer III Buffalo.
c;o 10 IL. want YOU tn squeeze N
three trips OH wheat e-fove th2 ict
comes"
"Yol h.t I want to"
Can't. Da-e took a taxi to the doc,
Tn. minute he resched his cabin. n"
telephcned aft 10 the engine room Tor
JED Stark.
led, slim and DARK. his hands smearc*
With sreese his black hair Siistenins
In the soft October light that wavered
across the herbor. hurried forward
along the deck.
Cart, Dave. big man. with round.
smooth fsce ana pale blue eyes. was
stri6irs up and down ll.5 sitting rooni.
chewing ragged cigar.
.'Th. chiefs laid up" he announced.
sCan you handle the cnSnce. Jeo?
"Ycs. sir"
"Cslcutt put it up to m whether I'd
sr7,ss you with the responsibility. sup
DOS. the COATS all right. The chief said
We had plenty 10 reach the 500.
Just then Sylvia Jespcrson. in nuf1y
blue chiffon. appeared in the doocway
Of the captains caoin. Jed didn't Enos
81. was aboard. He had seen her so
ashore with the captain when the Mari
tore docked. the day before. and she
might have stayed ashore with her
mother. who lived here in Duluth.
why. hello, Mt Stark" she chat
tered.
"How-do," jed srowled.
THE chief said there was plenty coal
% reach the 500" Jesperson persisted.
The devil Of jealousy leapcd up IN
Jed and almost choked him. He hcsi-
tated, then said slowly:
Yes. SIR
I, was a lie. Jed knew there wasn';
enough coal to reach the 500, Charley
Crsndall's one weakness was an opii-
mism about coal He always imagined
that he burned less than he did and
hac more in the bunkers than he had.
I'm mighty glad We got enough.
Cap. Dave exclaimed. IF We hadn't
we'd have 10 wait over here till day
After tomorrow. Neither Berwind nor
Hanna nor Pittsburgh has got ton.
and they won't have till the Sturdevant
Gets in on Thursday. All right. let's
&C."
Jed turned. with a fash of glance
at Sylvia. strode out Of the cabin. ran
down the ladder and aft TO his engines.
Coming up, Sylvy?"
Capt. Dave climbed the steps to the
window and bawied to the first mate 10
CAS-. OF the lines. then rang haif-speed
astern. The long. lean Maritora quiv-
cred. then moved slowly out from the
shadow of the great ore dock.
A soft blue haze lay on the bluffs
teat lowered behind Duluth.
.S"--6y! Keep her on the buoyl"
Th- aeeisman spun his wheel. the
ka-itcfa slided on at half-specd
through the Duluth-Superior bridge,
then swerved TO port. Ahead lay the
long. long sendbar that divides Duluth
Harbo- from open lake. In the sand
bar appeared marrow gap-the ship
channel
Pull speed ahead" Capt. Dave tele-
graphed.
The M2ritora shot through the gap
Why. Dave" exclaimed Sylvia. star
tns out over the great blue lake, LOOK
how fat 1t is! Not even the teeniest
Wsyes."
But II looks as II we might have
some wind" Capt. Dave said slowly,
just as Sim Richards, the first mate.
entered the pilot house. Think so,
SIM"
Richards. desiccated and so. a man
With masters papers who had never
had ship. gszed souriy ahead.
IT'S good thing We got enough coal
. reach IN. Soo." said tn. captain.
YES, sir.
Coming 70 dinner. sylyy?"
Yea. Dave"
SYLVIA ran down into the csbi,..
powdered her nose. fu!ed her bob up
above her ears a little more bewitGh-
insly, and pranced On her high heels
down the long narrow lane Of deck
between the matches and the rail
Cant. Dave walked heavily behind her
In the dining room. Gustaysen, the
second mate, hunched over his plate,
sronine sn apple dumping. The other
chairs were empty.
'm sla6 We got enough cosl 10
reach the Foo" Capt. Dave said as
he and sylvia sat down Wen pick
up enough In the river 70 take Ills 10
ElNs!o and scoot right On Syiyy,
believe. IL can make three more trips
before navigation closes III beat out
Stewart for the bonus"
Sylvia was not listening. She was
looking across the table nj Jed stArk's
empty chair and wondering why he
vas not here 70 worship her through
his brooding black eyes.
Down In the engine room Jed paced
bark and forth In front Of his throttle
Just when would he 90 up forward
and announce that CraDdaii had been
wrong there wasn't enough coal
" reach the S1o? Well he'd wsit Lii
nisht--tiu the Kaii.ora was well past
Denls isIano The Gap would haze u,
wireless for q tug 10 come out and Tow
him In. or else signal some uptound
weasel 10 give him . Tow.
What d laugh would roll up snd
down IN. lakes Everybody knew that
Capt Dave yss racing 10 win the bonus
offered D, tllt captain Of The vessel that
earned the biggest pfofit for the SEA
Aen on the Great L&kek Navigation
L3gs And now. stuck out In open lake.
with no coal. toHed in. Two days lost.
yns yhe three that would queer him