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P BAeWm 8 Morniivj CHAPTER I. ( EADY TOZER adjusted her gold t rimmed eyeglasses with an | air of dignlfled aggressive- , uess. SHic lind lived too many , years In the far east. In Hongkong , elie was known as the "Mandarin." ] Her powers of merciless inquisition , suggested torments long drawn out. , The commander of the SLrdar, liome-' < ' ward bound from Shaughai, knew that i he was about to be stretched on the , k rack when he took his seat at the W snlcfB table. ' | "Is It true, captain, that we are run- ] ning Into a typhoon?" demanded her . ladyship. i "From whom did you learn that, La- 1 i dy Tozer?" Captain Itoss was wary, though somewhat surprised. "From Miss Deane. I understood her a moment ago to say that you had I told her." 17" I "Didn't you? Some one told me this morning. I couldn't have guessed It, ' I could I?" Miss Iris Deanc's large blue eyes surveyed him with Innocent in- I difference to strict accuracy. Inel- ' dentally she had obtained the Information from her maid, a nose tilted co- ' quette, who extracted ship's secrets ' from a youthful quartermaster. "Well?er?I had forgotten," explained the tactful sailor. ) "Is It true?" ' Lady Tozer was unusually abrupt , -w^ today. But she was annoyed by the I J assumption that the captain took a mere girl into his confidence and passed 1 over the wife of the ex-chief justice of Hongkong. | 1 "Yes, it is," said Captain Ross, equal- i Iy curt, and silently thanking the fates < thi In flf|lady8liIl> Was g0i,,ff h0lne f0r I tie Inst time. us?" chiuied in Iris. "Did i . suu?"U(1 ?Ut W,1C" y?U 8qnintp<l at tlic J The captain smiled. "You ni* nearer W II1.0 nt,ark tha" Possibly you imagine, < I Miss Deane." he said. "When we took I I our observations yesterday there was < | weird looking lialo nrouud the V sun Tills morning you may have no> f Heed several light squalls and a smooth . sea marked occasionally by stromr < I ' id?? n iT1i? baroi,lcter 13 'o?in? tap- I if the sky looks wild tonight, and es- 1 r? pcclally if we observe a heavy bank of ( cloud nppronching froui the northwest, you will see the crockery dancing about the table at dinner. I am afraid you are not a good sailor, Lady Tozer. Are yob, Miss Deane?" "Capital! I should Just love to see a real storm. Now promise me solemnly that you will take me up into the chart house when this typhoon is simply tearing things to pieces." "Oh, dear! I hope it will not ho very bad. Is there no way in which you can avoid it, captain? Will it last i ? long?" I * The politic skipper for once preferred Kto answer Lady Tozer. "There is no cause for* uneasiness," he said. "Of course typhoons in the China sea are nasty things while they last, but a ship like the Sirdar is not troubled by ? ? them. She will drive through the f worst gale she is likely to meet hero In less than twelve hours. Besides, I alter tlic course somewhat as soon as I i dlnrnrrr our position with regard tc C, its center." r* Then the commander hurriedly ex cased himself, and the passengers sn* f no more of Mm that day. IS Iler ladyship dismissed the topic a Ii' of no present interest and focused Mis If Deane through her eyeglasses. | "Sir Arthur proposes to come horn T ..?,ini.a??n,iy> sj,e inquired. /t ID J11111% & UUUviwvm.. Iris was n remarkably healthy youn woman. A large banana inoiucntari! engaged her attention. She nodd< affably. "You will stay with relatives un1 he airlves?" pursued Lady Tozer. "Relatives! We have none?no whom we specially cultivate?that I will stop In town a day or two Interview my dressmaker and then straight to Ilelmdale, our plade-> Yorkshire." "Siifcly you have a chaperon?" "A'chaperon! My dear Lady To? did my father Impress you as one v would permit a fussy and stout person to make my life miserable?" The ncltdty of the retort lay In word "stout." But Iris was not customed to cross examination. I Ing a three months' residence on island she had learned how to a1 11 ?imnn<w || I-ady Tozer. Here u W UB nu|/v?? 83 and the older woman fastened upon 0 asp-like. Miss Iris Deane was a to some morsel for gossip. Not yet V 1fi ty-one. the only daughter of a wen baronet who owned a fleet of sti fW t ins?the Sirdar among them?a who had been mistress of her fat , house since her return from Drc M three years ago?young, beautiful, Sip ?here was a combination for v T men thanked n judicious heaven, women sniffed enviously. Business detained Sir Arthur, i wdond overshadowed the two grei gijB L,j visions of the yellow race. lie ft wait to see how matters develop? A ' f ^phe^e would not expose Iris to tl m sldious treachery of a Chinese s W Sho was confided to the pe I charge of Captain Rom. At each - idFl-" &?:& '&::& ;vft&vv ^ v.^jwl gsofthej# , By LOUIS ftv&Sr Q TRACY f} Copyright. I90J. by &&&;! ^ Edward J. Clode giiiiSiggii) )f call the ompany's agents would be solicitous for licr walfurc. The cable's telegraphic eye would watch her progress as that of some princely maiden sailing in royal ^caravel. This fair, slender, well formed girl?delightfully English in fuce and figure? with licr fresh, clear complexion, limpid blue jyes and shining hair was a personage )f some importance. Lady Tozer knew these things and sighed complacently. "Ah, well," she resumed. "Parents liad different views when I was a girl. But I assume .Sir Arthur thinks you should become used to being your own mistress in view of your approaching marriage." "My?approaching?marriage I" cried Iris, now genuinely amazed. "Yes. Is it not true that you are going to marry Lord Vent nor?" A passing steward heard the point blank question. It had a curious effect upon him. lie gazed with fiercely eager eyes at Miss Deane and so far forgot himself as to permit a dish of water ice to rest against Sir John Tozer's bald head. Iris could not help noting his strange belinvlor. A flash of humor chased away her first angry resentment at Lady Tozer's interrogatory. "That may be my happy fate," she answered gnyly, "but Lord Ycntuor has not nsked me." "Every one says in Hongkong"? began her ladyship. "Confound you, you stupid rascal 1 What are yon doing?" shouted Sir John. His feeble nerves at last conveyed the Information Mint something more pronounced than a sudden draft affectwl his scalp; the ice was molting. ineideut amused those passengers who sat near enough to observe it But the chief steward, hovering watcb'"-V1!0 ca,,,aln'a taWe. darted forward. Paie with anger, he hissed: Iteport yourself for duty in the second saloon tonight." And he hustled rhairUb0rdlMnte "WHy from "'o judge's Miss Dearie, mirthfully radiant, rose Please don't punish the man, Mr. Jones, she said sweet 13*. "it was a sheer accident. lie was taken by suruilo.il,wouId have eniD, aot know exactly what had happened. Nevertheless, great though Sir John 1'ozer might be, the owner's daughter was greater. "Certainly, miss, certainly," he agreed, adding confidential!}'; "It is rather hard on a steward to be sent aft, miss. It makes such a difference in the?er?the little gratuities giver by the passengers." The girl was tactful. She smilct comprehension at the official and ben over Sir John, now carefully polisliini the hack of his skull with a table uai kiu. "I am sure you will forgive him, she whispered. "I can't sa3' WI13', hi the poor fellow was looking so intent! at me that he did not see what he wi doing." The ex-chlef justice was instant mollified. He did not mind the app cold ^ Ible, . . , up- trls could not help noting his 8 (0th_ behavior. tven- cation of ice in that way?rathe T??Ulr, lnn wna au ilttay' it, In rncr. nw?uv itcly hie to the fire in Miss Peanc's ej girl Suddenly the passengers still lier's experienced a prolonged sinking fflden tion, as if tho vessel had been e rich ed into a gigantic lift. Tliej vhich pressed hard Into their chairs, while creaked and tried to swing arc their pivots. As the ship ylclde t war to the sea a whiff of spray at di- through an open port, must "There!" snapped her lad.vsl 1, but knew we should run into a ntoi te in- Captain Ross led us to believeprlng. take me to my cabin at once." rsonal From the promenade deck i point less groups watched the rapid I of the gale. There was mournful speculation upon the Sirdar's chances of reaching Singapore before the next evening. | Iris stood somewhat apart from the other passengers. The wind had freshened, and her hat was tied closely over her ears. She leaned against the tufifrail, enjoying the eool breeze after hours of sultry heat. The sky was cloudless yet, but there wan o queer tinge of burnished copper in the all pervading sunshine. The sea was coldly blue. The life had gone out of it It was no longer inviting and translucent. Long sullen undulations swept noiselessly past the ship. Once after a steady climb up a rolling bill of water the Sirdar quickly pecked at the succeeding valley, and the propeller gave a eouplo of angry flaps on the surface, while a tremop ran through the stout iron rails on which the girl's urms rest oil. The crew were hnsv too. Souads of Lascars raced about, industriously obedient to the short shrill whistling of Jemadars and quartermasters. Boat lashings were tested and tightened, canvas awnings stretched across the deck forward, ventilator cowls twisted to new angles and hatches clumped down over the wooden gratings that covered the holds. Officers, spotless in white linen, flitted quietly to and fro. When the watch was changed Iris noted that the "chief" appeared in an old blue suit and carried oilskins over his arm as he climbed to the bridge. Nature looked disturbed and fitful, and the ship responded to her mood. There was a sense of preparation In the air, of coming ordeal, of restless foreboding. Chains clanked with a noise the girl never noticed before; the tramp of hurrying men on the hurricane deck overhead sounded heavy and hollow. There was a squeaking of chairs that was abominable when people gathered up books and wraps and staggered ungracefully toward the companion way. Altogether Miss Deaue was not wholly pleased with the preliminaries of a typhoon, whatever the realities might be. Why did that silly old woman allude to her contemplated marriage to Lord Veutnor, retailing the gossip of Hongkong with such malicious emphasis? For an instant Iris tried to shako the railing in comic anger. She hated Lord Veutnor. She did not want to marry him or anybody else just yet. Of courso her father had hinted approval of his lordship's obvious intentions. Countess of Veutnor! Yes, it was a nice title. Still she wanted another couple of years of careless freedom. In any event why should Lady Tozer pry and probe? Ami flually, why did the stewardoh, poor old Sir John! What would "ti,c,icc h:,j siw Captain Boss' "heavy bank of cloud In the northwest" had put In an np pea ranee. Ha! There It was, black, ominous, | gigantic, rolling up over the horizon i like some monstrous football. Around ; it the sky deepened Into purple, fringed > with n wide belt of brick red. She lmd 1 never seen such a beginning of a gale. From what she had read In books she 1 imagined that only In great deserts t were clouds of dust generated. There g could not be dust in the dense pall now >- rushing with giant strides across the treinbliug sea. Then what was It? " Why was It so dark and menacing? it And where was desert of stone and ly sand to compare with this awful exis pause of water? What a small dot was this great ship on the visible sur ly face! But the ocean Itself extendet li- away beyond there, reaching out to th< infinite. The dot became a mere speck w undistiuguishable beneath a eelestin J microscope such as the gods migb j condescend to use. S Iris shivered and aroused diersel ? with a startled laugh. _ The lively fanfare of the dinne - trumpet fniled to fill the saloon. E this time the Sirdar was fighting res ** lutely ngalust a' stiff gale. But tl = stress of actual combat was better thi the eerie sensation of impending da |inil1SI rpi jjy ger during tne eiimci uv,*...,. strong, hearty pulsations of the c ft gines, the regular thrashing of t 1 screw, the steadfast onward plungi v of the good ship through racing a* and flying scud, were cheery, confid( and inspiring. Miss Deane justified her boast tl pi;? she was an excellent sailor. f W&i'i smiled delightedly at the ship's s geon when he caught her eye throt |pi tlie many gaps in the tables. She \ alone, so he Joined her. "You arc n credit to the compar quite a sea king's daughter," ho 6n "Doctor, do you talk to all your 1 passengers in that way?" . "Alas, no! Too often I can onlj truthful when I am dumb." Iris laughed. "If I remain lonf tills ship I will certainly have my 1 turned," she cried. "I receive not but compliments from the cai down to?to"? "The doctor!" i ante ?^0 Y0U come a good second oi list." '"df In vcry trutl1 9he Wft9 thinking o cop f?nrrvinff steward and his i rpu ,v"v "" "w " . start of surprise at the announce sen a 1)or rum0r0(j engagement. The unpen. ? 0 Interested her. He looked like a b: onvertdown gentleman. Her quick eyes " ohnl around the saloon to discov* \v lilcn . whereabouts. She could not sec The chief steward stood near, b ' .s . ^ Ing himself in apparent defiance i as ipt jaws Gf gravitation, for the shl] . now pitching and rolling with i 1 Y . zeal. For an instant she meant rm' . 0 quire what had become of tbo gressor, but she dismissed the tl .. ,. . ut its inception. The matter w trivial. 1 With wlW stvoop all tbo BhrMbbi I Pro By a Reco You are banking other fertilizer is so u harvest. Don't take crop. It is the leadii w It has been prov< Fish and Animal 111c ?4.*? ? *vi LUiiwu. i liiiBffllriiii ? ?!zL B F. S. ROYSTI Columbia, S. C. y/ fcw/ V glasses and cutlery on the saloon tables crashed to starboard. Were it not for the restraint of the fiddles everything must have been swept to the floor. There wore one or two minor accidents. A steward, taken unawares, was thrown headlong on top of his laden tray. Others were compelled to clutch the bucks of chairs and cling to pillars. One man involuntarily seized the hair of a lady who devoted an hour before each meal to her coiffure. The Sirdar with a frenzied bound tried to turn a somersault. "A change, of course,observed the doctor. "They generally try to avoid fttrViVC gonVg" on tub Starboard ta SC'l'iuust Uurry up uud go ou dock," 8ai.you umu'dho wo to go on dock until the morning." She turned on liim impetuously, deed I will. Captain Rosa promised me?that is, I asked him"? The doctor smiled. She was so charmingly iusistent! "It is simply impossible," lie suid. "The companion doors are bolted. The promenade deck is swept by heavy seas every minute. / boat has been carried nway, and sev eral stanchions snapped off like cat rots. For the first time in your lift Miss Donne, you are battened down." The girl's face must have paled som< L what, lie added hastily: "There is 11 ' danger, you know, but these preeni ' tions are neeessary. You would in 0 like to see several tons of water rus' j lug down the saloon stairs; now, won you?" "Decidedly not." Then, after a pans "It is not pleasant to be fastened up a great iron box, doctor. It remin one of a huge cofiin." :r "Not a bit. The Sirdar is tlie sab ^ ship atloat. Your father has alwii ?* pursued a splendid policy in that 10 sport. The London and Ilongkc in company may not possess fast vessi ,n' but they are seaworthy and well foi 10 in every respect." ^ "Are there many people ill ~ uoaru. ng as No; just the usual number of ;n? turbed livers. "NYo had n nasty a dent shortly before dinner." lat "Good gracious! What happened She "Some Lascars were caught by a forward. One man had his leg h ken." vng "Anything else?" The doctor hesitated. He bee (V_ Interested in the color of some gundy. "I hardly know the exne a(j'_ tails yet." ho replied. "Tomorrow cr breakfast 1 will tell you all r r be lt* An English quartermaster and , on I.ascars had been licked from of lend forecastle by the greedy tongue hlng f huge wave. The succeeding surge )taln I he five men back against the qu j One of the black sailors was p aboard with a fractured leg and 1 the Injuries. The others were sir | against the iron hull and disapp f . j For one tremulous moment t! gines slowed. The ship common lueer veer off Into the path of the c; ment Captain Ross set his teeth, and tl man grf,ph ix?ll jangled "Full speed a roken "i?oor Jackson!" he murmured trav- hPat niPn \ remember er bis kj,. Wjfe> n prettly little woma i him. two children coming to meet h' alunc- homeward trip. They will 1>< of the Again. Good God! That Lasc ? was was saved has aoine one to aw i mad jn a Bombay village, I suppose, to in- The captain fought his way trans- chart house. lie wiped the sal sought from his eyes and looked anxi< as too the barometer. "Still falling!" he muttered, plates, keep on until 7 o'clock and tl / * ved the Best Fertili rd of Twenty Year on experience when 3*011 fertilize with ,'ell balanced in the plant food supplied a substitute. Farmers' Bone has no e ig fertilizer of the South. orks Freely In Any Dri iti b\r over twenty-one \*ears of succes; itter is superior to an\' other known Farmers' Bone is the fertilizer MADE WITH FISH X BECAUSE IT GROWS -1,600 TONS CROPS 2,000 TONS 8,455 TONS \ 3,091 TONS\ fj rjyl U liy | II vDk IB \?9ft Mk three points to t lie southward. Py | midnight we should be bcliiud it." He struggled back Into the outside fury. l$y comparison ttm sturdy citadel ho quitted was paradise on the edge of an inferno. Down in the suloon the hardier passengers were striving to subdue the ennui of an interval before they sought their cabins. Sonic talked. One hardened reprobate strummed the piano. Others played cards, chess, draughts anything that would distract attention. The stately apartment offered strange ] contrast to the warring elements with- j classes?these surroundings suggested a floating palace in which the raging i seas were deflcd. Yet forty miles away, somewhere in the furious depths. foiu^ f?m nses swirled about with horrlbh uncertainty, lurching through battling uncenui ntkrnUMico convoyed by currents t,v.v fighting sharks. The surgeon bad been called away. Iris was the only lady left in the saloon. She watched a set of whist playJ ers for a time nud then essayed the 4 perilous passage to her stateroom. She 1 found her maid and a stewardess there. Both women were weeping. "What Is the matter?" she iuqulred. The stewardess tried to speak. She choked with grief and hastily wont out. Tho maid blubbered an cxplaua? tlon. ^ "A friend of hers was married, mis*, . to the man who Is drowned." I(1 "Drowned! Whatman?" "Haven't you heard, miss? I sunpose they are keeping It quiet. An English sailor and some natives were .u swept off the ship by a sea. One native ( s was saved, but he is all smashed up. The others were never seen again." Iris l>y degrees learned the sad chronicles of tho Jackson family. Sh< ~ was moved to tears. She rememberer pjk the doctor's hesitancy and her owi nuj Idle phrase, "a huge coffin." Outside tho roariDg waves pounde on upon the Iron walls. Two staterooms had been eonverte .. Into one to provide Miss Denne wit uia* ample accommodation. There were i lC0'" bunks, but a cozy bed was screwed iif the deck. She lay down and strove read. It waft a difficult task. II sea eycs wandered from the printed pa ?" to mark the absurd antics of her g; incuts swinging on their hooks, times the ship rolled so far that s . nine MUre must topple over. She w Itlir" not afraid, but subduoil, ra'ner a?u 1 <le ished, placidly prepared fur vat ,H * eventualities. 'bout Things were ridiculous. What in was there for all this external fu four ^yi,y should poor sailors be cast fu T 11)0 to instant death in such awful 111 of a |lcro if si,e could only sleep and dung g0t_if kind oblivion would blot out jartcr. 8tonn for n f0w blissful hours! itched jjow could one sleep with the conscl* other uess of tkftt watery giant thundc lashed gummons upon the iron plate eared. few incbcs away? lie on- Then came the blurred picture of < iced to tniu I(oss illgi, up on the bridge i pclone. |ug lnto tjie moving blackness. 1 1C strange that there should be liiddc ?.nT *'ie convolutions of a man's brai I* "One intelligence that laid bare the seeing tenses of that ravenous demon wit n, and Gf the ship's officers, the Im Inst . > there mnn(le1, nio'? tlinn the others, n nr who st0(Ml thc ""''J' the wherefj ntt him tll,s h!uster:n;, combination of ? and sea. 1:' !*' *.? tl.o lan.pia to thc Pf1'?1"' N,,!v v s ' 'U ;v* up a t water " >usly ut ^ h . . ? i. < ?. mandril n | ?> > ; to tons "I will 8hove nway m: ten force tliu ien bear *? J'011 OVO!' now funny N TT? s' Success I Farmers' Hone. No H from sowing time to H fijjsSS^^L &kBb( llsi^ iISBj^ nSSSBft v \ v J3PP3S Hifc T / j|HH >ig cloud should travel up against the iVlml! And so, amid confused wonlei'incnt, she lapsed into an uneasy dumber, her last sentient thought bcng a quiet thankfulness that the screw went thud, thud, thud, thud, ivith such determination. After the course was changed and Hie Sirdar bore away toward the south* ivost the commander consulted the barometer each half hour. The telltale mercury had sunk over two inches In Lwolvc hours. The abnormally Jow pressure quickly created dense clouds, pelting scu.l. The engines thrust the vessel forward like a lance ^to_th? vitals of the storm. Wind ana ivmc gushed out of the vortex with impotent fury. At last soon after midnight the barometer showed a slight upward movement. At 1:30 a. m. the change became pronounced. Simultaneously the wind swung round a point 10 the westward. Then Captain Ross smiled wearily. His face brightened, lie opened his oilskin coat, gianeed at the compass and nodded approval. Then ho turned j to consult a chart. lie was joined by ' the chief olllcer. Iloth men examined the chart in silence. Captain Ross finally took a pencil. , lie stabbed its point on tho paper in the neighborhood of 11 degrees north and 112 degrees east. "We are about there. I think." The chief agreed. "That was tho locality I had in my mind." lie bent closer over the sheet. "Nothing in tho way tonight, sir," he added. I "Nothing whatever. It is a bit of 1 good luck to meet such weather here. I We can keep as far south as we like 1 until daybreak, and by that time^ I IIow did it look when you came In?" t "A trillo bettor, I think." j "1 have sent for some refreshments. II tft ns have another look before we tackle them." d The two officers passed out Into the h hurricane. Instantly the wiiul cudeav10 ored to tear the chart house frpni off the dock. They looked aloft and ahead. to The ollicor on duty saw thorn and nodor (led silent comprehension. It was useless to attempt to speak. The weather ,r* was perceptibly clearer. Then all three peered ahead again. '10 They stood, pressing against the wind, as seeking to penetrate the murkiucss in ,n* front. Suddenly they were galvanized ,ue into strenuous activity. A wild howl came from the lookout L>C1^ forward. The eyes of the three men r,N ' glared at a huge dismasted Chinese 1 junk wallowing helplessly in the 'iU1* trough of the sea dead under the bows. 1()I The captain sprang to the chart house 1 10 and signaled in fierce pantomime that 11 the wheel should be put hard over, ous- The officer in charge of the bridge ? pressed the telegraph lever to "stop" 8 n and "full speed astern." while with his disengaged hand he pulled hard at the siren cord, and a raucous warning sent .'f01' stewards flying through the ship to u close collision bulkhead doors. The n in /i01.f.n,i t() pCr| rnjjt f0r 0 Vi'iv i i 11. i) an sirdnr'B Instant response to the helm 'MC" seemed to elear her nose from tbo liout! jun|; |f ],y magic. com- |^ nll happened so quickly that while inder- ^|u, hoarse signal was still vibrating re of through the ship the Junk swept past w'm' her quarter. The chief olllccr. joined now by the commander, looked clown huge jn(0 tj10 wretc]<ed craft. They could see her crew lashed in a bunch around It i'e- the capstan on her elevated poop. She itun.ly 2 that* a Continued on page 0. ii r