CHAPTER L EADY TOZER adjusted her gold rimmed eyeglasses with aii air of dignified aggressive - nessi She had lived too many years ia the far east. In Hongkong she j was known as the "Mandarin.' ' Her powers of merciless inquisitioi: suggested* torments long drawn out. The. commander of the . Sirdar, home .ward bound from Shanghai, knew that be was about to be stretched on the rack when he took his seat at the saloon table. "Is it true, captain, that we are run gftirtg into a typhoon?" demanded ber . ladya'iip. id you find out when you squinted at the -smir The captain smiled. ?'Yon are nearer the mark than possibly yon imagine, Miss Deane." he said. "When we took our observations yesterday there was a very weird looking halo around the jsan. This morning you may have no? ticed several light squalls and a smooth ?ea, marked occasionally by strong cripples. The barometer is falling rap? idly, and I expect that as the day .wears we will encounter a heavy swelL If the sky looks wild tonight, and es? pecially if we observ? a heavy -bank of ??tend approaching from the northwest, yon will see the crockery dancing about the table at dinner. I am afraid yon are not a good sailor, Lady Tozer. Are you, Miss Deane V "?apita?! I should just love to see a teal 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 be very bad. Is there no way in yhich you can avoid'it% captain? WJH it last long?" Jjl The politic skipper for once preferred to answer Lady Tozer. "There is no cause for uneasiness," he said. "Of course typhoons in the Cliina sea are nasty things while they last, but \ a ship Kke the Sirdar is not troubled by them. She will drive through the worst gale* she is likely to meet here in less than twelve hours. Besides, I alter the course somewhat as soon as I discover our position with regard to* its center/.': . Then the commander hurriedly ex? cused himself, and the passengers saw co more of him that day. Her ladyship ''dismissed the topic as of no present interest and f ocused Miss Pean? through her eyeglasses. "Sir Arthur proposes to come home in June, I understand?' she inquired. Iris, was a remarkably healthy young ? woman. A large banana momentarily engaged her attention. She nodded1 affably. "Yon will stay with relatives until tie arrives*?" pursued Lady Tozer. "Relatives! We have none-none Tcham we specially cultivate-that is. I wm. stcjp in town a day ,or two to interview my dressmaker and then go straight to Hehndale, our place in Yorkshire." "Surely you lia ve a chaperon r "A chaperon! My dear Lady Tozer, did my father impress you as one who would permit a fussy and stout old person to make my life miserable?" The acidity of the retort lay in the word "stout" Bot Iris was not ac; castomed to cross examination. Dur? ing a three months* residence on the Island she had learned how tu avoid jLady Tozeiv Here it was impossible, and the older woman fastened upon her asp-like. Miss Iris Deane was a tooth? some morsel for gossip. Not #et twen? ty-one, the only daughter of a wealthy baronet who owned a fleet of stately ships-the Sirdar among them-a girl who" had been "mistress of ITeF father's house since her return from Dresden .three years ago-young, beautiful, rich -here was a .combination for which men thanked a judicious heaven, while ? women skiffed enviously. Business detained Sir Arthur. A war | cloud overshadowed the two great di? visions of the yellow race. He must wait to see how matters developed, but lie would not expose Iris to the in? sidious treachery of a Chinese spring. She was confided to the personal charge of Captain Ross. At each point gs of the 4 By LOUIS TRACY Copyright. 1903. by Edward J. Clode i of call the company's agents would be j solicitous for her walfare. The cable's j telegraphic eye would watch her prog j ress as that of some princely maiden j sailing in royal caravel. This fair, j slender, well formed girl-delightfully ? English in face and figure-with her ?fresh, clear complexion, limpid blue j eyes and shining hair was a personage of some importance. Lady Tozer knew these things and sighed complacently. "Ah, well," she Resumed. "Parents had different views when I was a girl. But I assume Sir Arthur thinks yon I should become used to being your own I mistress in view of your approaching, j marriage." , "My-approaching-marriage I" cried Iris,.: now genuinely amazed. > . "Yes. Is it not true that you are ?1 going to marry Lord Ventnor?" I . . A passing steward-heard the point ! ? blank question. f It had? a curious effect upon him. He gazM 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 'behavior. A flash of humor chased away* "her nrst "angry resentment at Lady Tozer's interrogatory. "That may be my happy fate," she answered gayly, "but Lord Ventnor has not asked me." "Every one says in Hongkong"- be? gan her ladyship. "Confound you, you stupid rascal! What are you doing?" shouted Sir John. His feeble nerves at last conveyed the information that something more pro? nounced than a sudden draft affect? ed his scalp; ttie ice was melting. The incident amused those passen? gers who sat near enough to observe it But the chief steward, hovering watch? ful near the captain's table, darted for? ward. 'Pale with anger, he hissed: "Report yourself for duty in the sec? ond saloon tonight" And he hustled ins subordinate away from the judge's benair. Miss Deane, mirthfully radiant, rose. "Please don't punish the man, Mr. Jones," she said sweetly. "It was a sheer accident He was taken by sur? prise. In his place I would have emp? tied the whole dish." The chief steward smirked. He did not know exactly what had happened. Nevertheless, * great though Sir John Tozer might be, the owner's daughter was greater. "Certainly, miss, certainly," he agreed, adding, confidentially: "It is rather hard on a steward to be sent aft, miss. It makes such a difference-1 in the-er-the little gratuities given by the passengers." The girl was tactful. Sh# smiled comprehension at the official and bent over Sir Joli?, now car?f?lly~porishuig the back of his skull with a table nap? kin.' ' "I am sure you will forgive him," ;she whispered. "I can't say why. but the poor fellow was looking SD intently at me that he did not see what he was Ibing." The ex-chief justice was instantly mollified. He did not mind the*appli Irls could not help noting his strange bcltavior. cation of ice in that way-rather liked it. in fact. Probably ice was suscepti? ble to the tire in Miss Deane's eyes. Suddenly the passengers stiil seated experienced a prolonged sinking sensa? tion, as if the vessel had been convert? ed into a gigantic lift. They were pressed hard into their chairs, which creaked and tried to swing around on t:ieir pivots. As the ship yielded stiffly to the sea a whiff of spray dashed through an open port. "There!*' snapped her ladyship. "I knew we should run into a storm. Yet Captain Ross led us to be'ieve- John, take me to my cabin at once." From the promenade deck the list loss groups watched the rapid advance I of tlie gale. There was mournful sp ! ulation upon the Sirdar's chances reaching Singapore before the ne evening. Iris stood somewhat apart from t other passengers. The wind had fre? ened, and her hat was tied close!}* ov her ears. She leaned against the ta rail, enjoying the cool breeze aft hours of sultry heat. The sky w cloudless yet, but there was a que: tinge of burnished copper in the J pervading sunshine. Tue sea was co] ly blue. The life had gone out of it. was no longer inviting and translucei Long sullen undulations swept noi: lessly past the ship. Once after steady climb up a rolling hill of wat the Sirdar quickly pecked at the si fcceeding valley, and the propeller ga a couple of angry flaps on the surfae while a tremor ran through the sto iron rails on which the girl's an rested. The crew were busy too. Squads Lascars raced about, industriously ot dient to the short shrill whistling jemadars and quartermasters. Bo lashings were tested and tightene canvas awnings stretched across tl deck forward, ventilator cowls twist? to new angles and hatches clamp( down over the wooden gratings th; covered the holds. Officers, spotless : white linen, flitted quietly to and fr When the wratch was changed Ir noted that the "chief" appeared in s old blue suit and carried oilskins ov< his arm as he climbed to the bridge. Nature looked disturbed and fitft and the ship responded to her moo There was a sense of preparation j the air, of coming ordeal, of restle! foreboding. 'Chains clanked with noise the girl never noticed before; tl tramp of hurrying men .on the hun cane deck overhead sounded heavy ar hollow. There was a squeaking < chairs that was abominable when pe pie gathered up books and wraps an staggered ungracefully toward ti companionway. Altogether Miss Dear was not wholly pleased with the pr* liminaries of a typhoon, whatever tl reajitiesjmigjbt be.^ Why did" that silly old woman aliud to her contemplated marriage to Lor Ventnor, retailing the gossip of Honj kong with such malicious emphasis For an instant Iris tried to shake th railing in comic anger. She hated Lor Ventnor. She did not want to marr him or anybody else just yet Of cours her father had hinted approval of hi lordship's obvious'intentions. Countes of Ventnor! Yes, it was a nice titl< Still she wanted another couple 0 years of careless freedom. In an; event why should Lady Tozer pry an probe? And finally, why did the steward oh, poor old Sir John! What woul< have happened if the ice had slid dowi his neck? Thoroughly comforted b; this gleeful hypothesis, Miss Dean seized a favorable opportunity to dar across the starboard side and see i Captain Ross' "heavy bank of ciou< in the northwest" had put in an ap pearance._ Ha! There it was, black, ominous gigantic, rolling up over the horizoi like some monstrous football. Arounc it the sky deepened into purple, fringee with a wide belt of brick red. She hac never seen such a beginning of a gale From what she had read in books sh( imagined that only in great deserts were clouds of dust generated. There could not be dust in the dense pall nov> . rushing with giant strides across the trembling sea. Then what was it; Why was it so dark and menacing; And wliere was desert of stone and sand to compare with this awful ex? panse of water? What a small dot was this great ship on the visible sur? face! But the ocean itself extended away beyond there, reaching out to thc infinite. The dot became a mere speck, undistinguishable beneath a celestial microscope such as the gods might condescend to use. Iris shivered and aroused herself with a startled iaugh. The lively fanfare of the dinner trumpet failed to' fill the saloon. By this time the Sirdar was fighting reso ! lutely against a stiff gale. But the stress of actual combat was better than the eerie sensation of impending dan? ger during the earlier hours. The strong,- hearty pulsations of the en? gines, the regular thrashing of the screw, the steadfast onward plunging of the good ship through racing seas and flying scud, were cheery, confident and inspiring. Miss Deane justified her boast that she was an excellent sailor. She smiled delightedly at the ship's sur? geon when he caught her eye through the many gaps in the tables. She was alone, so he joined_her. "You are a credit to the company quite a sea king's daughter." he said. "Doctor, do you talk to all your lady passengers in that way?" "Alas, no! Too often I can only be truthful when I am dumb." Iris laughed. "If I remain long on this ship I will certainly have my head turned," she cried. "I receive nothing but compliments from the captain .down to-to" "The doctor!" "No. You come a good second on the list" In very truth she was thinking of the ice carrying steward and his. queer start of surprise at the announcement of her rumored engagement. The man interested her. He looked like a broken down gentleman. Her quick eyes trav? eled around the saloon to discover his whereabouts. She could net see him. The chief steward stood near, balanc? ing himself in apparent defiance of the laws of gravitation, for the ship was now pitching and rolling with a mad zeal. For an instant she meant to in? quire what had beeome of the trans? gressor, but she dismissed the thought at its inception. The matter was too trivial. With a wild swoop all the plates. : glasses and cutlery on tue saloon ta bles crashed to starboard. Were it not for the restraint of the riddles every? thing must have been swept to the floor. There were one or two minor ac? cidents. A steward, taken unawares, was thrown headlong on top of his ! laden tray. Others were compelled to clutch the backs of chairs and cling to pillars. Ouo man involuntaria seized the hair of a lady who devoted an hour i before each meal to her coiffure. The Sirdar with a frenzied bound tried to turn a somersault. ""A change, of course." observed the doctor. "Tnej* generally try to avoid it when people are in the saloon, but a typhoon admits of no labored polite? ness. As its center is now right ahead, we are going on the starboard tack to get behind it." "I must hurry up and go on deck," said Miss Deane.' "You will not be able to go on deck until the morning." She turned on him impetuously. "In? deed I will. Captain Ross promised me-that is, I asked him" The doctor smiled. She was so charm? ingly insistent! "It is simply impossi? ble," he said. "The companion doors are bolted. The promenade deck is swept by heavy seas every minute. A boat has been carried away, and sev? eral stanchions snapped off like car? rots. For the first time in your life, Miss Deane, you are battened down." The girl's face must have paled some? what He added hastily: "There is no danger, you know, but these precau? tions are necessary. You would not like to see several tons of water rush? ing down the saloon stairs; now, would you?" "Decidedly not." Then, after a pause: "It is not pleasant to be fastened up in a great iron box, doctor. It reminds one of a huge coffin." "Not a bit The Sirdar is the safest ship "afloat. Your lather has always pnrstfed a splendid policy in that re? spect. -The London and Hongkong company may not possess fast vessels, but they are seaworthy .and well found in every respect." "Are there many people ill on board?" "No; just the usual number of dis? turbed livers. We had a nasty acci? dent shortly before dinner." "Good gracious! What happened?" "Some Lascars were caught by a sea forward. ' One man had his leg bro? ken/' "Anything else?" The doctor hesitated. He became interested in the color of some Bur? gundy. "I hardly know the exact de? tails yet," he replied. "Tomorrow aft? er breakfast I will tell you all about it" An English quartermaster and four Lascars had been licked from off the forecastle by the greedy tongue of a huge wave. The succeeding surge flung the five men back against the quarter. One of the black sailors was pitched aboard with a fractured leg and other injuries. The others were smashed against the iron hull and disappeared. For one tremulous moment the en? gines slowed. The ship commenced to veer off into the path of the cyclone. Captain Ross set his teeth, and the tele? graph bell jangled "Full speed ahead." "Poor Jackson!" he murmured. "One j of my best men. I remember seeing his wife, a prettly little woman, and two children coming to meet him last homeward trip. They will be there again. Good God! That Lascar who was saved has som? o:.ie to await him In a Bombay village, I suppose." The captain fought his way to the chart house. He wiped the salt water from his eyes and looked anxiously ct the barometer. "Still falling!" he muttered. "I will keep on until 7 o'clock and then boar three points to the southward. By midnight we should be behind it." He struggled back into the outside fury. By comparison the sturdy cita? del he quitted was paradise on the edge of jin inferno. Down in the saloon the hardier pas? sengers were striving to subdue the ennui of an interval before they sought their cabins. Some talked. One hard? ened 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? out. Bright lights, costly upholstery, soft carpets, carved panels and gilded cornices, with uniformed attendants passing to and fro carrying coffee and glasses-these surroundings suggested a floating palace in which the raging seas were defied. Yet forty miles away, somewhere in the furious depths, four corpses swirled about with horrible uncertainty, lurching through battling currents and perchance convoyed by fighting sharks. The surgeon had been called away. Iris was the only lady left in the sa? loon. She watched a set of whist play? ers for a time and then essayed the perilous passage to her stateroom. She found, her maid and a stewardess there. Both women were weeping. "What is the matter?" she inquired. The stewardess tried to speak. She choked with grief and hastily went out. The maid blubbered an explana? tion. "A friend of hers was married, miss, to the man who is drowned." "Drowned! What man?"' "Haven't you heard, miss? I sup? pose they are keeping it quiet. An English sailor and some natives were swept off the shin by a sea. One native was saved, but he is all smashed up. The others were never seen again." Iris by degrees learned the sad chronicles of the Jackson family. She was moved to tears. She remembered the doctor's hesitancy and her own idle phrase, "a Inigo coffin." Outside the roaring waves pounded j upon tho iron walls. Two staterooms had been converted j into one to provide Miss Deane with ; i ample accommodation. There were no bunks, but a cozy bed was screwed to the deck. She lay down and strove to read, lt was a difficult task. Her eyes wandered from the printed page to mark the absurd antics of lier gar? ments swinging on their hooks. At j times the ship rolled so far that she j felt sure it must topple over. She was ; not afraid, but subdued, rather aston- ! ishod. placidly prepared for vague : eventualities. Things were ridiculous. What need : was there for all this external fury? : Why should poor sailors be cast forth j to instant death in such awful man- ; ncr? If she could only sleep and for- I get-if kind oblivion would blot out the storm for a few blissful hours! But how could one sleep with the conscious? ness of that watery giant thundering his summons upon the iron plates a few iuches away? Then came the blurred picture of Cap? tain Ross high up on the bridge peer? ing into the moving blackness. How strange that there should be hidden in the convolutions of a man's brain an intelligence that laid bare the pre? tenses of that ravenous demon without! Each of the ship's officers, the com? mander more than the others, under? stood the why and the wherefore of ibis blustering combination of wind and sea. Iris knew the language of poker. Nature was putting up a huge bluff. Oh, dear! She was so tired. It de? manded a physical effort to constantly shove away an unseen force that tried to push you over. How funny that a big cloud should travel up against the wind! And so, amid confused won? derment, she lapsed into an uneasy slumber, her last sentient thought be? ing a quiet thankfulness that the screw went thud, thud, thud, thud, with such determination. After the course was changed and the Sirdar bore away toward the south? west the commander consulted the ba? rometer each half hour. The telltale mercury had sunk over two inches in twelve hours. The abnormally low pressure quickly created dense clouds, which enhanced the melancholy dark? ness of the gale. For many minutes together the bows of the ship were not visible. Masthead and side lights were obscured by the pelting scud. The engines thrust the vessel forward like a lance into the vitals of the storm. Wind and wave gushed out of the vortex with impo? tent fury. At last soon after midnight tbe ba? rometer showed a slight upward move? ment. At 1:30 a. m. the change became - pronounced. Simultaneously the wind swung round a point to the westward, j Then Captain Boss smiled wearily. I His face brightened. He opened his oilskin coat, glanced at the compass and nodded approval. Then he turned to consult a chart He was joined by the chief officer. Both men examined the chart in silence. Captain Ross finally took a pencil. He stabbed its point on the paper in the neighborhood of 14 degrees north ; and 112 degrees east. "We are about there, I think." The chief agreed. "That was the lo? cality I had in my mind." He bent closer over the sheet "Nothing in the way tonight, sir," he added. "Nothing whatever. It is a bit of good luck to meet such weather here. We can keep as far south as we like until. daybreak, and by that time How did it look when you came in?" "A trifle better, I think." "I have sent for some refreshments. Let us have another loot before we tackle them." The two office?-* passed out into the hurricane. Instantly the wind endeav? ored to tear the chart house from off the deck. They looked aloft and ahead. The officer on duty saw them and nod? ded silent comprehension. It was use? less to attempt to speak. The weather was perceptibly clearer. Then all three peered ahead again. They stood,, pressing against the wind, seeking to l)euetrat?Td? Murkiness in front. Suddenly they were galvanized into strenuous activity. A wild howl came from the lookout forward. The eyes of the three men glared at a huge dismasted Chinese junk wallowing helplessly in the trough of the sea dead under the bows. The captain sprang to the chart house and signaled in fierce pantomime that the wheel should be put hard over. The officer in charge of the bridge pressed the telegraph lever tb "stop" and "full speed astern," while with his disengaged hand he pulled hard at the siren cord, and a raucous warning sent stewards flying through the ship to close collision bulkhead doors. The "chief darted to the port rail, for the Sirdar's instant response to the helm seemed to clear her nose from the junk as if by magic. It all happened so quickly that while the hoarse signal was still vibrating through the ship the junk swept past her quarter. The chief officer, joined now by the commander, looked down into the wretched craft. They could see her crew lashed in a bunch around the capstan on her elevated poop. She was laden with timber. Although wa? terlogged, she could not sink if she held together. [TO BE CONTINUED.] His Compliment. Fond Young Mother (with firstborn) -Now, which of us do you think he is like? - Friend (judicially)-Well, of course, intelligence has not really dawned in his countenance yet. but he's wonderfully like both of you. Fuuch. Cynical. "Which do you think counts for the most in life, money or brains?'' "Well."' Miiswered Miss Cayenne, "I ! see so many people who manage to get j on with so little of either that I am be- ! ginning to lose my respect for both."- ; Washington Star. W Garden Truck ?can be raised profitably only in soil containing plenty of Potash. 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CHINA, President. NEILL O'DONNELL, Vice President, rf. D. BARNETT, R. D. LEE, i. A. LEMMON, JOHN REID, E. P. RICEER. R. L. EDMUNDS, Cashier. R. D. LEE, Solicitor. BOOKKEEPERS. J. L. MeCpJlum, D. J". Winn, Jr. Oliver L. Yates. ~Tfi? BANK OF SUMTER, SUMTER, S. C. vJity and County Depository. Capital stock paid in. $75,000 00 Undivided surplus. 16,000 00 Individual liability of stockhold? ers in excess of their stock, 75,000 00 Transacts a general banking business; also has a Saving Bank Department. De? posits of $i and upward received. Inter? est allowed at the rate of 4 per cent, per inncrn, payable semi-annually. W. F. B. HAYNSWORTH, President. R. L MANNING, W. F. RH A MK, vice-President. Cashier. Jan. 31. 4 THE SUMTER SAVINGS RAI. HORACE HARBY, President. L C. STRAUSS. vice-President. GEO. L. KICKER, Cashier. 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