Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 31, Number 363, 24 February 1907 — Page 7

The Richmond Palladium, Sunday, February 24, 1907.

Page Seven.

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s Partners f 5 ob Joseph c. -4 hv a M j r ft LINCOLN, liiili 11 1W& T& Author f "C.p'n Eri" ?

? '.. Tr? .. -vj." -it t- -ft.' (Continued From Last Sunday.) Ttiey Billet3 Mve followed" mm men, but Captain Edward Taylor came up. A man of experience alongshore and one of the town's selectmen. Lis words carried weight "Don't let him stir, he commanded. "Dynamite boxed in as he's got it in that hold is sure to explode, and he knows It. The least fchoek '11 uo it if the fire doesn't. Come back to the hill. Ez, you'll hare to go with us." That settled it. Fighting, pleading, i wearing, Captain Tltcomb was car ried by main force along the road to-j ward the hill by the bridge. Long tongues of flame were spouting from the Diving Belle's main hatch. Up in; the village the scbooihouse bell was ringing. "Don't " let anybody go near the! wharf," ordered Captain Taylor. "Warn 'em as fast as What's that?'j There was a scuffle on the road be- j low, two or three shouts, the sound of running feet. Irafparrow rushed up the hill. His voice trembled. "He's got through! We didn't see Lim 'In time!" he- panted. "Who?" agked sereral voices. "Brad NIckersou. I'm afraid he's goin, off to the schooner." Captain Titcomb gave a spring that almost cleared him. The tears came Into his eyes. "For the Lord's sake,' he begged, "ure you goin to let that boy kill himself?" Then, bending forward, he shouted: "Brad, Brad! Don't go nigh her for your life! The dynamite's aboard!" The crowd was still. Every one listened. There was no reply,' but they beard the rattle of oars in a dory's rowlocks. . m m When Bradley came out of the kitchen after the "burglar" had made his confession he shook hands with Captain Erl, bade the latter a laughing Ifood night and went up to his chamber. It was a long time before he fell asleep. lie heard a steady hum of conversation from the old maids' room

and knew the sisters were going over i door was shut tight, the astonishing events of the evening. "Who Is it?" shouted Bradley, stoopOnce Miss Tempy came to his door to Ing to the opening between the top of

ask in a whisper If be knew just bow old Captain Tit comb was. "Ob, about forty-eight or fifty," he answered smiling to himself. He had fallen into a dose and was dreaming a confused medley In which the sisters and he were chasing Sam Hammond from one room to another, while Gus locked the doors in front of them, when Clara's scream of "Fire!" rang through the house. He sat up in bed, not sure whether the cry was real or a part of the dream. But the next moment he heard footsteps on the stairs. "Fire!" screamed Clara, rushing through the hall. "Oh, T.1 .. t mi T-vit T-ii. iiuu, nvi un yuan, auc iimug ueue s all on fire!" He was cool, surprisingly cool, as it eeemed to him, when he thought of it; afterward. Ills first move was to run ' to tne window, open it and lean out. At first he saw nothing but the black night, the stars and the lights on the horizon. He noticed, too, how salty sweet the wind smelled as It blew from the fiats at the foot of the hill. Then he saw the puff of flame on the schooner in the harbor. Barefooted, bareheaded, dressed only in his trousers and shirt, but struggling into his Jacket as he ran. he sprang down the stairs. The sisters caught at , bis arm and cried something or other. but he did not heed them. Clara called after him that Captain Titcomb had gone to the schooner. He stopped for an Instant to ask her to rouse some of the neighbors and send them to the wharf. As he came out into the yard he noticed vaguely that there was a light in one of the rooms of the Baker cottage. . He took the same route that his partner had taken, but made better time. It was ovident that the fire had been seen by others, for as he crossed the bridge the schoolhouse bell began to ring. It came to him like a flash, but too late, that he might have saved half the distance by taking one of the skiffs in the inlet and rowing straight out past the point 1 There was a shouting crowd on the bill above the bridge, but he could see no boats about the Diving Belle and wondered why. Part of the crowd on the hill came running to meet him. . "Who's that?" shouted some oneIra Sparrow, he thought. Bradley did not answer. "Who Is It?" cried Ira again. "Stop!" The junior partner did - not stop. "Squealer" Wixon got in his way aud caught at his jacket. Bradley tripped him up. jumped the rail fence by the roadside and ran across the fields. He heard "Squealer" shouting his name. The wharf was empty. Not a man was there. He reached the stringpiece, caught at the painter of one of the dories alongside, and, pulling the boat toward him. jumped in. Luckily the oar were lying oa the thwarts. He picked them up and, with his knife, cut the painter. And then h? heard the captain's voice calling to him from the hill: "Brad. Brad! Don't go ni,2rh her for your life! The dynamite's aboard!" Like his partner, Bradley had forgotten the dynarnito. Mechanically he put the oars In the rowlocks and sat motionless. The captain had stopped shouting. It was very still. He heard the , bell ringing in the distance and the gurgle of the tide? among the piles under the wharf. A whiff of smoke from the Diving Belle blew across his face, and he turned and looked at the schooner. He remembered reading In the Boaton . Ilerakl a month or so before of wrecking vessel that had caught on fire off Lonjr Island somewhere. She. too. ad dynamite on board, and hei skfpper and the mate had saved her by

J. 4- i --4 Tt . -!t they were on dick when the Cre start ed. lie looked at his own vessel, tit; schooner that he and the captain ha longed for and worked for and pettet like a baby. Then be set his teeth arte began rowing. The crackle of burning timber wa plain as be scrambled over the Diving Belle's rail. The fiames were pouring up from under the covering of thmain hatch, and the smoke was roll Ing thick from the cabin companion. He would have given anything for an ax, but the only one on board was by the wood box in the galley below. He ; caught up tbe boat nooK mat was in its rack by the bulwark and ran to the hatch. He put the point of the hook under the heavy cover and began prying the latter loose. It gave a little, slipped back and then pulled over the cleats. With the hook he got a firm grip upon Its edge and turned it over with a clatter. The smoke belched up in a cloud, but as it cleared he fell upon his knees and peered below. - The fire was almost amidships, an.,ng some loose planks and an empty tar barrel. These were burning fiercely, and the beams of the deck were blazing above them. But the dynamite chest was farther forward, beyond the bulkhead, which was only beginning to burn, and, he could see there was just a chance of reaching it if he was quick. With the dynamite once out of the way help from the shore might save the schooner. He drew a long breath and p'ut his hands on the edges of the hatch. Then he heard a faint voice calling for help. He thought for a moment that he must be going crazy, but the voice called again. "Help!" it wailed. "Somebocy help!" Bradley Jumped to his feet and ran aft. The door at the head of the cabin stairs had been left open when the partners went home the previous night, j but Bradley had pulled the sliding! hatch shut. Now the hatch was pushed back as far as it would go, and the the door and the hatch. The dense smoke In bis face made him cough. "Help!" the voice came up through the smoke. "It's me Hammond!" The junior partner started back. "Hammond?" he repeated. "Hammond?" And then in a changed voice, "What are you doing aboard here?" "I came after my things. I forgot about the spring lock. Quick! Oh, quick!" "Came after your things! You lie! You came to set this fire!" There was no reply for a moment. only a gasping, choking sound in the smoKe. lueu lue voice uesui. iixuiu. i .. . ...... . 1 iuet bp out: it sereameu. l m uyIng! Brad NIckerson, you want to murder me! Dura you, let me out! Oh, please, Brad! For God's sake. please!" Bradley stood upright and looked about him. His beloved schooner or the sneaking enemy who had set her on fire and who was responsible for all his troubleswhich? To force that cabin door meant that the flames in the hold would have time to burn through the bulkhead and then . He heaved a long sigh, and with that sigh he said goodby to the Diving Belle, He turned and rushed to the main hatch. The prisoner In the cabin heard him go and screamed choking curses after him. But Bradley had gone only to get the boat hook. He came back with it and began the attack upon the door. That door was built of tough wood, almost new, and the captain's lock was new also. The boat hook only tore off splinters and chips. Finally the hook broke just where the iron joined the handle. Sam had ceased to yell and beg his rescuer to hurry. His cries changed to coughs and strangling moans. Then he was silent altogether. Bradley, desperate, threw down the broken boat hook and ran about the deck hunting. l'J the light of the fire, for something heavy, something that would break j that lock. He picked up the stout beam, re-enforced with iron, that they 6lung over the vessel's fore quarter when they hoisted heavy chains on board. It was so clumsy that he could scarcely carry It, but he stepped back by the wheel to get a start and, runuing forward, threw it against the door. The double oak panels cracked lengthwise. Three times he hurled the battering j ram, with his own weight behind it. ' At the fourth attempt the door burst Inward and he fell on his face. "Sam!" he shouted. "Sam, come on!" But Hammond did not answer. Shutting his eyes and holding his breath, Bradley descended the cabin stairs. Hammond was lying unconscious at their foot. The junior partner dragged him to the deck and away from the smoke. Then he shook and pounded him savagely. After a bit the fellow opened his eyes and gasped. Then Bradley left him and ran to the main hatch. One glance showed him that the schooner was doomed and that the dynamite might explode at any moment. The thin bulkhead was a wall of flame and was shaking like a sheet of paper in the fierce draft. Black smoke, powdered with sparks, was vomiting from the fo'castle. The Diving Belle was on fire from stem t stern. . Hammond yelled wildly from the after rail. "The dory's gone!" he shouted. "My dory's gone! Where's yours?" Bradley had not stopped to fasten the dory when he boarded the schooner, and the boat had drifted away. Hammond, half drunk when he left the wharf, had bungled the knot with which his dory was fastened, and that.

"We'll hare to swim!" cried Bradley. "Jump quick! She's going to -blow up!" Sam sobbed In sheer terror. "I can't make it!" he screamed. "I'm too weak. I'll drown." "You've got to make It. Jump! I'll keep close behind you." Hammond caught at a shroud, stepped upon the bulwark and stood there, turning a white face first toward the shore and then back at bis companion. There was a muffled rumble from the hold. The bulkhead had fallen. "Jump!" shouted Bradley. "Jump. gam threw up his arms and leaped from the stern. Bradley cast one glance over the poor Diving Belle, ran to the rail by the foremast and dived into the water. At that moment, before his head appeared above the surface, there came a dull roar'i'rom the schooner's hold. She rocked like a rowboat among breakers. A flame burst from her hatches and fo'castle and streamed to the top of her foremast, every rope of

which caught fire. Her entire bow was a great torch that dipped now this way, now that. Hammond, swimming for his life, yelled with fright. Bradley, caught in the waves made by the rocking of the Diving Belle,-was for a moment unable to make any headway. Vaguely he wondered why he had not been killed. And then the foremast swung above his head and the noisy hoisting block in the forerigging snapped from its burning tackle, shot out Into the air and fell, striking him on the forehead. He remembered almost nothing of what happened after that nothing except lighting to keep afloat and the intense cold of the water. Captain Titcomb on the hill had fought and struggled and pleaded to be allowed to go to his partner's aid. But Captain Taylor said, "Better one than two," and most of the others agreed with him. "Squealer!., Wixon was going through the -crowd, telling all who would listen that if . he had not had some fellows at his house "settin up" playing cards the fire would not have been discovered. As the blaze grew brighter and Bradley could be seen running about the schooner's deck, Alvin Bearse volunteered to go with his skipper and attempt a rescue, but they would not let him try. In whispers people were asking one another how long it would last. When Hammond appeared on deck there was a great commotion. No one knew who it was. But when he stood upon the rail, with the fire behind him, a dozen shouted his name. Captain Titcomb shouted it and swore. A moment later came the explosion. Fifty men started for the wharf then, but the captain was far in the lead. He leaped into a dory and pushed off. The harbor was almost as light as day. In the center of the light the two figures In the water were splashing silhouettes. And suddenly the captain, rowin

frantically, was aware that another 4 take it easy, as the captain begged, boat was nearer the schooner than his : The worry and strain of the, labor own. A small skiff, rowed by a bare-1 were in a sense reliefs to him they headed girl, had come from behind the, kept bim from thinking of other things, point and was speeding with long, sure Each morning the old maids telestrokes toward the swimmers. phoned to the station to learn how he Hammond saw it. "Help!" he shout- felt and how the work was progress

ed, waving one arm. "Help! I'm Ing- Bradley gathered from Miss Prlsdrowning! Save me!" sy's anxious remarks that In the vil-

The skiff was almost upon him. He reached out to grasp its side. But the i ii..i iuuuSu nuc lumcu uuu directly into his face, did not stop. She kept straight on, past him. Aud Captain Titcomb as he seized Sam Hammond by the coat collar saw Gus Baker lean from her skiff aud drag to its low gunwale the helpless form of Bradley Nickerson. Then, with a hiss and wrapped In a great white robe of steam, the Diving Belle dived to the bottom of the harbor. CHAPTER XX. T 9 o'clock that morning Bradley, with his head bandaged, sat. In the rocking chair by the window of his chamber, A lookiag ;it. On the table beside him wre medicine vials, teaspoons and a poi'!e" memorandum in Dr. Palmer's handwriting; also there -were an emul sion bottle and a steaming pitcher of "pepper tea." These last were Miss . Tempy's contribution. That lady her-1 self, with a face whiter even than Bradley's own and with fingers that shook until holding a needle was next to an impossibility, was seated In a chair by the door, pretending to sew. Every now and then she looked up, i seemed about to speak, and then, see- j Ing the expression on the young man's face, remained silent. Occasionally 6he wiped her eyes with her handkerchief. Bradley went to the Point that day in spite of his partner's protests and the old maids' pleadings and direful . prophecies concerninff his health. HeS was kind, but so firm that they soon saw there was no use arguing. ; Ira Sparrow took Bradley and Caitain Titcomb to the Point in the You and I. Bearse, Ellis and some of the other men went with them. On the way Bradley and his partner discussed the situation. The work on the barge was going on as if nothing had hap-. pened. although the news of the firm's loss had been telephoned to the life , savinc station earlv that mornincr. i

Barney Small met them as they climb- Cap'n Ez," he protested In an aggrieved over the Freedom's rail. lie was ed one, "ain't I been tryin to git at

very sober and shook his employers' , hands with silent sympathy. "I told the boys to turn to," he said. "I didn't know what your plans was, but I wan't goin to quit till you said the word." "Much obliged, Barney," said Bradley. "Call all hands aft. I want to talk to them." The men came in groups, soot streaked and perspiring. They gathered in the waist, whispering to each other and glancing askance at Captain Titcomb and Bradley, who stood upon the raised deck by the wheel. In most of the grimy, sunburned faces there was a friendly concern. All looked embarrassed and awkward.- When the whole crew was standing there, silently waiting. Bradley came forward. "Fellows," be said, "when Cap'n Titcomb and I took the contract to get this barge off the shoals we risked every dollar we had- More than that, we mortgaged our new schooner to raise money to pay you with. She was burned last night, said, 'as the cap'n- said, there is no insurance. The. little money

we have on hand belongs to the people

who took the mortgage. We coulda pay yon for another week's work. So, then, either we must give op the con tractwhich will ruin us and drive the firm out of the wrecking business for good or we must come to you with another proposition. I think every man who has worked for us knows that we don't play favorites. Every fellow knows that he'll be treated fair so long as he does his work. But this I want to say: We'll stick to those who stick by us. We shan't forget our friends. And this is our proposition: To the men who will volunteer to help us get this barge afloat, we will pay $4 a day in stead of $3, as you're getting now when we float her and get our money If we fail, you get nothing, and so do we. If we win, yon win. We can float her if the weather holds good. What I'm asking is that you share our chances. It's up to you. What do you say?" Bradley stopped and put his hands in his pockets. The men shuffled their feet and looked at each other. One or two of them whispered behind their hands. Then Barney Small snatched his rusty cloth cap from his head, tossed it to the deck and Jumped upon it with both feet. "Stage is ready for Orham, South Orham, West H amiss and Setucklt P'int!" he shouted. "Git aboard! Come on, you lubbers! nave me and Brad and Cap'n Ez got to work her off alone?" Alvin Bearse struck the ex-stage driver a resounding thump in the back, "You bet you ain't!" he cried. "I'm in!" "Me, too!" said Ira Sparrow. "Present and accounted for," ob served Bill Taylor. Ellis simply nodded and stepped forward. Others join ed them by twos and threes. Then Peleg Myrick sauntered to the front. "I dunno's I Jest understand what the boss wants," he drawled. "but if there's anything me and Skeezicks can do, why" That settled it. There was a cheer, and the men began pushing each other out of the way to join the volunteers. In a few minutes there were only five who had not come forward. And after that came work, work, work. The men were organized into day and night gangs. Bradley commanded the former, Captain Titcomb the latter. The partners hired the You and I to do what she could of the work the Diving Belle had been engaged in. The lack of the schooner was a great handlJap, but they had no funds with -which Jo hire a large vessel. They made their headquarters aboard the barge now. Bradley did not go up to Orham at all. When his day's work was over he ate a hasty supper and tumbled into a berth In the skipper's cabin, sometimes to sleep, but more often to lie awake and plan for the morrow. - He was etlll pale and weak from the effects of the blow on the head, but he would not lage the partners' failure was regarded as a foregone conclusion. The news made him only more determined to succeed. Cook & Sons wired daily, and every afternoon a report was sent to them. These reports 'were growing more optimistic. The barge was eating her way steadily through the shoal, and as she was lightened she moved faster. They watched 'the cables as a cat watches a rat' hole,' keeping them always tight. The captain said: "Brad, if I didn't know what was the matter I should b'lieve my old Sunday school teacher was right. He always swore I'd be hung some day, and now all I can dream about is ropes." The captain's energy was something wonderful. A nervous man by nature, he flew from one end of the Freedom to the other, commanding, helping, hurrying. With the men he was always cheerful and sure of success, but once in awhile, alone with his partner, he showed his real feelings. One morning before turning In he went ashore to telephone. When he came back he called Bradley aside "and said: "Brad, Sam says the gov'ment weather folks are foretellln a big storm for day after tomorrer. It's com in from the south and 1I strike here about then. It's a terror, they say. It worries xne. I'm more scart of a gale of wind jest now than I am of the Old Harry himself." The junior partner looked troubled. "Wonder If that's what's distressing Peleg?" he observed. "Peleg has been after me ever since the fire. Says he's got something to tell me.' "He's been pesterln me too. I ain't had no time to listen to his yarns, Let's see him." They sent for the weather prophet. who appeared, dirtier than ever. "Look here, Peleg," was the captain's salutation. "What do we feed you for? Here'3 the gov'ment weather sharp smellin out a gale, an you ain't peeped. You'll have to put specs on your secOEd slSht or w,e'U 8hi "W ProPhet one or t'other." iIr- Myrick was troubled. ."Now, Xu r Brad for four days or more? I know there was a blow comin. She's comin' a-bilin too. And I don't need no specs nuther." "Humph! Brad, this is the devil and all, isn't It? That'll do, Peleg. "But, Cap'n Ez, there's so me thin else I wanted to tell you. F "Never mind now. Put it on ice. Gitr ; Peleg "got," but with reluctance. He kept looking back and shaking his head. Captain Ezra's face was very solemn. His forehead wrinkled, and he pulled his mustache nervously. "By crimustee!" be muttered. "We have got to do sometbln quick. I know yon don't take any stock in Peleg, bet If that gale does come we're knocked higher n the main truck. She's loosenln up so now that a tug might help us. I can git a little one from Vineyard Haven, skipper, engineer and all, for $40 a day." "But they wont work on spec ; "No. I'm going to Wellmouth to see the bank folks. I ll tell 'em that if they- ever hooe to cit back the teat of

the money they lent on the Divin Belle they must risk enough to pay for that tug. I'm goin now." "But you've been up all night. Let me go. Yon turn In." "Turn In be durned I'd sleep about as sound as an eel on a perch hook. I can turn in when I can't do anything else. Goodby. Put in your spare time prayin for me. will you?" He went to Wellmouth. saw the people at the bank and, as he said, "talked from his boots up. At 12 o'clock of the following day the little tug put In an appearance. She got a grip on the Freedom's bow and pulled with the tide. The expected gale did not come that day, but the next afternoon the sky was overcast, and the sun disappeared behind angry clouds. It was blowing fresh when Bradley, worn out, went to his berth at 9 o'clock. He had fought against going at all, but Captain Titcomb said: "Put in an hour or two anyway. I'll call you if you're wanted." He called him before the second hour was up. "Come on deck. Brad!" he cried excitedly. "That sou'easter's on the road, and it's backin up the .biggest tide ever I saw. Tain't high water till 2, but she's pretty nigh as high as usual now." The junior partner hurried on deck. The wind was singing in the rigging, and the waves were rushing past the barge, slapping furiously at her as they passed. The night was a dead black, and the surf on the ocean side of the Point boomed like heavy artillery.

"I've sent ashore for the day shift," said the captain. "We've got to make our fight now. Looks as if 'twas onr last chance, and a mighty slim one." The dories brought the tired men from the beach. They had worked hard all day, but they were ready to work still harder now. They realized net, one way or anotner, mis was me tnd of the big job. The little tug, bouncing up and down on the waves, was throwing her whole weight on the tow line. Alvin Bears stood by the donkey engine ready to take in every Inch of the cable. The partners were in the bow. The buckets were flying from the hold. "She gained a heap last tide," murmured the captain. "This extry high water and the waves ought to help her like fun. But I'm 'fraid 'twon't be enough, and tomorrer the sou'easter '11 land with both feet." Waiting was the hardest thing. A half hour seemed longer than an or dinary day. The wind gained In force little by little. The tide crept up the barge's side. At 1 o'clock it was far higher than It had ever reached before, and so powerful was Its rush that the huge bull quivered In its grasp. The water, seen by the lantern's light, was the color of chocolate, streaked and marbled with lines and eddies of foam. Half past 1. The captain put his watch In bis pocket and wiped his forehead. "I know how it feels when you're waitin' to be hung," he observed. "Thirty minutes for the firm to live. Brad; then" A. mighty blow from a wave, a tremble and then a roll. The lanterns in the rigging 6pun around In circles. The men on the deck and below fell in heaps. The Freedom lifted, straightened and then began to rock in her cradle. The cables sagged Into loops. Their silent partner, the tide, had come to the firm's rescue. Bradley got upon his feet. "Haul taut!" he screamed. Before the order was given Bearse was back at his en gine. The windlass shrieked Captain Titcomb roared through his forward, then back, her screw thrash-, !nr th wtr Th littl Von and T bobbed beside her. She was pulling too. And then a long, scraping, breath less Interval. A halt, a shock, and. pushing a wall of sand before her, the Freedom plunged Into deep water. There was no cheering. A subdued murmur, like a sigh, came from the crowd on her deck. Men drew sooty arms across wet foreheads and looked at each other without speaking. She was off the shoal, but far from being out of danger yet. She must be got over into the deep hole behind the Point, where she could safely ride out the coming gale. And to get her Into this haven there was only the little tug to depend upon. Could the tiny craft do it In that wind and sea? If not, then the barge would almost sure ly drag her anchors, would strike again, and then well, then all the work and the triumph so nearly won would count for nothing. They brought her up to her anchors out In the .middle of the channel There they waited for the tide to turn. The silence was heartbreaking. Only now and then did any one speak. In clusters by the rail they stared at the big waves and the foam streaks gliding by. At last Captain Titcomb snap ped bis watch case shut and shouted through his trumpet. The towboat puffed Into position. The anchors were lifted from the bottom. The time for the final test had come. Then the little tug showed what she was made of. Coughing, panting like a bulldog straining at a chain, she pulled at that hawser, and, slowly at first, bat gaining headway as she moved In the dead water of the slack of the tide, the Freedom followed her through the channel around, the edge of the shoal Into the cove and safety. At ten minutes to 4 that morning the last big anchor was sent down. "There!" shouted Captain Titcomb. "She'll stay where she Is now If It blows hard enough to frazzle out a handspike. Boys, the Job's done. Knock off!" They answered him with a cheer that woke the cat from his sleep beneath the stove at the lighthouse. The tug took them to the Point. They perched all over,- her, heedless of the cold and the flying spray. The men were wildly excited over the unexpected good luck. They cheered the partners agaia and again and gave three groans for the "quitters," meaning Mr. Clark and bis friends. Peleg Myrick was bearing his concertina to safe quarters in the shanty, and they Insisted that he should play It. Peleg protested that it was too wet for music on board that tug. but they threatened to heave the "posh and pull pianner" overboard If he didn't play. "Play somethin' we can sing," ordered BIU Taylor ?

x cicg sirucs up a uuieiui targe or the sea. It was loaded to the gunwale with wrecks and disasters.

".Belay that-" cried Barney SmalL ! "We doa't want no couie-all-ye's. That's the tune that soured the milk. Give us a hoe down." The musician considered; then he burst Into the air that every fisherman knows: The grub Is la the sailer. ar.J the rum is la the i--S Storm along-. John! Jo.n. storm along! The skipper from IlyannSs, and he gives us bully tnug Storm along-, storm along. John!" "Chorus!" howled Barney, waving his cap. They joiued in with a whoop: "Storm alonsr. John! John, frtorro along! Ain't I glad ray day's work's done! Storm alonur. John! John, storm alonK! Ain't I gla.J my clay's work's done!' Bradley stood by the back door of

the big shauty, looking out at tLe , mood where nothing short of a gallon storm. The first sickly light of morn- j would have daunted him and hastening was streaking the dingy, tumbled" ed upstairs to put on dry clothes. When sky. Inside the building the men he came down he went through the were keeping up their celebration. No , motions of eating breakfast and anone had suggested turulng in. j swered as best he could the hundred Captain Titcomb came around the ! and one questions regarding the floatcorner. "There you are, hey!" he ex- ! ing of the Freedom that the old maids

claimed, with a breath of relief. "Elamed if I didn't begin to be afraid you'd tumbled overboard. Well, son, we did it, by 'crimus! We did it. thanks to the good Lord for sendiu that whoopin' big tide. Titcomb & Nickerson ain't ready Ctr the undertaker yit. Now you can go up to Orham and tell Gus Baker somethiu wuth while." Bradley shrugged his shoulders. Now that the strain was over and they had won the thoughts that he had put aside were coming back. He was real izing that the firm's success didn't mean much to him. After all, .what did he really care? "I guess Gus wouldn't be greatly Interested," he said. The captain seized him by the shoulders and spun him around. "Look here, son!" he cried. "What fool idea have you got in your head? What's the matter with you? Wouldn't be Interested! The girl that risked her life to haul you out of the drink!" Bradley shook his head. "I guess you forget that Hammond, was In the drink, too," ho said. Captain Titcomb smote his partner a blow in the chest. "You crazy loon!" he shouted. "Is that what's allln you? Do you s'pose she cares a hurrah In Tophet for that scamp? Listen to me! I was closer 'n anybody to Gus when she rowed acrost the harbor that night. Sam was right under the bow of her skiff. He hailed her. She saw him looked right at him. But she never reached out a hand. Left him to drown, like the durned rat he is, and went on after you. After you d'you understand? Does that look" "Stop!" Bradley's eyes were ablaze. "Ia that true? Say that again!" "True? Say It again? I'll sing It or swear it on the Bible if you want me to. Why, you ought to git down and crawl to that girl. She's Hi I Where you goin?" There was no answer. Bradley was running at full speed for the beach. A few minutes more and he was in the You and I, heading across the bay through the rising storm and in the dull morning light, bound for Orham. And behind him from the shanty floated the chorus: "Storm along:, John! John, storm along! Ain't I glad my day's work's done! Storm alonr, John! John, storm along! Ain't I glad rnyday's work's done!" CHAPTER XXI. US rose early that morning. The storm had awakened her. G fcl She pulled aside the window .UJie uu,ulura W4 uw 'tl ",ul InS whipping In the wind, at the V, -1 -. . 1 . 1 . .,11 1 ,. .. V, sheets of rain scudding across the little pond in the pasture, at the whitecaps in the inlet and harbor and at the angry sea outside. Down In the village the storm signals were flying from the pole on the cupola of Cy Warner's observatory. The southeast gale, foretold by the newspapers, had come. She saw the lighthouse on Baker's beach, a small shadowy dot in the distance. Beyond It was the bay, and miles beyond that lay Setucklt Point. Only the landward end of the long beach was visible through the smears of wind driven rain, but she gazed In that direction for minutes. Grandmother Baker was still asleep when Gus came downstairs. The girl went Into the kitchen, where Winfleld, gray muzzled and rheumatic, ' came, stretching and yawning, to meet her. She fixed the fire in the range, filled the teakettle and, putting on her apron, began mixing the rye muffins for breakfast. Every now and then she left her work to go to the window. The storm was growing steadily worse. The muffins were ready, and she put them In the oven. She went to the sink and pumped the tin hand basin full of water, but before her fingers touched it she heard the yard gate shut with a bang. She thought that "Blount's boy" must be coming with the morning's milk and stepped to the outside door to meet him, lifting the hook from the staple. The door opened and Bradley Nickerson came in. He wore no overcoat or oilskins, and Lis clothes were wet through. The rain poured from the visor of his cap, from hi3 sleeves and the Lem of Lis jacket His face was dotted with drops, like beads of perspiration. He did not wipe them away, but stod there on Mrs. Baker's cherished In grain carpet dripping and looking at the girl before him. She did not seem to notice his condition nor appear astonished at his coming. Her first words were strange ones. "Ob!" she cried. "Is she lost?" Lost?" he repeated. "Lost?" Yesyes. The barge. Has the gale wrecked her?" Bradley seemed to be waking from a dream. "Oh, the barge!" he answered slowly. "The barge? Oh, she's all right We got her off. Gus gave a little sob of joy. Her eyes filled with tears. Td so gladT she exclaimed. "I was afraid He Interrupted Ler by stepping forward and seizing her hands. "Gus!" he begged. "Oh, Gus, do you love me?" She did not hesitate nor seem surprised. "Yes, she said simply, looking up at him. ' For an Instant he returned the look,

Tfeou iv Vv.u v.v. Tie swayetx, sank to his knees and cried like a child, hiding his face in her apron, Aud like a child she soothed him. stroking; hi wet hair and crriag silently ia sympathy. "On, my dear," he pleaded over and over again, "I've behaved like a foolish child. Can yoa forgive me?" She smiled. Hke the sun shining through the last drops of a summer shower. "It was my fault more than yours, she said. "I was selfish and so silly, but I didn't know I didn't know." "But you know now? You're sure? The answer was not in words alone and was entirely satisfactory. When he got home Bradley swallowed the last drop of the "pepper tea" provided by Miss Tenipy-r-ho was la a

and Clara asked. He had been up prac tically all night, but was too excited to think of sleep, and, remembering how unceremoniously he bad deserted Captain Titcomb, decided to go down to the postofflce and telephone to the Point. The storm was In full blast by this time. The wind screamed through the treetops, and the thick ropes of rain ehot downward with savage force. Aa he entered the postofflre the postmaster called to him through the little window in the center of tibe frame of mail boxes. "Hi, Bradr he hailed. "Is that you? I je?t sent a boy uptown after you. Cap'n Ez has been keep In' the telephone hot for the last ha'f hour. He wants to talk to you the worst way. Bradley was alarmed. Had anything happened to the Freedom? He entered the telephone closet stood bis drenched umbrella in a corner and gave tho four rings which made up the Setucklt Point call. The wire buzzed and hummed Ilko , an overturned beehive. The receiver at his ear wailed and screeched like a banshee. At length a faint "Hello!"answered his call. "Hello!" he shouted. That you, Cap'n Knowlos? Yes, this Is Brad Nickerson, I want to talk with Cap'n Ez. Can you get him for me?" ' - The life saver laughed. There were more buzclxig and humming. Then Cap tain Titcomb's voice rose abote tha music of the storm. "Hello, partner?" It called. "That you? You doa't say! WelL this Is Titcomb. No; the Freedom's all serene. She'll ride it out as slick as a duck k a bucket But there's a feller hero wants to talk with you. Prick up your ears now!" Bradley beard his partner laugh, Then another voice beran a. drawling, high pitched voice. "Is that you, Bradley T It droaed, "This is Pie talkln. Do yoo beaT? "Me? Who's me?" "Me, Pelog Peleg Myrick. Cap'n Ez wants to know what I'd better do with the dynamite I've got burled under my shanty. I'm scart to death of it" "The dynamite? What dynamite?" "The dynamite I took off the Dlvin Belle the day afore she was burned. Cap'n Ez ordered me to take It all out so I done It the next forenoon. What'll I do with it? I've been trylo to tell you an! the cap'n about It but you never give me no chance. Skeezicks is the divil to dig, and if ha scratches that stuiT up, why" "Stop!" Bradley shouted It. "Walt a minute! Peleg, what are you talkln' about? Do you mean there was no dynamite aboard the Diving Belle when sbe burned?" "Ya-as. I took It all out that mornIn'. Whafll" Again Bradley shouted, "Stop! Ho wanted to think. If there was no dynamite aboard the schooner, whywhy then the insurance could be collected. If Ills heart sank again. "I'm afraid that won't do, Peleg," he called. "She certainly blew up. I heard her and felt the shock under water. Everybody on the bNl beard the explosion and saw it too. Nov Peleg. Much obliged, but I guess you must have left some of It The wire whirred and sang. Then the drawling voice went on. It sattl: "Cap'n Es waats to know If the explosion wan't pretty small for a dynamite one, now that you come to think of It He says what about the gasoline tanks?" The gasoline tanks I The gasoline for the engine! It bad been stowed In the bow of the schooner. The receiver fell from Bradley's hand. He stared at the calendar on) the wall of the telephone booth, THS XJTD. See how what you have neard looks In print and get a dollar for doing ItWin tho news "tip" prize. A pretty table observation in Danish families is for children, even lit tie ones who can scarcely toddle, to go gravely after dinner to salute their parents and say, "Tak for mad" ("Thanks for the meal.) Even visitors bhake hands with their host and hostess and go through the same formality. In German families that hold to tradition the same custom prevails. When the evening meal Is ended the party stand up around the table and each shakes hands with the neighbor, saying, "Gesegnete Ma Mahlzeit" blessing the food. . Maeterlinck thinks it is man's vanity which causes him to doubt the proof of intelligence In flowers and the lesser animal creatures. lie relates an incident to prove the Intelligence of bws. Two English entomologists declared that they would admit the reasoning faculties of bees when it was proved that bees bad ever "had the idea f substituting clay or mortar for wax and propolis." Just at tbis time, another naturalist. Andrew Knight, made a cement of wax and turpentine and with it coated the bark of -trees. The bees at once used this .new and unknown building material, which they found already prepared, and ceased gathering propolis altogether thus proving that they not only had a new Idea but

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