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.