Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-11

ped timidly on the door of
the cabin. what" said the
boy when he had been bias
phemously commanded to
enter, "what did you say the name OF
the lady was? Her cabins ready, sir"
The master of the Confederate States
of Americas blockade runner Advance
said that he did not know the name OF
the lady. that he did not give damn
about the name of the lady-and did
she expect them to lie there at the dock
waiting for her until worms gnawed
the bottom out Of the Advance and the
entire Federal fleet assembled at the
Cape Fear bar to shoot the daylights
out of what the worms left?
The bow withdrew hurriedly, not
knowing the answer to any OF these
things nor having leisure for more than
fieeting wonder about them. All that he
knew about it was that an important
looking gentleman who knew the gov
ernor or somebody had been aboard
during the afternoon to make arrange
ments for the transportation Of lady
through the blockade and that he had
been directed to make ready a cabin
for her. Then there was another gen.
tleman, a Mr.. Hill, who was going to
London on some mission for the Con-
federacy, and a cabin must be made
ready for him.
Not without some reason did the
master of the Advance abandon him
self to truculent meditation upon the
deplorable womanliness Of women. Even
now she was probably powdering her
nose or engaged in some kindred ritual
common to all women about to embark
upon journeys, wholly unmindful Of the
fact that within three hours she might
be blown to kingdom come by a pack
of gunboatS standing just out Of range
of the guns at Fort Fisher.
r TNDER the decks of the Advance
were 1000 bales of cotton con-
signed to the spinners Of Manchester
and worth vast lot Of money If he
could get the ship through the blockade.
The night was favorable. There was
no moon and fog held low over the
water. smart breeze was blowing
to fill the sails of the Advance once she
was across the bar and on the course
toward Nassau. BY now he should be
cast off and ready for the turning Of
the tide to carry him down the river
toward the bar. :. Already he would
have been standing out in midchannel
but for the delay about this woman who
had influential friends who knew Gov.
Vance of North Carolina.
The slow clop of hoofs and the creak-
ing of INCREASED carriage wheels on the
pier broke in upon the masters reflec-
tions. He strobe out, glanced briefly
over the rail to make sure that the
woman and her companion were arriv-
ing, and beloved preliminary orders for
casting of. From the pier dim lights
reached feebly after the Advance as
she slid away into the dark. Paddle
wheels churned the brown river; sailors
Skinned up into the rigging to spread
sails for winds beneficently provided
for them. The master, standing beside t
pilot at the wheel, peered into the bla
where there was nothing to see. Asst,
lights of Wilmington retreated into moth
light bulged against the sky and
came the surging duh roar of cannon
Fisher was wasting more powder on ar
dent gunboat that rolled with the swell
the pounding surf. On the crest of the til
the Advance slid across the bar The
elbowed the river pilot from the VIII,
swung the ship smartly into the So
Eastward ring of lights disclosed the
feet concentrated against the last S,
port of the Confederacy.
A mile away the gunboat turned ba
against it the guns Of the fort beloved.
blast of light flashed across the fog-sl
water to be caught feetingly by the
sails of the blockade runner. Almost II
the entire Federal feet opened with ev'
in its armament trained toward the
Advance. The end Of a yard-arm splash
the sea and the master swore prod
against the Yankees and against hi.
patriots whose firing from the fort ha,
an illumined target of his ship.
Shifting his course slightly landwa
master leaned grimly over the wheel
race with destruction was begun. The
no orders to be given. Already every o
steam was in her boilers and every
canvas on her masts was straining
The Advance could only outrun them.