The evening world. Newspaper, March 11, 1915, Page 19

oer—how th A Treasure-Ship Romance By RANDALL PARRISH . Author of “THE RED MIST,” Bio * CHAPTER VIII. (Coatinved.) In Which We Lay the Ghost. SAT up, my forehead beaded with perspiration, I was not personally afraid; our aituation did not truly ter- tify me, I possessed all a sallor’s confidence in the fortunes of the sea. I believed I could press the Yaoht into the very mauth of that icy hell and bring her safely forth again. Yet all at once—God only knows how or why—I recognized something else, something more important—I loved Lady Darlington. Perhaps this was ‘true long before, yet it was only then that it came to me in Its full reve! tion, She was the wife of another, trusting me implicitly as a sallorand gentloman, yet I loved her with all my heart and soul. Was I, in any way, worthy? Was I not, even then, be: traying her confidence, both as sailor and a gentleman? Was I not unnecessarily imperilling her life and honor by thus madly holding on By heaven! for her sake, if for no other reason, I would play the man! Aye, and I comprehended exactly what such resolve would cost—realized fully wi that mongrel crew would way Vand do the moment their ghostly terrors fied, thould have to command ree, by threat and yer. ‘would be mutiny, aboard for every league until we made port. I knew the nature of that sea-scum forward ey would whine aad curse, how they would hate for failing course in face ‘ell, let them hate; my love was worth by far the more, and the life and honor of Lady Darlington out- weighed all else on board—aye, and the treasure of the Donna Isabel! “Implicitly”—I iF eyes again as she said it, and spra: to the deck, fumbling in the darkness for the latch of my door. The main cabin was dimly lighted and chill, the fire in the stove low. I wed to rattle it, id add a few lumps of coal from the scuttle stand- ing near by. ' In spite of surrounding comforts what a grim, inhospitable ae thia was for any woman like her. bably there was not a ship within a thousand miles of us; nothing but bound ocean, gray, pitileas, som- bre, swept by the wintry wind, lashed by snow and sleet, a wide, desolate expanse, typica! only of death, de- struction, and inexpressible crueity. It ‘made me shiver, as I brought to mind that ecene of the Antartic loneliness ‘visible from the deck above. The Vaid anus ‘of the cabin served only to jze the gloom and peril with- oun ¢ bend Wt sobadel polar, myatery which ‘us, which drives men mad ‘mia ‘its awful distances, its shrouded @ilence. The telltale compass in the deck beam overhead told me that our course was still to south of southeast, and I buttoned my pea-jacket, wind- the muffler eboitt my throat, and wing my cap lo Sacaealy, directly" opposite where I stood, again—that same fhapeions, whi » atftee figu An nly ood rooted to the spot, no blood Tike ice, my eyes full of horror. Then the awift reaction came, Be reserve courage of & man ashamed ch weakness, and I leaped Te ht toward the misty object, grappling at it with my hands, I touched nothing but air, falling prs long with a violence jarring the tire cabin, and overthrow! greshing to the deck. fused, uick step backward, grasp- ing at the table, as I syeogahind Lady Darlington. “Goo i Good! was that yout u rod “I hardly know,” and I looked into her fac separate the real I am half afraid I am losing my mind. not only ¢ that epirit I told you about seeing a white, misty figure in this cabin the 2 eet after Tuttle died. It vanished wreath of ecaohe and daylight ** believe jen was born of @ tired brain, ‘Bue T have seen it again now—yonder, as plainly as I can eee you. It was no dream, no imagination; yet when I sought to gtasp the thing, my fingers encount- ered nothing but air.” I saw ber hands tremble, her white face turned whither I pointed; but al had not beheld what I had, and her mind remained clear. it was it you saw?” “A shapeless wilt figure, misty, vanishing like # bul I stepped back “i ‘Sie spot beside ea ove. real realizing that she still clung y—why that !e a mirror you ~ are Teoking into! See! What is it ~~ reflected there? Turn until I locate the spot. Oh, I see now —the open pantry door, Mr, Stephens, |i there is where your ghost stood—it was a Ro shadow of a man reflected in we mirror.” req my revolver, turned the low once more in the main cabin, silentty into the nar- rd. T ‘The Chiltan lay in the nearest bunk. And, features being at peat, I recognised Sanches! kidnapped, might know something about the ghost scare, Ag I reached a. ladder foot, I heard a cry above me and some one led down the iad- der. Ags the descending man steo; to the floor beside me, I knocked down. In an instant I was on top, ng the canvas sheet he wore tightly about his arms, and throttling him against the deck. He groaned, and 1 peat to re- lease my grip on his throat, flinging back the canvas from his head. “sit up, McKnight,” I ordered. “De! you know me?” Yes, sir,” managing to find his voice for the first time. “You're Mr. Stephens.” “Right you are, and you can bless your lucky etars t Tam the one who caught you. What started you at this trick?" “It was the Chilian, sir, Sanchez: he said we could scare the whole outfit.” Did he do any of the ghost play- ing 'No, sir; he didn't have the nerve, but—but he rigged me up, and found out about these passageways.” “Now, see here, McKnight,” I said soberly, “you quit this thing for good and all; if there is any more ghost walking done on the Sea Queen I'll turn you and Sanchez over to the men. There are three reasons why I don't do #0 now—first, you're white, and probably a decent enough fellow under ordinary circumstances; sec: ond, I feel a certain sympathy with you, for I dislike this voyage about as badly as you do; and third, I need your service in the engine room, But don’t make the mistake of supposin; that any or all of these reasons wil’ ever save you the second time. Be- sides, there's no use resorting ie to that sort of trick, for we're al at the end of our cruisi CHAPTER IX. We Attain 66° 17’ South. HEN morning ved the ] Sea Queen was plunging through an angry sea, in the midst of a raging snow- storm which effectually concealed all our immediate sur- roundings. I called Sanchez away from the cook’s galley, much to the disgust of that latter worthy, and sent him be- low to relieve McKnight, confident that the Chilian would have, from his naval training, some considerable knowledge of the engine-room. Though thi low @ hunted look and started fearsomely when I spoke to him, he ere no sign of having recognized me, and may indeed have been too drunk the ‘night of his ad- venture at the hotel to recall my features. By noon next day an “observation” told me we had reached the spot we sought. I kept to the deck nearly all the forenoon, although De Nova served his watch on the bridge. During a part of the time Lady Darlington was with me, under the protection of the poopdeck, wrapped up until she was almost shapeless, yet with eyes glow- ing brightly and filled with interest, as, she gazed through the snow flurry. rt, De Nova,” I said rapidly, my gloved hand sweeping a semicircle in our front, “I have just taken an ob- servation, and this is latitude 66 de- grees 17 minutes south and longitude 110 degrees 30 minutes west. Send your satya eyed lookout to the yard with these glasses. we would, we saw among the icebergs no trace of land or of the treasure ship we sought. And, quelling an incipient mutiny bred of fierce disappointment, I pointed the ship northward. Almost at once, we ran into a hurricane that well nigh destroyed us. Once the rudder-chains became fouled with ice, and we swung into the trough of the sea, hurl over until our lower yards trailed in the water and half the yacht shivered beneath the smother, we hanging on for our lives, drenched und buffeted by_the waves. ‘The jib-boom snapped like a pipe- stem, and a huge, ugly hole was ape ped out of the forward bulwarks. Up to the neck in icy water we chopped away the raffle, and flung it over- board. Gustafson, shrieking wildly for help, went with the litter, while his mates bore Symes below, groan- ing from a broken leg. Some time during the third day the wind had blown itself out, or else we rd been driven beyond the sweep Suddenly there came a tremendous shock which sent me sprawling for- ward, and flung Dade headlong against the wall, As I struck the deck a thunderous crash and roar sounded forward; the stern of the vessel seemed to spring upward into the air, sliding us both down against the front of ‘the cabin, Instantly there followed two muffled reports, accompanied by a further uptilting of the stern, Everything loose camo tumbling Cae upon us, and, as I pulled m; if to my kni I found the deck slanting Npward like the p side of a hill. ‘Oh, Lord, sir, what's been done?” “We've hit something hard; ice, lkely. Jump now, and help me get out the women.” T held tightly to my to the rail, as I crept black, shapelese figures of several men, whose faces I could di: * the gloom, were clambering about ay , have you got?” mast, canvas, and fresh 4 to aesure my- self that the rudder had been prop- erly shipped and the plugs securely driven in. “All nents here come the pro- Dump them in anywhere, back for another load, but hurry! De Nova, help me stow the women; gently, but quickly n Here, two of you tail on to the fa: ver away carefully or you'll mp her the way she hangs; go slow with that for’ard tackle, Stand by, all of you. Hore is the reat of the provender. Now tumble in lads, sod her oft, you fools!” ve er Om S84 you fools! The black Spring in hull beneath me rose and fell with a heavy, sickening motion) which e' brought the heart up into my throat. “Are those all the living men left, Mr. De Nova?” I calle@ down, for the first time realizing how few they were. Another voice spoke, excitement: “The fellows for’ard had no chance, sir; all alive are here,” I swung over the side and shot down the line into the boat. “Cast off, then. Oars, yacht is going under.” With a single sweep of the hastily plied blades we were beyond sight of the plunging bull, yet we had not taken half a dozen strokes before we were tossed roughly by a sudden convulsion of the sea, “My God, she's gone!" shouted a voice forward, All I could distinguish within the boat were the two women next me at the stern—Celeste, with her face buried in her arms, and my lady staring into the icy fog. CHAPTER X. In Which Love Speaks. one uttered a sound after that first wild cry. We sat there stunned into silence by the horror of the situa- tion, every eye staring blindly into the mist, the long-boat tossing like a chip on the swell caused by the engulfing of the yacht, The crippled §ea Queen had evidentiy gone down like a shot. Twice I en- deavored to speak, but something choked me, and my voice failed. I reached down into my pocket, held close to my eyes the small compass I always carried, and swung the boat’ head northward, Even this alight e! fort at action gave me back some measure of self-control. “You had better step the mast, Mr, De Nova, and get out what canvas you can spread, There is not much wind, but we'll make the best of what little there is.” They obeyed. “Lam unable to make out who are on board,” I said at last.’ “Name yourselves, beginning at the bow." “Jem Cole, sir.” lt was the voice of the negro, “Next. Speak up, men!” “Johnson.” “Kelly, “McKnight.” Dade. janchez.”” ‘There was a pause, the last voice sounding just abaft the mast butt. that all hat's all, sir, “With De’ Nova, myself and the two women it makes the count ten, Well, we aha'n't be crowded for room, This is solng to be a hard cruise, Jads, but we'll make a y sailors, with a ch nd a chance to win out.” There was a faint cheer, rumbling, as if it had caught in their thr The breeze perceptibly freshened, but not sufficiently to r reefing of canvas, and the fog began drifting away like a great white cloud, leaving revealed the vista of cold gray sea stretching about us. Lord, but it did look barren and desolate, ths gruff from men! the ut the merest speck, scarcely more important than those floating cakes of ice, tossed by the waves through which We sought passage. I could see the entire interior of the boat now, and observe its occupants the big negro, curled up Itke a dog in’ the bow; Kelly, a atoekily bullt, red pasted Irish boy, sat on the forward thwart, staring moodily ahead; John- eon lay at full length ‘a the bottom, arms crossed over his face; wee voles nape A thet Lurope bed and looking more hunted than lolled back Hay the gun- warm yes upward the mate still » with Celeste's pink Knitted hood resting cozily against his arm. The sight somehow brought a lump into my throat, and I looked away from Yhdy Darlington's questioning eyes out acrosn the gray sea. At 6 o'clock we took careful stock of our supply of provisions, anc sefed out @ small ration all around, afterward arranging tho several Watches for the night and distribut- ing as equally as possible the blank- ets and oxtra clothing. The wind felt colder, the sea coming up a bit, and Dade and Kelly fixed up a piece of spare canvas at the stern to pro- tect the steersman from the dash ot ley spray. De Nova took the tiller, and seeing no signs of a bad nixit { lay down amidships, though not until I had compelled Lady Darlings ton to seek rest also. found it or not I can not say, but 1 was asleep instantly, and knew noth- ing until Johnson called me at mid- night. ‘There was no great change in con- ditions as I stumbled sleepily aft to take the till The boat was sail- ing free, but with a reef in the mal sail, owing to @ marked stiffening of the wind. The sea was running In surges, but was not bad for those latitudes, and there wes a moon bigh up in the sky, casting the gleam o its cold light over the crests of the waves. De Nova crept thankfully into my warm blankets, and I war Jeft alo with Kelly sitting humped up in the bows as my sole compan- jon, The boat yawed somewhat under the sudden, shifting guste and her weight of canvas, but I soon ateadied her, and snuggled down behind my acreen wide awake and hungry. The intense loneliness of the scene cast an even stronger spell over m wo those awful wastes of solitude above and below; the far off steely glitter of stars; the nearby white crested waves; the little, insignificant dot of @ boat in which we tossed. I thought upon those leagues upon leagues of barrenness stretching away to the north, east, west, south, vast fields of ice, the extent of storm- lashed seas, the seeming hopelessness of our efforts at escape, and choked in my throat, my lips pressed tight, my eyes staring blindly out into the smother. Suddenly the blanket at my feet stirred, and Lady Darlington sat up, her back against the gunwale and face upturned to mine, The cold gleam of the moon revealed her f tures, clear-cut as a cameo, framed by the darkness of her hood, I could distinguish the delicate tracery of ber lashes, and, th that light, th gray of her eyes appeared black, har dying your @ said quietly, 6 the helplessness ; to ‘tral wrongly. That only the depression of the sc a the awful loneliness of » “Nor bave I, Even auch & sea and sky never gave you that look of d 7 know you too well to believs I looked at her closely, but it wa: not fear I saw in the uplifted face. “It te oortataly serious enough,” I dmitted, believing it useless to at- tempt any deceit, “but not hopeless. We havea ch boat under us, suf- fictent food for all our, proba needs 4 While there ther ape She made a little eloquent gesture of the hands. “Please do not say that. Those words are ers | a the last effort to rage. Keep them for me with the exact Whether she be “Ask, and I will answer, “What chance have we of rescue?” I turned my eyes away before ven- turing to reply; yet 1 dared not utter an untruth. ere being Rabitabie and “Are there at this season?” “It Ws hurdly aboard there are, unless it should be some whaler blown from her course around the Horn.” “Then our only practical hope lies in reaching land by our own efforts Bhe leaned forward, her hand touch- ing mine as it grasped the tiller, her Hr ygiona eyes compelling me to look a “Yes, “How—how far away is this tana?" I hesitated, actually afraid myneit & speak the answer, but her hand- clasp merely tightened, ‘Please tell me. I—I wish to know the very worst. Such knowledge will ei ¢ to bear than this awfal doubt.” * “But I hardly know mysel! fessed, desperately. “I have had no observation for several days, and can only guess the rate of progress of the Sea Queen, or our drift during the storm, I will be perfectly honest with you, though, and give you my beat Judgment. I believe we must be be- tween four and five hundred miles to the east and north of Dougherty Island, and not yet beyond the limit of drift ice, There would bé no use in our attempting to turn back for that point of land, as it is nothing but a rock, and we could never find it by the mere guidance of u compass. Our only chance is to bear away to the northeast toward land and the track of ships.” * “How far?) What land?" “The weatern coast of South Amer- iea; at least fifteen hundred miles,” I felt her shudder, and, scarcely realizing that I did so, or the signifi- cance of the action, impelled by an impulse beyond all control, I drew her hand within both my own as though in pledge of protection, “It can be done,” I insisted, “Buch boat voyages have been accom- plished.” She made no effort to draw away, her eyes still upon mine, ot through auch a rea as this; not at this season of the year.’ 1 could not answer, my lips dry, my throat parched, “You know the utter hopelessness of it,” she went on, stimulated by my silence, “You know we can never survive the cold, the closing in of the . the certainty of storm. You are nd a brave man—trust me with the whole truth.” “It would be almost a om faltered, the words fairly fo: my lips by her inwistence. the beginning of winter in the sturm- feat ocean on the globe. God could do it, but not man,” Her head sank, the white cheek my sleeve, but the fearless gray eyes were still open, gazing straight into mine, “Then it is the certainty of sleath,” @he said soberly. “Death together. My heart leaped as though it had received an electric shoc ched up by aome attaining of in- vessels in this sea race,” ‘cometh: hat I should rather be here, fac- ing death with you, than anywhere else alone,” she exclaimed swiftly. “Oh, 1 can say it frankly now ay it here before you and God ail purity and honor, Perhaps. te night, perhaps to-morrow, somewhere amid the awful waste of waters we will go together into eternity, What are the dictates of men to us now? What meaning {s there any longer lu the hideous requirements of the world? We are beyond them all. He: now, we can be ourselves, oursely To-night we are f to-night I can hear you speak what I have alrea read in your eyes and am not afraid to hear it.’ You: “you love m my heart and soul.” Rie one Hi. y exper down in shrounh the mist of = CHAPTER XI. cheek barely touching my sleeper in the bottom of the boat atir- sheet, sinking back upon his seat to spray to the masthead, and the boom, under a sudden gust, Then I heard “You wil! not misjudge mo; surely circumstances, Not that I am afraid, me free, Now we must know, under- really love me? trust me? believe me “Oh, L know you do. It is because me so anxious that you should un- and not afraid. Do you recognise me? dering at the wtrange quention, together in the cabin. It seemed so teats Fito ther In Which | Understand HE rested motioniess, her S sleeve, her eyes filled with love, her hands in mine; A red uneasily, tossing his arms; Kelly leaned forward to refasten a loosened sture moodily outatthe gray sea; a heavy wave struck us, showering icy swung to and fro, its end dipping into the sea, the long-boat laying down her volce, soft as a whisper, the breath of her lips on my cheek, you can not, Those words would never have been uttered in any other not that 1 am ashamed or regretful; but nothing else could ever have set stand each other—we must die with our hearts open, our souls clean. You to be & worthy woman?” “With all my soul I do.” I know you do that I wish to tell you my atory, It is my love which makes derstand, so when the end comes we can go together, loving each other, Have you ever reallaed who T am?” 1 could only 5! 6 my head, won- No? And yet I have known you ever since that first long talk we had odd, such @ strange freak of destiny, that you should have been associat- ed in any way with my old life, and } yet the very fact that you were, first created the bond that hb no drawn us together, You were no longer @ mere sea-adventurer, but an old-time friend and equal, From that day all was different, I could fight {t back, but could never conquer what that discovery meant. Oh, how small this world is, Did you ever hear of Doris Winslow?” A moment the vague, m@iory eluded me, tantalized me. Then ina flash the revelation came, “My sister's chum at Wellesley?” The tears sprang glistening into her ¢yes, her handelasp tightening. “Yes; does it seem possible? You never knew me, except by name. My +father died during the second year of my attendance there; then mother and I went abroad, and my education was completed on the Continent. 1 am not finding fault, but—Dbut it was all most unfortunate; it brought me into real life with a false understand- in of everything--wrong ideals, wrong standards, We were known to be wealthy, many considered me beautiful; my mother's e ambiti was to achieve recognized #0 standing In Europe, and from the first I was destined to be a means to that end, My education, ayrroundings, ‘BO- clal environment, wer@all abaped with this purpose in view, In spite of my- self the result was accomplished, “L was merely a girl of sev desiring but little but a good tim ccustomed all my life to the «uld- nee of others, Lord Darlington oined our party in Italy, and we urneyed together for through the Ifallan Alps, finally going boa: 1 his yacht as invited guests for in the Mediterranean, He w ttentive to me, yet I gave it moarcely thought. I was in love with the sea, fascinated with this new nce, and flattered by the con- tinued kindness showered upon mi 1 was a thoughtless girl, utterly h free, unaccustomed to deciding any nerdy realized what eid herein y real was taking —what it all meant, but—but ome day old on clouded 1 deliv: we nt ashore, and—and we were love for you? That wou! bed pa British Legation in worse than death; it I was a careless honor.” vane girl; the next erring found me a tae mince, answer, did not @ alone; almost pleadingty, her band not aven my mother ever heard ‘me pene out for mine. “You bring me to such shame, such is not shame,” I al my soul earnestly, u iv ord, “it may Be not shame. In the face you have confesned you love m4, a in the face of death f shall b to retain that love. 1 should \ man if I did less. Shame! use that term between us, re there holy or divine in f iis you to that ian one et act of mere barter Re law of ons ne ot ris, are t withhold the king forth over the crea! the moonlight rofi ‘The sail “Within a month we went to Eng- land, to oer at ae FF ak where everything later to tendons uring ‘the ‘vocial sea- son. | bad aff thai world seems to value at my fe 4 and at first I managed to be nape? after a fashion. ‘The excitement and exhilaration kept me alive and Interested, but in time everyw those things which had purchased ine, ¢ver: mine here in this desolate “It was not Lord Darlington—he of the eas, and mine yonder It more fathor than husband, hu- ff moring me In every way, and secretly ful part in the transac: tion, I became eh begged for the fea, and we went abroad in his yacht. @ was not unwilling, but to my mother it proved a constant hardship. Only her anxiety to prevent any rup- ture between us caused her to go on board. Yet even when I had re- covered health I would not go back; that life would have killed me. Out ° in the open I could breathe and live; me cotrage to continue as oa burst of passion which She bent forward, bringing her face ‘seek to concdal. was once again into the revealing moon- pot tes be ight, her eyes frankly open to mine. tio) I only wish make realize how became. There was no know! of love to complicate the situation, and at first I even felt a sense of gratt- | tude toward Lord Darlington for many acts of kindness and the con- sideration shown me. This changed, however, am I began slowly to compre- hend the selfishness of his motives— yoy that Bis actions arose merely from a Rally, certain pride in my youthful ‘= Serived t and tie advantages to ived from my wealth. other: you, love you, love yo! means J will fight to save did ot touch not uch me, words, and io glance turned away out over. in of watera. I was sti at her, intoxicated by when she pointed exci Heaven's name, what fe #1 Hardly had my . shifted leaped to his feet, his in a wild yell. “There's a ship!” CHAPTER XII whem, whom I could turn for comfort or ‘ad ntirely alon allent, sus) social pleasures. The v: riage rested lightly on Lora Dari ton, but for that I did not care, except that the “knowledge doubling the evidence of snapped the last weak ‘bond “us. Almost wild to Pope and ite tortu: Save finally planned an exter . tty srouse the world. T Was ita mapa mocking us with semblance to aly even bopeful that I might be permit svitp ie 180 net guinenie congenial friends and tall ‘alo a an my surprise Lord Darlington ex- ad of the pressed pleasure in the [dea,. an ‘ato our eyes even persuaded my mother to accom while the very pany ua.’ gare Her face eank suddenly into her * at dee hands, her body trembling. SaAally' pall pod “I bore it all amilingly and en, Lay “feat the sea, But I waa a oman aoe iis ifted from those bitterly. resenting manner AG low. which [ had been bartered in Through may peal matrimonial market, “I knew aothiny of the “Fiying Dut of lov the liv starving for it, raiso; this strange advent curred to me, and— make it seem a ae an nd then met with by, the wavee waren Her hands went out. scan to under ti amy and f caught them me wind ey maralnat ¢ t—that day in’ yrange I knew you for one of my own Cry ing the water, passing 1 knew you for a true man, a gentie- ly across our mani 1 I road the eve in your even, cogatracted ry Lames 4 and I should have been to have welcomed It. Oh, G ight I tried not to do #o! are » ‘Setere ta @ weird, help to renist my own neat ut the ine, ehiMi “the Pare cake L. ve | was not given me, low I com- hostliness. prehend it was not meant that I fog at the ait por Mei ny he should resist, The ond was insight treme f er from the beginnin; = Love is more than ceremony can make clamations even death sweet, ry have po sense of nothing ‘but lean evil a# I look into your eyes; 1-have that every inetemt that strange come into my inherit the right- would vanish, dissolve in alt, or ful inheritance of very woman appear into the oon juve. Even is only for a day, it et, little by little, my mind in mine—mine by the gift of God. Oh, ‘ath, Juck, Jack, I ited #0 pe taller ba nan” and of jut id sire to nay, is, I love yor Oh, that scene! That dreary, God-forsaken, hopel ~the heaving waters, the cold aky; ice gleam, the awful expanse xe ns ‘a ship, o Suite Did ever lo foeus cree aren ry before or since in such & paw, onde ‘ing to Fao baek? helplessness? numbing doubt in my heart. even as I bent to her Itps she begged me, fal- representes” yousert oThone me br teringly, not to touch her yet. There in the heart of that Antarctic ava, punt, bows tBe Brot castaways drifting to what seemed ; the great carven, al ain death, we found in this con- ind heneatn ithe wide fession a happiness that the world without would ha us. Aye! and we were braver for it; our eyes aglow, our hearts pulsing to the one great mu f the universe, ‘Tell It to me," she whispered smil- slope of deck and amidships; the immense remnant foremast t broad, square at ping the height of ine pe peaked “L love you." ba dig Ny was a = thing “And IT am happler tha nest with 10 thoes wart Ute before nin all my "And what was it—a vision of leew! We spoke but briefly as we sat line A dream of dying men thus, my hand firm upon the tiller, ™irave born of moon and we my ‘eyes never forgettul of those Plaything of wave and air? Op great surges smiting us. Indeed, Tea! resurrection of a ship of the there was little to say, for we had no time, a bit of death driven back future to discuss, no plans to formu- the polar ice? I knew not, yet all ¢ lute. We could only live out. the others saw a SE | night, with the morrow a blank be- of my brain alon fore us, Yet there was nothing of 1 sat up. ing my teeth comm in deters all this in the girl's face, upturned tion Bt adtion. and happy, nor did [ permit my eyes tand by, meni” 2 sont to mar her happiness. We were to. tremble atill in my command, “ig gether, understanding each other, and ting yonder be wood and baal for the moment that was enough, board her. Yet in some way pulae lot @ yoloe rem stronger, my will to. conquer tense and mote demon sea became mighty, hat ie it, Jack? she questioned, softly, “Of what were you think- ’ ing?" . De Nova leaped to “Of the stiff battle ahead of us, ih vel L " the fight for life and love across tear niotiine eke my athe wha + leagues of ocean." In the Intense silence I coutd ‘or life and love! Do you mean hear the heavy breathing of you dream of reaching safet cited men. “I mean to struggle for it; to do “There will be no use hailing” ¥ a man and sailor may. If we die paid, strengthened b the sony now, sweetheart, it will be to lose more own voles. “It chat be ver before Was possible.” crew are Sond 8 a hundred ae God, it is, str’ my beat this boat headed or eient fi cheeks flushed instantly, her — “An ‘aces drooping. 5 no; if we win safety it will Dow, to lowe else. no skill, ength of arm or Meart I will not dream tt, for. ¥' back, go back to that oot a real ehip all nant we ice that tllttere whe’ no from stem to stern,” | ow i eas Bae rica only could Sow sai ie Ube Wines he abot. ‘“