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Ragged Edge i
by I
Harold MacGratb |
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CHAPTER XX
To Spurlock it seemed as if a
groat iron door had swung in
Jbghind him, shutting out the
old world. He was safe, out of
the beaten track, at last really
comparable to the needle in
the haystack. The terrific men
tal tension of the past few months
-—that had held his botlily
{tourishment in a kind of strangu
lation—became as a dream:
ami now his vitals responded
rapidly to food and air. On the
second day out he wTas helped to
a steamer ch .ir on deck; on the
third day, his arm across Ruth’s
shoulder, he walked from his
chair to the foremast and back.
The will to live had returned.
For five days The Tigress
chugged her way across the
burnished South China, grumpi
lv. as if she resented this med
dling with her destiny. She had
been built for canvas and oil
lamps, and this new thingumajig
that kept her nose snoring at
eight knots when normally she
was able to, boil along at ten,
end lliese unblinking things
they called lamps (that neither
smoked nor smelled), irked and
threatened to ruin her temper.
On the sixth day, however,
they made the strong southwest
trade, and broke out the canvas,
stout if dirty; and The Tigress
answered as a bird released.
Taking the wind was her busi
ness in life. She creaked, groan
ed, and rattled; but that was
only her way of yawning when
she awoke.
The sun-canvas was stowed;
and Spurlock’s chair was set
forward the foremast, where the
bulging jil) east a sliding blue
shadow' over him, Rather a
hazardous spot for a convales
cent, and McClintoek had been
doubtful at first; but Spurlock
declared that he was a good
sailor, which was true. lie
loved the sea, and could give a
good account of himself in any
weather. And this was an ad
venture of which he had dream
ed from boyhood; aboard a
windjammer on the South Sea3.
There were mysterious sounds,
all of them musical. There wrere
swift actions, too : a Kanaka
crawled out upon the bowsprit
to make taut a slack stay, while
two others with pulley-blocks
swarmed aloft. Occasionally the
canvas snapped as the wind
Veered slightly. The sea was no
Songer rolling brass; it was bluer
than anything lie bad ever seen.
Every so often a wall of water,
thin and jade-coloured, would
rise up over the port bow, hesi
tate, and fall smacking amid
ships. Once the ship faltered,
and the tip of this jade wall
broke into a million gems and
splashed him liberally. Ruth,
standing by heard his true
laughter for the first time.
ims lauguter released some
thing that had been striving for
expression—her own natural
buoyancy. She cam s ns The Tig
ress, a free thing. She dropped
beside the chair, sat cross
legged, and laughed at the futile
jade-coloured wall. There was
no past, no future, only this
exhilarating present. Yesterday!
who cared? To-morrow!— who
knew ?
“Porpoise,” she raid, touch
ing his hand.
' “Fox-terriers of the sea;
friends with every ship that
comes along. Funny codgers,
aren’t they?” he sail.
“When you are etrongcr we’ll
go up to the cutwater and watch
the i from there.”
‘ I have . . . from many
slips.”
A shadow, which was not east
by the jib, fell upon them both.
His voice had changed, the joy
gone out of it; and she under
stood that something from the
past had rolled up to spoil this
hour. But she did not know
what he knew, that it would
always be rolling up, enlivened
by suggestion, no matter how
trifling.
What had actually beaten him
was not to have known it' some
one had picked up his trail. The
acid of this incertitude had
disintegrated his nerve; and in
Canton had come the smash
But that was all over. Nobody
iovM forcibly find him now
1
The doctor would never betray
him. He might spend the rest of
bis days at McClintock’s in per
fect security.
McClintock, coming from
below, saw them and went for
ward. “Well, how goes it?” he
asked.
“Thank you, sir,” said Spur
lock, holding out his hand.
McClintock, without comment,
accepted the hand. He rather
liked the “sir”; it signified
both gratefulness and the chas
tened spirit.
“And I want to thank you,
too,” supplemented Ruth.
“Tut, tut! Don’t exaggerate.
I needed a man the worst kind
of way—a man I could keep for
at least six months. What do
you think of the old tub?”
“She’s wonderful!” cried
Ruth. “I love her a1 ready. I had
no idea she could go so fast.”
“Know anything about
ships?”
“This kind. I have seen many
of them. Once a sick sailor drew
three pictures for me and set
down every stay and brace and
sail—square-rigger, schooner and
sloop. But this is the first time I
ever sailed on any one of the
three. And I find I can’t tell one
stay fr6m another 1”
McClintock laughed. “You
can’t go to sea with a hook of
rules. The Tigress is second-hand,
built for coast-trade. There used
to he ail after deckhouse and a
shallow well for the wheel; but
L changed that. Wanted a clean
sweep for elbow-room. Of course
I ought to have some lights over
the saloon; but by leaving all the
cabin doors open in the daytime,
there’s plenty of daylight. She's
not for pleasure, but work. Some
day I’m going to paint her; but
that will he when I've retired.”
Ruth laughed. “The doctor
said something abom that.”
“I’ll tell you really why I keep
her in peeled pamt. Datives ire
queer. I have established a fine
trade. She is known everywhere
within the radius of five hundred
miles. But if I painted her as I’d
like to, the natives would
instantly distrust me; and I’d
have to build up confidence all
over again. I did not know you
.spoke Kanaka,” he broke off.
“So the watchman told you?
I’ve always spoken it, though I
can neither read nor write it.”
“ I never heard of anybody who
could,” declared McCiintock. “I
have had Kanakas who could
read and write in Dutch, and
English, though. The Kanaka—•
which, means man--is a Sand
wich Islander, with a Malayan
base. He's the only native 1 trust
in these parts. My boys are all
Sandwich Island born. I
wouldn’t trust a Malay, not if
he were reared in the Vatican.”
Spurlock, who was absorbing
this talk thirstily, laughed.
“What’s that?” demanded
MeClintock.
“The idea of a Malay, born
Mahometan, being reared in
the Vatican, hit me as funny.”
“It would be funny—just as
a trustworthy Malay would be
funny. I have a hundred of
them—mixed blood—on my is
land. and they are always rook
ing me. But none ever puts his
foot on this boat. To-morro v
we’ll raise our first island. And
from then on we’ll see them,
port and starboard, to the end
of the voyage. I’ve opened the
ease of books. The’re on the
forward lounge in the saloon.
Take your pick, Mrs. Spur
lock.”
'The shock of hearing this
title pronounced was equally
distributed between Ruth and
h.er husband; but it aroused
two absolutely different emo
tions. There came to Spurlock
the recurrence of the grim re
solution of what lie had sot out
to do: that comradeship was all
lie might ever give this cx
quisit. qreature; for she was ex
quisite, and in a way she
dominated this picture of sea
and sky and sail. Ruth’s emo
tion was a primitive joy: she
was essential in this man’s life,
end she would always be happy
because he would always be
needing her.
“You will be wanting your
broth, Iloddy ” she said. ‘‘I’ll
fetch it.”
She made the companion
without touching stay or rail,
which necessitated a fine sense
of balance, for there was a
growing vigor to the wind and
a corresponding lift to the roll
of the sen. The old fashiqrjed
dress, with jts juries qf ruffles
anil printed flowers, ballooned
treacherously, revealing her well
turned leg in silk stockings as it
snapped against her body as a
mould.
Silk. In Singapore that had
been her only dissipation: a
dozen pairs of stockings. She
did not question or analyze the
craving, she took the plunge
joyously. It was the first ex
pression of the mothers blood.
Woman’s love of silk is not set
by fashion ;it is bred in the
bone; and somewhere, some
how, a woman will have her bit
of silk.
McClintoek watched her in
terestedly until her golden head
vanished below; then with toler
ant pity, he looked down at Spur
lock, who had closed his eyes.
She would always be waiting up
on his boy, he mused. Proper
enough now, when he could not
help himself, but the habit would
be formed, and when he was
strong again it would become the
normal role, hers to give and his
to receive. He wondered if the
young fool had any id^a of what
[ie hacj drawn in this tragic lot
tery called marriage. Probably
hadn’t. As for that, what man
ever had ?
That s a remarkable young
woman,” he offered, merely to
note what effect it would have.
Spurlock looked up. “She’s
glorious!” lie knew that he
must hoodwink this keen-eyed
Scot, even as he must hoodwink
everybody: publicly, the devoted
husband; privately, to celebate.
lie was con'; nimby drama!i;ing
the future, anticipating tho
singular role he had elected to
play. He saw it in book-covers,
on the stage. “Did you ever see
the like of her?”
“No” answered McClintock,
gravely. “I wonder how she
picked up Kanaka? On her is
land they don’t talk Kanaka
lingo.”
Her island! How well he
knew it, thought Spurlock, for
all lie lacked the name and
whereabouts! Suddenly a new
thought arose and buffeted
Mm- How little he knew about
Ruth—- the background from
which she sprung! He knew
that her father was a inissioner,
that her mother was dead, that
she had been born on this island
and that at the time of his col
lapse, she had been on the way
to an aunt in the States. But
what did he know beyond these
facts? Nothing, dearly. Oh,
yes; of Ruth herself he knew
much; hut the more lie mulled
over what he knew, the deeper
grew his chagrin. The real
Ruth was as completely hidden
as though she stood behind the
walls of Agra Fort. But after
all, what did it matter whether
she had secrets or not? To him
she was not a woman but a
symbol; and one did not in
vestigate the antecedents of
symbols.
“She tolls me there was a
Kanaka cook; been in the fam
ily as long as she can re
member.”
“1 see. I deal with the Malay
mostly: but twice a year I
visit islands occupied by the
true blacks, recently cured of
their ancient taste for long
pig”
“What’s that?”
“Think it over-” said Mc
Clintock, grimly.
“Good Lord!—cannibals?”
“Aye. Someday I’ll take yon
down there and have them rig
up the cocoanut dance for you.
The Malays have one, too, but
it’s a rank imitation, tom-toms
and all. But what I want to get
at is this. If your wife can
coach you a bit in native lingo, it
will help all raound. I have two
Malay clerks in the store; but
I’m obliged to have a white
man to watch, over them, or
they’d clean me out. Single
1 earls—Lord knows where they
come from!—are always turn
ing up- some of them of fine lus
tre ; but I never set eyes on them.
My boys buy them with
beads or bolts of calico of
mint?. They steal over to Cope
ley’s at night and dispose of the
pearl for cash. That’s how I
finally got. wind of it. Primari
ly your job will be to balance the
stores against the influx cf coco
nut and keep an eve on these
boys. There’ll be busy days and
idle. Everything goes—the co
pra for oil, the fibre of the husk
for rope, and the shell for car
bon. If you fall upon a good
pearl, buy it in barter and pay
me out of your salary.”
“Pearls!”
“Sounds romantic, eh? Well,
forty years ago the pearl game
hereabouts was romantic; but
{here's only one real pearl re
gion lefT—tlie Persian Gulf. In
these waters the shell has about
given out. Still, they bob up
occasionally. I need a whit*
mail- if only to talk to; and it
will be a god send to talk to
someone of your intelligence.
The doctor said you wrote.”
“Trying to.”
“Well, you’ll have lots of time
down there.”
Here Ruth returned with the
bro|th; ani^ McClintock1 strode
aft, convinced that he was going
to have something far more in
teresting than books to read.
Spurlock stared at Ruth
across the rim of his bowl. lie
was vaguely uneasy; he knew
not what about. Here was the
same Ruth who had left him a
few minutes since: the same out
wardly; and yet. . . . !
On the ninth day Spurlock
was up and about; that is, he
was strong enough to walk
alone, from the companion to
his chair, to lean upon the v di
when the chair grew irksome,
to join Ruth and his employer
at lunch and dinner: strong
enough.to argue about books,
music, paintings. He was, i:i
fact, quite eager +o go on
living.
V X yj JDVJ 1 ir\ l j HjU)
CONSTRUCTION IN
U. S. SHOWS GAIN
Contract Awards in First S’x
Months Exceed Those of
First Half of 1923
New York, Aug. 15.—Construction
operations in the United States for
the first six months of this year in
creased 0.71 per cent over the same
period in 1923, Engineering News
Record reports. Totals of contract
awards for the period this year were
$1,026,505,000. as against $1,019,230,000
up to the end of June in 1923.
The southern states show the
greatest increase in construction for
the six month period compared with
that of last year or with any of the
other sections. The increase is 26.6
per cent., making the 1924 half year
total $117,623,000.
Construction is holding relatively
high rates in southern, western and
middle atlantic sections. Substantial
increases in these sections are shown
month by month over their records
of last, year with the exception that
the southern section fell below in
June, the western in March and the
middle atlantic in April.
• The middle atlantic section shows
an increase of 16.5 per cent over the
first six months of last year with
aggregate awards of $321,035,000.
The city of New York has had an
unprecedented building period but
the increase of this section cannot be
accredited to that of the city alone,
as tfce reported statistics show con
struction work has been active
throughout the section.
The middle west shows the great
est reduction in construction, falling
30.9 per cent, below the 1923 period.
The 1924 six month figure for this
section is $210,190,000. West of the
Mississippi, tho total of $163,850,000
is 12.1 per cent, short of the 1923
figure. New England is 6.1 per cent,
under the same period of last year
with its total of $61,278,000.
Most of the classes of construction
show an increased money value of
awards for this six month summary.
The most active ones are sewers,
bridges, excavation and Irrigation,
streets and roads, commercial build
j ings.
Chinese Blame Temple
Fire on Angry “Great Dog”
Shanghai.—One of the oldest land
marks in Shanghai and an object of
Interest to thousands of foreign tour
ists each year was lost when the
rung wang mloa, or eity emperor’s
temple, was destroyed by fire during
the “Festival of the Ghosts."
The tcvnple, situated In the Chi
nese city, about a mile from the
foreign settlement, was near the
famous willow tree pattern tea
house, the original of the tea house
appearing on so much china ware.
It was built during tire time of the
Ming emperors, about 1500 and
had served as a place of worship
and festival day and night over since
that time.
After making offerings in the
temple, the Chinese, with the Citj
God enshrined in a gaudily deco
rated chair, paraded through the
city. While the procession was in
progress and the temple deserted
the fire broke out, and when the cel
ebratants returned to the temple the
building was smouldering in ruins.
Because it oceurrea on the day
of the "Festival of the Ghosts’’ and
because at the same time an
eclipse of the moon was In pro
gress, all sorts of causes are given.
The most popular, however, is that
the “great dog” (ths eclipse), being
unable to swallow the moon (the em
press) and thereby separate her from
her heavenly lover (the sun), set fire
to the temple in revenge. Eclipses,
according to the Chinese, are merelv
attempts of the “great dog’’ to swal
low the moon.
BERLIN CABINET
CRISIS COMES
TO ABRUPT END
President Ebert Dissolves
Reichstag—Germany
Faces Election
BY KARL H. VON WIEGAND,
Universal Service Correspondent.
Berlin, Oet. 20.—The German retch
stag and "Dawes reiohstag” was dis
solved by a decree of _ President
Ebert late Monday night.
As a result, Germany like America
tnd England, will have elections
.vhich will probably take place be
‘ween November 30 and December 7.
That is the dramatic climax to the
/ery undramatic cabinet crisis which
has dragged on for exactly a month
ind led to so much inter-party bick
ering and attempted trading that It
nearly degenerated into a farce.
The dissolution marks a defeat for
Stresemann whose party precipitated
the cabinet crisis with the demand
that Chancellor Marx reorganize the
cabinet to include German national
ists.
All attempts in that^direction came
to an end when democrats refused to
work with the nationalists in the
same government on the ground that
their presence put the cabinet's
present policy of international con
ciliation in jeopardy, as without th‘»m
it could scarcely count on a work
able majority.
Behind the cabinet crisis and the
election fight there are bigger issues
than jobs and personalities. The real
issue, the one that will play the
biggest role in the election campaign,
is the burdens under the Dawes plan,
which the reiohstag accepted. That
also is the real reason behind the
original move of Stresemann’s party,
for this party as well as the national
ists, Is dominated by big business,
big industrialists and a big agrarian
combination. Those two parties
would have dominated the reiohstag
and therefore dictated all the laws of
distributing the tax burden under
the Dawes plan.
Against this one sided domination
the democrats took a firm stand,
Marx wouldn’t agree to a cabinet
without them.
The new election is expected to
bring about a big shrinkage of both
the communists and the Ludondorfl
radicalists, the two extremists
parties.
A general consolidation of the
moderate parties is probable but th»
complexion of the future cabinet is
very much in doubt.
Supply to Ee Shipped From
Plant in Texas
Soon
GY W. BOYD GATEWOOD.
Universal Service Correspondent.
Fort Worth, Tex., Oct. 70.—A triir
load of helium, noninflammnble gas
used by the United States govern
ment for Its dirigibles, will shortlj
be on its way to Lakehurst, N. ,T.
for the mighty ZR-3. America's new
est dreadnought of the skies, it wa?
announced here Monday.
Liet. Z- W. Wicks, commander o(
the helium plant here, told Universal
Service that an order for 2.000.000
cubic feet of gas had been received
from Washington and that shipments
will begin at once.
This dispels rumors that a shortags
of helium existed at the local plant,
the onlv one of its kind in the world.
The shipment of such a vast
quantity of the nonexplosive gas will
require 24 cars into which 14,000
large metal drums will bo loaded to
transport the rare gas to the mam
moth hangar at Lakehurst.
There is sufficient gas on hand
at the plant to fill the order for the
ZR-3 and to reinflate the Shenandoah
when It ties up here at the moor
ing mast enroute to Lakehurst on
the last leg of its 9,000 mile trans
continental test flight.
The order for helium to- fnflute tha
ZR-3 likewise establishes definately
that the bureau of aeronautics dot*
not intend to perform a transfusion
operation on the Shenandoah, drain
ing Its helium to swell the gas bag*
of the ZR-3* as was first reverted.
Plans are being made to supply
the Shenandoah when it arrives here,
and It is expected the big ship will
anchor here two days to take on gas.
fuel and spplles.
New York Bank Employes
Form “White Collar” Union
New York, Oct. 20.—Ernest Rohm,
secretary of the Bookkeepers, Stenog
raphers and Accountants union, an
nounced that the Bankers Trust com
pany and the New York Trust com
pany, employing about 1,700 persons,
had granted their employes permis
sion to join the union. Bank officers.
howo\ er, would not confirm the an
nouncement.
Burns Prove Fatal to
Blind Wife of Invalid
Chicago, Oct. 20.—Mrs. Henry J.
Dericken, Evanston, died Sunday from
burns received Saturday evening
while cooking dinner for her invalid
husband. Mrs. Dericken was blind.
When her clothing caught fire she
rushed to her husband, wh •> was in
their lit le cigar store below their
home. A customer, C. C. Mci>ougaU,
extinguished the flames wh.le tha
helpiesa husband watched.
Advice to Suffering Women!
Springfield, Mo.—"I had a nervou#
breakdown and tried several remedies
without getting
any permanent
benefit from
them. I suffered
f r o m bloating,
chills and terrible
headaches. Final
ly, a lady advised
me to try Dr.
Pierce’s Favorite
Prescription; I
did so, and it
overcame the
trouble completely
aiiu x i i«i vc cnjoyea guou neaun ever
since. I advise all suffering women to
give Jhe 'Prescription' a fair trial.”—
Mrs. Bert Faulkner, 2069 Howard Ave.
Obtain this “Prescription” of your
nearest dealer, liquid or tablets: or send
10c to Dr. Pierce's Invalids’ Hotel in
Buffalo, N. Y., for trial pkg., and write
for free advice
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Vaseline
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The Dim Future
lie—Gladys has promised to marry
me when I am famous.
She—What a polite rejection!
Molasses Drop Cakes.
% cup butter
% cup of boiling water
1 cup molasses
1 level teaspoon soda
% level teaspoon Calumet Baking
Powder
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
% teaspoon salt
Flour for drop batter
Melt the butter In the boiling water
and add the molasses, then other in
gredients sifted together. Drop from
a spoon onto a greased baking tin,
having the cakes some distance apart.
Bake In a hot oven, 350 degrees F.
An Ideal mother is one who knows
which one to spank when all appear
equally guilty.
MU N YON’S
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