Evening star., 1938-03-06
Moreh 8, 1888

Ao,eh 6. 1888
girl had seen him straddling the rail, had
asked if he weren't afraid of falling over; she
might remember and tell someone. There
might be a swell outside, enough to have
tipped him off.
I'VE don't know anything about it, the
girl persisted. Its people who see dreams
begin to come true and then have 'em yanked
away forever - they know about it"
That happened to your sister,"
YES" she said. Then, Il didn't say good
night to you down there, and l was sorry.
Good night"
He felt rather than saw that she was hold
ing out her hand again. He found it, pressed
it, and said, Good night. 1t was very courte-
Gus of you to come up"
Its you who've been courteous" she said,
still oddly as if it might be something she'd
been told to say. As she moved away, Give
followed and held the door of the companion
way open for her. Good night, he said.
She had story, no doubt. Everybody had
a story. And what difference did it finally
make? He went back to his place at the rail
and straddled it, leaning against the stan
chion He drew out cigarette and struck
light. With the cool touch of the fog on his
face, he found himself examining again the
girls quick smile of tenderness for the little
boy down below. 1t had been very radiant
thing to see; but - wildly, beautifully as it
stood in his vision - it was in the past al
ready, with a lot of other special things that
weren't any use to him any longer.
A subtle excitement crept into the fog now.
There was monotonous lament shifting
somewhere off to starboard, and deeper,
sterner voice sometimes interrupting it, i'm
patiently seeking an answer that wasn't
properly given; and periodically the whistle
up overhead tried to shatter the thick shroud
through which the ship moved. There was an
increase in the rise and fall of the deck. and an
increased BUSINESS of slapping water forward
- the sea swell making chop against the
tide. The foghorn to starboard would be the
one on the Hook. The more imperious voice
of the other steamer swelled each time, now
from this direction, now from that, livening
the mystery of the gray blindness all round.
Just out of vision a bell buoy slid astern with
its mounful, irregular clangor.
Then, the air suddenly shivered to a fat,
arrogant blast, like that of some giant blowing
huge note on rubber band. Immediately
there was the clank of the engine-room tele
graph somewhere below, the whistle threw out
its less assured challenge, and the ship lost
way to listen.
Give found himself off the rail on his feet,
eagerly expectant, as if he were part of an
unprecedented game And when that high,
blatting vibration ripped through the heavy
air again, he was watching the exact place
where the fog slipped aside from the great
steel PROV bearing down on them. The deck
jumped and heaved under his feet at the i'm
pact, with brief chaotic crumpling, twisting,
swapping of solid structure
He didn't wait to see whether the liner
kept her nose to the cash. He was down the
companionway before the first people had
well started up it. And he met the girl at the
cabin doorway. She wasn't surprised to see
him, nor afraid. Behind the dark reproof of
her eyes there was only alert determination
to do at once whatever there was to do.
We've been badly hit" Give said "Shall
carry your sister. or Can she manager"
She'll manage"
Then you take the baby. III carry the
boy"