The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-02-11
By RACHEL MACK


of Polly.
CHAPTER X
When Jerry Whitfield opened
his eyes he was not conscious OF
himself as a person but only rs 8
cramped body and bruised head
that ached intolerably. he was
those things, and those things
were himself. He lifted his arm
in the darkness. His hand toucheo
a planked ceiling. Under nm WaS
flooring, equally hard ana
strangely Shiny with mud. he
was aware next Of a Swaylng mo-
ton and the continuous slap OF
water against wood. Inc ooo'
was dank and oppressive ..
ship" nc said to himself
oloud but duly and without sur
nrise. ships hold"
II was only when ne became
aware of himself as a person&.I!itE
that surprise gripped him. This
was Jerry Whitfield that ached
sorcly an dlay in the darkness OF
n ships hold. Where ought
Jerry Whitfield TO be? What
ought he be doing?
Unicorn and Crown, ne
groaned aloud. And then, Polly
Polly ChelSey-'
He arose to his knees and be-
gan 20 pound the plankS above
him savagely and frantlcal!y.
A voice somewhere near in the
blackness said. "Stop it, you fool.
Don't scratch His Majesty's pretty
sloop." The voice had q Yankee
drawl, but cityfied. II was mt
terly humorous and very weary
"Who are you?' Jerry asked.
Where are we?
"Pm Cabell Banks from Boston.
Continent of America. We're de-
finitely below decks on brig
sloop named the Sunrise. British
ship, mean-or have you caught
on?"
"God help me- jerry muttered.
81 doubt if He does for whlie
vet. Lie down and think things
over. You've got plenty OF time
Jerrv Law down, heavily. To.
ease his throbbing head he put
his right arm beneath II. IF you
know how | got here, ne NUT
tered impatiently at his unseen
companion, then tell me ana
have done"
"You came rolled in a blanket,
retorted Cabell Banks. Very
coy. A couple of presSmen
brought you on board an hour
ago, and. four marines slowed you
down here. II happened after my
bedtime, you might say. I'm not
allowed on deck after shutdown,
so | didn't see what happened;
But I've got ears. | gathered
YOU were a choice deserter and
had been picked up in a London
street fight -,
There was a long silence filled
with labored thinking. Then Jer-
rvs voice, heavy with the dialect
of an outraged Yankee: DE
serter! Fight. There was not
even a fight. / was hit on the
head from behind and went out
like a candle. I'd walked into
dark side street, like a fool, TO
help a woman"
"Ah, my unseen friend, my fell
low cOuntryman. how naive"
"If that's a French word" Jer-
ny complained, don't use it. Pm
as good a sailor as ever hauled
rope or Steered q course, but I'm
not educated. 1t appears you
are"
"Yes and no." said Cabell
Banks, and he could be heard
shifting his position in tn edark-
ness. al studied the classics at
Harvard. Also the French IAN
guage, mathematics, and aStron-
oniy. But I'd not learned how to
shave with a razor or how to
relish wormy ship biscuits. No,
nor how to sleep without a mat
tress. 1t appears that while Brit
ain rules the seas, every young
man about to take voyage
should master these subjects"
"You talk like a drunk man."
Jerry stated.
"I'm not drunk, but lOw-spirit-
ed and glad to have an audience.
I've had two days of my own
company. if | calculate right"
"How did you get here?"
z
81 was on the Hardy, a small
merchantmen out of Boston that
had just cleared OStend. On the
day news of the war reached the
North Sea, an English ship-of-the-
line came dow non us from one
direction and this brig sloop Sun
rise from another. The ship-of-
the-line-I learned afterward she