Lincoln County leader., April 06, 1906, Image 3

for The Term ojjjis Natural Life
By MARCUS CLARKE '
CHAPTER III. Continued.)
"Pine," says Captain Blunt, as the
two were Mt alone together, "you and I
re always putting oor foot into it!"
"Women are always in the way aboard
hip," returned Pine.
"Ah! doctor, you don't mean that, I
know," said a rich, soft voive at his
lbow.
It was Sarah Purfoy emerging from
her cabin.
"We were talking of your eyes, my
dear," cries Blunt. "They're the finest
yes I've seen in my life, and they've
got the reddest lips under 'm.that "
"Let me pass, Captain Blunt, if you
please. Thank you, doctor."
And before the admiring commander
ould prevent her, she modestly swept
out of the cuddy.
"She's a fine piece of goods, eh?"
asked Blunt, watching her. "I don't
know where Viekers picked her up, hut
I'd rather trust my life with the worst
of those rulllans 'tween deck thnn in
her keeping, if I'd done her an injury.
I don't believe she'd think much of stick
ing a man, either. But I must go on
deck, doctor."
Pine followed him more slowly. "I
don't pretend to know much about wom
en," he said to himself. "But that girl's
got a story of her own, or I'm much mis
taken. What brings her on board this
hip as a lady's maid is more than I
can fathom." And as he walked down
the now deserted deck to the main
hatchway, and turned to watch the
white figure gliding up and down, he
aw it Joined by another and a darker
one, he muttered, "She's after no good."
At that moment his arm was touched
by soldier in undress uniform, who
had come up the hatchway.
"What is it?"
"If you plase, doctor, one of the pris
oners is taken sick, and as the dinner's
over, and he's pretty bad, I ventured to
disturb your honor."
"Why didn't. you tell me before?"
In the meantime the woman who was
the object of the grim old fellow's sus
picions, was enjoying the comparative
coolness of the night air. Her mistress
nd her mistress' daughter had not yet
come out of their cabin. The awning
had been removed, the stars were shin
ing In the moonless sky, and Miss Sarah
Purfoy was walking up and down with
no less a person than Captain Blunt
himself. She had passed and repassed
him twice silently,- and at the third
turn, the big fellow, peering Into the
twilight ahead somewhat uneasily, obey'
ed the glitter of her great eyes and join'
cd her.
"You weren't put out," he asked, "at
what I said to you below. I was a bit
rude, I admit."
"I? Oh, dear, no. Ton were not
rude."
"Glad you think so!" returned Phln
as Blunt, a little ashamed at what look
ad like a confession of weakness on
his part.
Sarah Purfoy laughed a low, full-toned
laugh, whose sound made Blunt's
pulse take a jump forward, and sent the
blood tingling down to his fingers' ends.
"Captain Blunt," said she, "you're
going to do a very silly thing."
"What?"
"You are going to fall In love with a
girl of nineteen."
"Who is that?"
"Myself!" she said, giving him her
hand and smiling at him with her rich
red Hps.
"I believe you are right," he cried;
"I am half in love with you already."
"That is your affair," she said; and
as the head of Mr. Frere appeared above
the companion, Blunt walked aft, feel
ing considtrably bewildered, and yet not
displeased.
"She's a fine girl!" he said, cocking
his cap, "and I'm hunged if she ain't
sweet upon me."
And then the old fellow began to
whistle softly to himself as he paced the
dock, and to glance toward the man, who
had taken his place, with no friendly
eyes. But a sort of shame held him as
yet, and he kept aloof. Maurice Frere's
greeting was short enough.
"Well, Sarah," he said, "have you got
out of your temper?"
"What did you strlkethe man for?
He did you no harm."
"He was out of his place. What
business had he to come aft? One
must keep these wretches down, my
girl."
"Or they will be too much for you,
es? Do you think one man could capture
a ship, Mr. Maurice? What could they
do against the soldiers? There are fifty
soldiers."
"You are a strange girl; I can't make
you out Coma," and he took her hand,
"tell me what you are really."
"Lady'B maid in the family of a gen
tleman going abroad."
"Sarah, can't you be serious?"
"I am serious. That was the adver
tisement I answered."
"But I mean what you have been.
You were not a lady's maid all your
life. Have you no friends? What
have you been?"
She looked up Into the young man's
face a little less harsh at that moment
than it was wont to be and, creeping
closer to him, whispered:
"Do you love me, Maurice?"
He raised one of the little hands that
rested on the taffrall, and, under cover
of the darkness, kissed It.
''You know I do," ho said. f'You
may be a lady's maid, or what you like,
but you are the loveliest woman I ever
met."
"Then, if you love me, -what does It
matter?"
"If you loved me, you would tell
me," said he, with a qulckyness which
surprised himself.
"But I have nothing to tell, and I
don't love you yet."
He let her band fall with an Impa
tient gesture; and at that moment Blunt,
who could restrain himself do longer,
came op.
"Fine night, Mr. Frere."
"Yes, fine enough."
Just then, from out of the violet haze
that hung over the horizon, strange
glow of light broke.
"Halloo!" cries Frere. "Did you see
that? A flash of light."
They strained their eyea to pierce
through the obscurity.
"Best saw something like It before
dinner. There must be thunder in the
air."
At that instant a thin streak of light
shot up, and then sunk again. There
was no mistaking it this time, and a
simultaneous exclamation burst from all
on deck. From out of the gloom which
hung over the horizon rose a column of
flame that lighted op the night for an
instant, and then sunk, leaving a dull
red spark upon the water.
"It's a ship on fire!" cried Frere.
CHAPTER IV.
They looked again. The tiny spark
still burned, and immediately over it
there grew out nf the darkness a crim
son spot that hung like a lurid star in
the air. Mrs. Viekers, with little Syl
via clinging to her dress, came up to
share the new sensation.
"Captain, you'll lower a boat. We
may save some of the poor fellows,"
cries Frere, bis heartiness of body re
viving at the prospect of excitement.
"Boat?" said Blunt; "why, she's
twelve miles off, or more, and there's
not a breath o wind! They've got their
own boats. In the meanwhile we'll show
'em that there's some one near 'em."
And, as he spoke, a blue light flared
hissing Into the night. "There, they'll
see that, I expect!" he said, as the
ghastly flame rose, extinguishing the
Btars for a moment, only to let them
appear again brighter in a darker heav
en. "Mr. Best, lower and man the quar
ter boats! Mr. Frere, you can go in
one, if you like, and take a volunteer or
two from those gray jackets of yours
amidships. I shall want as many hands
as I can spare to man the long boat
and cutter, in case we want 'em. Steady
there, lads! Easy!" And, as the first
eight men who could reach the deck
parted to the larboard and starboard
quarter boats, Frere ran down on the
main deck.
At his nod the prison door was thrown
open. The air was hot, and that strange,
horrible odor peculiar to closely packed
human bodies filled the place. He ran
his eye down the double tier of bunks
which lined the side of the ship, and
stopped at the one opposite him.
There seemed to have been some dis
turbance there lately, for, Instead of the
six pairs of feet which should have pro
truded therefrom, the gleam of the bull's
eye showed but four.
"What's the matter here, sentry?" hs
asked.
"Prisoner 111, sir. Doctor sent him to
hospital."
"But there should be two."
The other came from behhid the break
of the berths. It was Rufus Dawes.
He held by the side as he came, and
saluted.
"I felt sick, sir, and was trying to
get the scuttle open."
Maurice Frere stamped his foot in
dignantly. "Sick! What are you sick about? I'll
give you something to sweat the sickness
out of yon. Stand on one side here!"
Hufus Dawes, wondering, obeyed.
"Which of you fellows can handle an
oar?" Frere went on. "There, I don't
want fifty! Three'U do. Come on now,
make haste!"
The heavy door clashed again, and In
another instant the four "volunteers"
were on deck.
"Two in each boat!" cries Blunt. "I'll
burn a blue light every hour for you,
Mr. Best, and take care they don't
swamp you. Lower away, lads!"
As the second prisoner took the oar of
Frere's boat, he uttered a groan and
fell forward, recovering himself instant
ly. Sarah Purfoy, leaning over the side,
saw the occurrence.
"What Is the matter with that man?"
she said. "Is he 111?"
Pine was next to her, and looked out
Instantly. "It's that big fellow in No.
10," he cried. "Here, Frere!"
But Frere heard him not He was
Intent on the beacon that gleamed ever
bright In the distance. "Give way, my
lads!" he shouted. And amidst a cheer
from the ship, the two boats shot out of
the bright circle of the blue light, and
disappeared Into the darkness!
Sarah Purfoy looked at Pine for an
explanation, but he turned abruptly
away. For a moment the girl paused, as
If in doubt; and then, ere his retreating
figure turned to retrace its steps, she
cast a quick glance around, and, slip
ping down the ladder, made her way to
the 'tween-decks.
The Iron-studded oak barricade that,
loop-holed for musketry, and perforated
with plated trap-door for sterner needs,
separated soldiers from prisoners, was
close to her left hand, and the sentry
at its padlocked door looked at ber In
quiringly. She laid her little hand on
bis big rough one, and opened her brown
eyes at him.
"The hospital," she said. "The doctor
sent me;" and before he could answer
her white figure vanished down the
hatch, and passed round the bulkhead,
behind which lay the sick man.
Though not so hot as In the prison,
the atmosphere o( the lower deck was
close and unhealthy, and the girl, paus
ing to listen to the subdued hum of con
versation coming from the soldiers'
berths, turned strangely sick and giddy.
She drew herself up, however, and held
out her hand to a man who came rapidly
across the misshapen shadows, thrown
by the sulky swinging lantern to meet
ber. It was a young soldier who had
been that day sentry at the convict gang
way. "Well, miss," he said, "I am here, yer
see, waiting for yer."
The tone of the sentence seemed to
awaken and remind her of her errand In
that place. She laugh'ed as loudly and
merrily as she dared, and laid her hand
on the speaker's arm. The boyTeddened
to the roots of his closely cropped hair.
"There, that's quit close enough.
You're only a common soldier. Miles, and
youi mustn't make love to me."
"I know you're above me, Miss Sarah.
You're a lady, but I lore yer, I do, and
you drives me wild with your tricks."
"Hush, Miles! they'll hear you. Who
is In the hospital?"
"I dunno."
"Well, I want to go In."
' "Don't ask me, miss. It's against or
ders, and "
She turned away. "Oh, very well. If
this is all the thanks I get for wasting
my time down here, I shall go on deck
again. Mr. Frere will let me go In, I
dare say, if I ask him."
"Go in if yer like; I won't stop yer,
but remember what I'm doin' of."
She turnel again at the foot of the
ladder, and came quickly back. "That's
a good lad. I knew you would not re
fuse me;" and smiling at the poor lout
she was befooling, she passed into the
cabin.
There was no lantern, and from the
partially blocked stern windows came
only a dim vaporous light. The dull rip
ple of the water as the ship rocked on
the slow swell of the sea, made a mel
ancholy sound, and the sick man's heavy
breathing seemed to fill the air. The
slight noise made by the opening door
rounsed him; he rose on his elbow and
began to mutter. . Sarah Purfoy paused
In the doorway to listen, but she could
make nothing of the low, uneasy mur
muring. Raising her arm, conspicuous
by Its white sleeve lu the gloom, she
beckoned Miles.
"The lantern," she whlspere "bring
me the lantern.
He unhooked it from the rope where
it swung, and brought It toward her.
At that moment the man in the bunk sat
up erect, and twisted himself toward
the light. "Sarah!" he cried, in shrill
sharp tones. "Sarah!" and swooped
with a lean arm through the dusk, as
though to seize her.
The girl leaped out of the cabin like
a panther, and was back at the bunk
head. In a moment The convict was
a young man of about four and twenty
His hands were small and well shaped
and the unshaven chin bristled with
promise of a strong beard. His wild
black eyes glared with all the fire of
delirium, and as he gasped for breath
the' sweat stood in beads on his sallow
forehead.
The aspect of the man was sufficiently
ghastly, and Miles, drawing back, did
not wonder at the terror which had seiz-
td Mrs. Viekers' maid. With open
mouth and agonized face, she stood in
the center of the cabin, like one turnea
to stone, gazing at the man on the bed.
"Ecod, he be a sight!" says Miles, at
length. "Come away, miss, and, shut
the door. He's raving, I tell yer.
"He's choking. Cau't you see? Water!
give me water!"
And, wreathing her arms around the
mans head, she pulled it down on ber
bosom, rocking it there, half savagely, to
.. .1 t
Awed Into obedience by her voice,
Miles dipped a pannikin into a small
unhended puncheon cleated in the cor
ner of the cnbin, and gave it her; and,
without thanking him, she placed it to
the sick prisoner's lips. He drank greed-
ily, and closed his eyes with a grateful
sigh. Just then the miick ears of Miles
heard the jingle of anus.
''Here's the doctor coming, miss!" he
cried. "I hear the sentry saluting. Come
away! Quick!"
She seized the lantern, and, opening
the horn slide, extinguished it.
"Say it went out," she said, in a
fierce whisper, "and hold your tongue,
Leave me to manage."
She bent over the convict as if to ar
range his pillow, and then glided out of
the cabin just as l'ine descended the
hatchway. As he groped his way with
outstretched amis in the darkness, Sarah
Purfoy slipped past hnn.
(To be continued.)
A Discriminating; Intelligence.
"That's a wonderfully Intelligent
dog of Hardupp's."
"What can he do?"
"Why, he bit three bill collectors
last week." Cleveland Plain Dealer,
The Reason.
"I'm master in my own house," said, he
And we wonder now no more
Though we did at first we have found.
you see,
That the man is a bachelor.
Cleveland Leader.
Mean Thin.
Susie Just think! Tom says there
Isn't a girl in town with a complexion
like mine.
Lucie Isn't he the knocker? Cleve
land Leader.
Wlir Me la.
Biggs Young Authorton seems to be
rather a smart chap.
Dlecs No wonder. The criticisms
of bis new book are enough to make
him smart
While Germany has 6,600,000 worn
en who earn their own living, Italy,
with only one-half the population, has
5,250,000,
Feed Bag-.
In the .Illustration below Is shown a
feed bag which can be conveniently
used at any point where the teamster
might be. When necessary It can be
suspended from a fence or the vehicle
wheel, but when these are not avail
able It can be supported directly upon
the ground or suspended from the head
of the anlnml. It Is the invention of
a Texas fanner, and comprises a recep
table for the feed, having a bottom
SUSPENDED FROM A FENCE.
made of wood or sheet metal, sides cut
from canvas or similar suitable mate
rial and a wire frnnie sewed Into the
upper rim. The receptacle will pref
erably be square, with four loops In the
frame, one at each corner. Connected
with two of the loops are rods which
serve as a support, being formed in
the shape of hooks, brace rods connect
ing the support and the loops In the
front of the frame. When not In use
the bag can be collapsed Into a small
space and carried beneath the Beat of
a venule or otherwise disposed. Straps
can also be supplied for attaching over
the animal's head" and suspending the
device as an ordinary feed bag.
Bntter Color Poison.
Coloring for cheese and butter used
to be made from annatto, but coal tar
colors are so much cheaper that prob
ably four-fifths of the coloring matter
used In both butter and cheese at the
present time Is made from coal tar, and
consequently more or less poisonous.
As in all adulterated food products the
argument is advanced that the amount
of poison eaten with the butter Is so
small as to render It perfectly harm
less. In fact It is stated that the ordi
nary consumer of butter would not get
more than an ounce of coloring mat
ter In four years. But there Is no end
to argument a good talker will make
black apiear white. The only safe rule
Is to discard everything In the produc
tion of food that has an Injurious
tendency.
An Automatic Gnte.
A shows the Irons for the upper
hinge. B shows the lower hinge which
has double pinions, while C shows the
cntch driven Into the post with the
spring. To open and shut Itself, the
AUTOMATIC GATE.
gate must be hung about four Inches
out of plumb, having the lower hinge
(B) project out from the post that
much further than the upper one. It
shuts then just like a wagon rolling
downhill. The lower hinge (B) must
be eight Inches from slot to slot. Ex
change. Feeding; the Hen.
Pens and beans In small quantities
are of great value to laying hens. They
are so rich In albuminoids egg pro
ducing material.
About Planting; Navy Dean.
Commenting upon what he calls n
fatal mistake in growing navy beans
viz., planting them in March, April
and May a correspondent of the At
lnnta Southern Cultivator says; "I havo
grown them for several years In a
small way, and at first was greatly
annoyed by weevil. In fact, I had one
entire crop destroyed by weevil. The
certain remedy In this section Is not to
plant before June 1, and I should think
farther south some luter. The weevil
does not bother my June-planted
)eans."
1
i
Ir.lluir for Fertility of Kitica
Eggs are never so fertile In winter as
in the warm weather, and all should be
tested on the eighth day. A piece of
cardboard, with a hole cut out In which
to fit the egg, is usually employed tm
assist the tester, and this is certainly
an aid, but by encircling the egg be
tween the forefinger and thumb we
shut the light, out all around it, and
thus obtain the same result Eggs
should be tested In a dark room by the
aid of a candle or lamp; hold the egg
up against the light, and It will be
more or less transparent, according as
to whether It Is dark or white shelled.
Then, If the egg Is fertile, looking close
ly a dark spot will be seen floating
lnsld& the shell. This Is the germ which
has awakened to life, and is growing.
By the eighth day it Is quite discern
ible, but, if the light is good and the
oiwrutor experienced, fertile and unfer
tile can be separated about the fourth
clay, though the eighth Is quite soon
enough for the average poultry keeper.
Dark brown shelled eggs are more dim
cult to test than white, owing to the
shell being more opaque; If oriy
ore doubtful put them back and
test Oiraln the fo lnwlnir nl.rlit Tf
- - 1, fj". v
is wen to nave a fresh egg
to
compare with the tested ecc.
If
doubtful about the latter, the dlffcrcnco
between fertile and unfertile shows
them up more clearly. Be careful the
eggs do not get chilled If tested on a
cold night If there are many eggs
to test It will pay to have one of the
very quick and convenient testers sold
by the incubator and poultry supply
houses. New England Homestead.
Convenient Pout I'aller.
In removing a fence, those having
experience know what a slow, back
breaking Job It Is to pull the posts by
digging around them with spade and
lifting them out For the benefit of
those having such work to do and
there Is more or less of It to do on
every farm I give the accompanying
cut and description of a simple little
POST PULLER.
device not original with me conveni
ent and worthy of reproduction.
One and two are pieces each 2x4
Inches by 5 feet long. Three Is base
board one Inch by 0 or 8 Inches by 8
feet long, well nailed together, form
ing a crotch 6 Inches from end for
chain to pull In. Stand the Jack about
3 feet from post, leaning against post
at top. Hook chain around post at
ground and laying It over In crotch
of Jack, which gives an almost verti
cal lift Homer Shirley, lu Michigan
Farmer.
Tuberculosis in Hogs.
A good many cases of tuberculosis
In hogs, we fear, can be traced to the
creamery, due to the fact that the
skim milk has not been heated to a
sufllclently high temperature or kept
at thut temperature long enough to de
stroy the germs, says Kimball's Dairy
Farmer. Ordinarily It Is assumed that
herds become Infected through bring
ing other animals ninong them, but
the question of tuberculosis Infection
through the skim ml 11c from the cream
ery Is becoming so serious that It will
eventually lead to compulsory pasteuri
zation of skim milk. Indeed, this is
now required In some States, notably
Minnesota, but the trouble Is that the
buttermakers do not lion t the skim
milk hot enough or keep It at that tem
perature long enough.
Mllklngr Machines.
At the National Dulry show In Chi
cago a milking machine was on exhibi
tion in practical operation. Fur a great
many years Inventors have worked on
this problem. Several times It has been
reported that the difficulties have been
overcome, and that a practical machine
was the result But up to the present
time the okl-fashloncd band manipula
tion has prevailed. It Is to be hoped
that the Inventor has succeeded this
time, because milking Is one of the
hard tasks that comes twice a day,
Sundays and holidays and all. Wa
have machinery to help out In every
other branch of the business, why not
In the milking stable? Field and Vivo
side. Copperas as Fertiliser.
Experiments made by E. Leclercq,
of Brussels, have proved that 250 units
of copperas will produce as great an
effect on oats as 150 of nitrate of
soda. Ah additional benefit Is the de
struction of weeds by the copperas.
The experimenter claims that the fer
tilizer value of the copperas Is in the
Iron, not In tho sulphuric acid. Con
sidering that nitrate of soda sells at
five times the price of copperas, there
would be a material saving to agrlcuU
turists.
e