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About The Omaha morning bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927 | View Entire Issue (April 22, 1923)
words clipped from their lips by the fury of the wind; gasping and spluttering as the spindrift cut them in the teeth. "night—if you can get the men to try." The mate shouted, men appeared. There were no melo dramatic speeches; when volunteers were called for the response was immediate. The difficulty was to select, not to persuade. '—.... "Through you wasn't never goin' to start, sir,” said one deckhand. "My feet was gettin’ colder an' colder wl' waitin'. Here's one for a start." Brentwood summoned engineers, and carpenter: there were quick discussions. Yea, there was oil available, plenty of It. • With one. druniful trickling out of the for ward scupper, and another aft, a film could be spread over the sea that would still the greatest fury of the ravening combers. "Right: go when you're ready,” said Brentwood, wishing that his duty did not pin him to the bridge. The sailor in him clamored for per mission to join fortunes with the stalwarts who were risking every thing in obedience to the blessed sea call. The husband in him was for the nonce forgotten; as it remained forgotten what time he threw the . laboring Wanama closer and closer to the wreck. His brain was exer cised with a thousand intricate prob lems. and he wared not think of Maisie lest he lose his nerve. He forced himself to an utter detach ment of mind and soul, concentrat ing every energy on the salvation of the wreck’s crew. After a while of preparation a signal was sent to the wreck, indi cating that rescue was now to be attempted. The answer wns an other flaring tar barrel, to serve as a guide in the bellowing blackness. Across the uncertain yellow gleftm thrown on the water the Wamima's life boat sot out. It was a good boat —one of the best, easily capable of holding the entire crew of an aver age windjammer. There would not be more than five and twenty of them at the most; sailing ships were economically manned. And, although certain of the M'ariama's men were suffering from crushed fingers, gain ed when the bout was being lowered, their hearts were sound, Thev pulled like the heroes they were, and Brentwood stared at the dancing trifle, his throat parched, his eyes hot as though live coals were blaz ing their sockets “It can't be done,’’ he said. "I'm u fool to try it—a damned- fool!" The flame of light burned out. dark ness feli again, so that it was onl> possible to imagine what was trail spiring outboard “If we'd only a searchlight—! Get an oil cask on deck and light it— they must have light!” But before the blaze showed on the Wanama's deck fresh light appeared on the wreck, it increased, tt faded out and leaped up again. The golden track appeared afresh across the oil smoothed wuter: the lifeboat, look ing like a distorted spider, was appreciably nearer. Then the boat was lost to sight in the shadows, until a monstrous Mash of lightning revealed It again struggling desperately, nearer to thi wreck's stern. But it was growing toward full daylight before the laden boat left the sodden wreck. Thin sugges tions of the dawn showed under the cloud banks; the surrounding sea was revealed in ail its wildness There was no comfort to he gained from the outlook: the storm hud not yet blown itself out. Brentwood had prayed for light; now he felt disposed to pray for a continuance of the blackness, that imagination might breed a hope that reality sneered at. * Broad daylight now; and th Wanamu moving down to leeward of the wreck,, in order to pick up the boat. A laden boat, this, as viewed through the spray dimmed glasses, a squelching, sodden boat, pursued by high running gray backs that poised terribly above the trifle, that fell and smothered it with far flung spume, that receded to show the gallant craft still alive the oars moving spasmodically, men baling—haling like demons! Increasing daylight; with trivial rifts showing between the lowering clouds, and u single heatrening ray of sunlgiht striking a note of liopo across the gray and tortured im mensity of the sea. The boat wus coining—it had won. "God, look at,the wreck!” The second mate gripped the captain's arm, and through the crash and i iamor of storm Brentwood could hear the uncontrolled chattering of his teeth. He turned ami Jtared. he felt suddenly sick For the wreck was going—going fast Wave after wave broke over her; she was like a rock attacked by a wind hounded tide. Spray enveloped her; she emerged, to disappear again'. Then her stern, that had been hammered pitilessly by the tar.gled wreckage overside, sank deeper, her how lift ed—lifted. A greater wave roared on; it sprang exultingly; it fell. In the whirl and smother the ship went down. One b yono the survivors weie hauled aboard the Wanama. This in Itself was no light work, but by comparison with what had gone be fore it was child’s play. They came to deck gasping, cursing, praying, according to how their emotions seized them; they were hurried be low to the comfort of hot blankets and steaming soup and coffee, for once he had determined on the at tempt Brentwood had spared no single precaution. The mjn of the Wanama, aided by the stout hearts amongst the windjammer’s crew, attempted to salvo the worthy boat, hut it was hurled against the steamer's plates und crushed like an eggshell in the effort; the men who had remained below to book on the tackles came scrambling up the swiftly thrown lines like drowned ruts. A hard-faced man. gray, with salt weariness showing in his eyes, gained the Wanama's bridge and extended a hand to Capt. Brent wood. "It was good work,” he said thickly. "Good work—thought you'd abandoned us. Don’t know that I’d have blamed you if you had." He coughed, his hold on Brentwood’s hand tightened. "You’ve done better than—” He evi dently intended to say more, but instead lie pitched heavily against the Wanama’s captain, slid down him. and collapsed unconscious o.t the streaming deck. "Look after her," Brentwood told the second mate. “Go your course again; full speed ahead. I'll look after him.” ' He was a strong man, and without ado he gathered up the limp, thin figure In his arms and staggered down the ladder. There were several men in the saloon, gathered about the snapping fire In the stove, and to them Brent wood passed the wreck's captain. He hail remembered Maisie now; he was aching with eagerness to spend every minute he could snatch with her knowing in his own mini that she must die. Those precious hours spent in rescue must have swung the balance to the side of death. "Let me look at him,” he heard one of the men in the saloon say, us h“ stumbled into his own cabin. Maisie was again asleep; but there was now a smile—a pain-free smile on her pallid lips. "I want to give you my thanks,’’ said that man who had spoken in the saloon, rising and extending a thin, delicate hand. "I am proud to know you. captain. Men like you are a credit to tjie sea. Capt. Wedgeworth is corning round—he was fatigued only. The responsi bility. you know-” He dissolved into platitures which Brentwood hardly heard. "It was touch and go," Brent wood said. "I'm glad we managed to get you In time. Mr.——" • "I am Sir Thomas Littlejohn, cap tain. A passenger in the Wildfowl. Advised to take a long sea 'voyage for my health—and although this hah been a try ing experience. I am a strong man again." Brentwood gasp-d. * ^ ^ "You're Sir Thomas Llftlejohn? You're-” He realized, like a man emerging from a trance, that his hand was grasj»ed by the most fa mous surgeon of the day. The name of Thomas Littlejohn rang down surgical history like a bugle call: a man who was as nearly Infallible as man could be; a man almost di vine in his power of healing, "Yes; and I owe you my life why, man—you're 111, too." Brent wood's hand was at his throat, be cause of the choking there. "No, no. Not me—my wife. She's dying—” As the surgeon emerged from the cabin a strong waft of chloro form accompanied him. He laid a basin on the saloon table grid com menced to wash and dry the instru ments methodically. "Well?” asked Brentwood, claw ing at his arm. "I think—1 hope she will live, my friend. So far as I can see the operation lias been successful. Done under difficulties, eh? I've never worked under sqgh condi tions; but— what have I seen of life? Your instruments are medie val, captain—but your second mate is a born anesthetist. As cool as a jucumber—never saw such nerve. You sailonnen stagger me. The bigger the emergency the bigger your pluck. It's wonderful! I think I must have learned something from you and the sen. Otherwise I'd never have attempted to oper ate under such conditions. As it iS—get hold of yourself, captain! I’ll w'ager my professional reputa tion that your wife will live, al ways excepting complications, and I see no reason why they should arise. Hold up. man!" “You—man—you—mean?” gulped Brentwood thickly, still clawing at the surgeon's arm. Sir Thomas I.ittlejohn tapped Brentwood's sleeve with ihe half of the foreceps that he had just, wiped. There was a note of solemnity in his voice as he said: "I mean that.it was a question of hours, my friend. Twenty four at the outside. She couldn't have lived longer—it was impossible. How long before we make our port?" “A week, at the l«»t we can 'lo,” said Brentwood. He laid his fore head on his arms as the b-g sobs shook him. , ■ -■ ' 1 " I ARE YOU SANE OR DO YOU PADDLE A CANOE? - -By O. O. MrlNTYKK \ ' Miss Phonia Finchclinch. my sec retary. remarked casually the other morning. “Vou have an appoint ment at 3 this afternoon to go canooing.” Miss Finchclineli is no longer with me. I have stood for a lot from her. She is of. an ultra modern secre tarial school. She believes bosses should be bossed and would have insisted I keep the date with my canoe. She came to me highly recom mended. There were fulsome let ters from Harding. Schwab, Kin stein, the Shuberte, the Smith Hrothers and many others. She must have had great fun writing them. She always breezed In—sliding on one foot, kittenish like—-with a lively story. Her last one con cerned the scientist who had suc ceeded In crossing a silk worm with a garter snake for the purpose of breeding silk garters. Still she kept her job. I'm broad minded that wa y. Hut only recently T told her very emphatically that as a canoeist I had flipped my last paddle. There was a metallic Intonation about my voice. She might have known ttmt I meant It. —-' Ah, a Dinner Party. I don't know exactly who it was talked me into attempting to learn to puddle a canoe. I went to a lit tle dinner party one night and we all drank a lot of thick black Turk ish coffee—It must have been fiend ish stuff—but I didn't notide it at the time. \ I .remember giving the cab driver his plug hat in front of my hotel. We had playfully exchanged head gear and to continue the spirit of pranklshness I rode the horse home. All of this la clear In my mind. Hut the next day two men in working clothes rapped at the door carrying what looked like a coffin wrapped in brown paper. “Here is your canoe!” said one, deftly taking a cigar from my coat pocket. “What canoe for who?" 1 said a bit perturbed. The cigar was one out of the good box in my desk. "The one you ordered from Mr. rilnus last night.” “O.” t said—for Indeed 1 remem bered Mr. Qlnus at the dinner puity. He w%g the one who told me 1 was almost a Caruso when we sung but I was under the Impres sion he told me he was a church steeple salesman or sold sky lights. Well, anyway, If you have a canoe there Is only one thing I know to do and that is paddle it. So I had It carted up to a float moored along the Hudson. The r.uofe of the canoe was "Hklpllglit ly.” Jokers, those canoe namers. •Inst Hike tlie Pictures. The afternoon was warm. Al ready bronzed young men In bath Ing togs were skimming over the rippling surface. Some of them had fair young passengers whose deli cate white ha mis trailed in the clear water just as It Is in the sum mer resort illustrations. It all looked so easy. One Just stepping on a banana peel—only quicker. When an attendant grabbed me under the arm pits anil pulled me l>ack on the float the canoe was on its aide drifting lazily southward with the puddle in close pursuit. “I put my ranitr into tin* wat«*r anil slipprd in—up to iny nwk." had to sit quietly In the canoe and with deft strokes go far from the madding throng. I wondered if I would have time to make Albany before breakfast. you know— sur prise the wife. I put my canoe Into the water and stepped in—up to my neck. The thing was greased on the bottom or something. Stepping int^i a canoe unless you know how is just like A friendly canoeist retrieved both. I laughed—one of those high pitched ha lm haish laughs one executes when he discovers that be has insulted Jack Dempsey by mistake. Murh IMefniinafion. The plunge had set my teelh rattling as though they were well oiled ensanets, but I had started out canoeing and I was going to do It if they found my puffed body float ing off Hatteras. The attendant—Pete was his name, if you are a glutton for de tails—held the ranoe by the nose this time and I seated myself. "Heady," yelled Pete. "Let ’ec go!" I called cheerily, and with a certain daredevil sang froid. The cano» shot out across the water. Then I learned something else about canoeing. In order properly to canoe you must have a paddle. I had carelessly left "S'klp lightly's" first aid on the float. There was nothing to do but wait results. I drifted intn another canoeist and told the operator, paddler or whatever he was, that I hadn't a paddle. He towed me back to the flodt, Peter handed over the paddle and gave me another shove. It seemed to me it was a rather nasty shove, too. So I reached out with my paddle and began to paddle. At first I made more butterfly strokes and emboldened by uiy succesb t>egnn to dip the paddle deep. Refore I knew I was executing a circle. It was Just like a merrygo round ami I was growing dlxsty. I <|iilt paddling and lighted a clguret. The canoe was drifting down the river. Rut I liad made up my mind I would not yell for help again. Wherever I drifted It didn't mutter. You get that way when everything goes wrong for a long, long tithe. I finally looked around and right In my path was a huge. Iron gray battle ship coming up the river. I never saw a battleship look so big. A lot of little tugs all around be gnu to toot tlielr whistles*. I could see some sailors on one of the decks waving flags and I decided something hail to lie dene. I stuck the paddle In the water and Is'g.in pushing sideways. 1 felt I was moving and 1 was and soon I was out of the cruiser's path. j Scientific Fact of General Interest A telephone transmitter has been Invented, for use In noisy places, that Is held against the throat In stead of In front of the lips, elimi nating outside sounds from the wire. _ A method of photographing the bruin of a living person without uf feeding the health of the pHtlcnt lias been discovered at the Univer sity hospital In Philadelphia, Pa, In cold storage plants the cold produced by means of ammonia Is equal to 50,000 tons of Ice consumed dally. fif (he 35,500 applications for pat ents taken out In Kn gland In o r year, a large percentage wen- t,.nd* by women. Women outnumbered men with inventions for the home. The largest telescope In the world in being constructed at fit. Albans for the Nioolaieff observatory In Russia. When complete the appara tus will weigh nine tons. A machine has been developed that automatically fills cartons with a measured amount of loo cream. Ilricks of one, two or three flavors can be made. A new electric treatment of pneu monia "like placing a mustard plas ter Inside the lung" has been sue (■••ssfully applied on nine patients In New i’ork. The making of a set of good Ivory billiard ballB requires the Joint lfihor of half a doxen experts Waterproof paint. giving an enamel finish, ha* been Invented that dries In Itnlf an hour. A European scientist has discov ered that there Is aluminum in small quantities In desert plants. Scientific researches conducted by the Bureau of Standards, hi Wash ington, I). C., cost approximately 1*1.000,000 a year. Tads to he worn on a thumb and finger, connected by a short strap, have been Invented to give a golfer firmer grip on bis clubs. Vacuum clothes brushes have been Invented for use In homes and bar tier shops. There was a little tug nearby ard I yelled to the mate. “Come and get me," I called. “I got cramp* In my arms.-' He threw out a rope and pulled me up alongside. In getting out of the canoe a backward swing of my foot sent the canoe off again. I don’t know where it is but I know where I hope it went. Ar.d I hope it’s hotter there than usual. Home In a Taxi. Here I was almost down to Four teenth street in a bathing suit. They say New Tork does not notice you whatever you wear but that dW'nt encourage me to go home in ths subway ut the rush hour in a built in suit. The little tug put me off at a warehouse where there Was a tele phone and I ordered a taxicab The starter at my hotel got me an over coat and I sneaked In the back way —where all the help comes In. “Did you enjoy your canoeing?'* inquired the Mrs. “Enjoy it? Why I could just die canoeing." I replied—and I added, "I'm going again on Friday." Miss Finchlinch overheard the conversation, made the memoran dum and that is why she lost her job. Mv respect for the American In dian is greater than ever. When you think how they used to shoot over rapids In their frail birch canoes you begin to think that Edison. Henry Ford and a lot of others haven’t accomplished any thing. I-lke motion picture*. real achievement Is just in its Infancy. fCopyrisht. lilt.) Hoic F. volyn Fooled Doctor.« It ith Her Hot If nter Buff. tt'irnttnunl From l*sc« One) pressure upon the legs or buck ap parently Increased the pain. Tits same conditions existed at a sec ond examination two weeks inter, und there was little change Jfc an examination three months later. At the trial a year later site walked with evident distress and hud to be helped up to the witness chair Hut when a photograph showing her swimming ut n beach resort tt few days after the second examination waa shown In court she Jumped off the witness chair und ran out of the court room. Usually the malinger whose only symptom is pain will Jump at the physician’s suggestions localising the site of pain and he will sud denly find that It hurts where a few minutes before the physician's pressure produced no |«Un Huooossftil malingering requires greater skill and Intelligence than successful rrlme. for the malinger tr always behind the physician In Ills knowledge of disease ind its symptoms.
