Evening star., 1936-01-03


49, staggered under hel
Of the companion she paused, said
uncertainty:
GOOD night"
"Oh. I'll see you before morning,
he assured her, and she nodded in
the darkness and went below. She
chose the bunk on the lee side. so
that there might be no danger of
rolling out, and only loosening her
clothes, lay down, slept almost in
stantly
Some time in the night she reused
to a long call from him that came
mufied down through the cabin, and
she made haste on deck.
Sorry to wake you" he said. But
we've a fair course now for hours.
Think you can take her, while I
get 40 winks?"
I'll try" Kay promised.
"Got plenty of clothes on?" he
asked. You'll want to keep warm!"
"oh. yes"
He yielded her the wheel. See
that light, way ahead?" he asked;
and she said she did Keep it on
your left" he directed. When you
pass tit will take you better than
two hours-wake me up Or if any,
thing happens. of course, you wake
me anyway Or If you get sleepy"
"Will you hear?" she asked, her
voice shaking in spite of herself.
I'm not very sure of myself at
this, yeti"
"oh. I'm going to sleep right here"
he explained. You can kick me
awake any time" He fetched an
other blanket and a pillow from be-
cockpit at her feet.
Aren't you cramped?" she pro-
tested I'll try not to need you. You
can 60 down and really sleep"
But he assured her he was COM
Portable, and presently she heard
his regular breathing. She sat with
wide eyes staring into the darkness
and the loneliness of the night and
of the sea, and her hands shook
as though with the palsy, and the
light far ahead on the water seemed
TO dance from side to side as though
It sought to escape her She tugged
at the wheel, this way and that, and
the Lark staggered under her un-
skilled handling, and once Bob woke
and asked:
"All right, are you?"
"Of course" she said, breathlessly
reassuring him. Go back to sleep!"
The compass was meaningless to
her. She stared down into its face
uncomprehendingly returning always
to the light which was her beacon.
far ahead. They seemed to come no
nearer It. and she wondered what
time it was and did not know, and
she became obsessed with the GER
tainty that the Lark was in fact held
motionless in the midst of a roaring
torrent which surged and tumbled
and Missed and rushed past them as
though on business of its own, and
made mock threatening gestures with
the white caps of rollers that came
charging toward them and vanished
into blackneSs in the moment before
they would have struck home. Her
eyes burned from staring, and the
wind made her weep, and the light
was Wiil-o -the-wisp on the face
of the waters. Time stood still, till
at last Bob woke and sat up to look
around. And he yawned and
stretched his arms.
We'll, I'll take it now" he said.
"Tired?"
Exhausted" she confessed. And
scared! Terrified"
He nodded, said gently: You're
q great kid! Now you tuck in. I'll
be all right till daylight. Nights
are short, this time of year.
"1t's so shut in, down there" she
said family. Cant stay up here?"
Don't be afraid, Kay" he told
her, gravely. II won't let anything
happen to you"
So she nodded and went below,
and sleep laid healing fingers upon
her weary eyes.
When she woke, long afterward,
she saw nothing familiar. She lay
in a narrow trough of bed which
was family moving. Then she re-
i1embered where she was, and real
i7ed that sun shone through the sky
light and she sat up quickly. A
moment later. still diSheveled, she
came into the cabin. There was a
soled frying pan on the stove.
used plate beside it. Bob must have
breakfasted, but he was not here.
In q sudden panic lest he had left
her alone, she climbed the companion
ladder and saw him, or saw rather
a mound of blankets atop a mattress
on the deck aft of the cockpit. Bob
must be sleeping there.
! He did not move, and she looked
eround. They lay at anchor in shell
tered waters, and there was an island
close at hand, and others further of.
and the land yonder might be main.
The water alongside invited her, and
she clumsily lowered the boarding
ladder land climbed down till she
cpuld feel the temperature. Cold, but
not too cold. She had forgotten to
hiy o bathing suit, but--Bob was