The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, January 19, 1906, Page 3, Image 3
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