Bobby's Christmas Eve Dream
WOLVES OF THE SEA
By RANDALL PARRISH
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MEANING T
CHRISTMAS
BY REV. T. B. GREGORY
I UT for its great days, in
carnating and flushing forth
the Ideal, humanity would
I nave n more history than
I -fl a flock of sheep.
LJuJ Such days are the monu
ments of menial and spiritual achieve
ment, the eternal reminders of the
only true progress the progress that
enables us to perceive and admire the
moral sublime.
Conspicuously radiant among these
gala days is the Christmas, standing
as It does for the nativity of One who,
all theological quibbling aside, was the
living embodiment of the most beau
tiful and, at the same time, the most
helpful manhood that this world has
ever seen.
The one who Is foremost In our
thoughts at this time was pre-eminently
hopeful. From the harp over
which he Bwept his hand there came
no pessimistic strain, no note of de
spair. He gave us the gospel, the "Glad
Tidings." To all his word was "Be
not afraid." The Supreme In whose
embrace he ever rested, like the bube
In mother's arms, was supreme love.
Hence that other word of his, which
he was so fond of repeating to the
multitude, "Let not your hearts be
troubled."
Religion, so-called, Is responsible
for a vast amount of mental misery.
It has crazed many a mind, broken
many a heart, driven countless thou
sands into the throes of despair, but
let It be remembered that the Beauti
ful One who is commemorated In the
Christmas season authorized no man,
or combination of men, to speak in
his name the word of gloom.
lie who was born In Bethlehem, or
In Nazareth, for It makes no differ
ence where he first saw the light of
earth, grew up to be the most uncom
promising optimist that ever walked
the ways of earth, Wherever he went,
along with him went gladness, and
from his radiant presence despair fled
as the darkness flees before the rising
sun.
lie was like the wonderful river in
the sea, warming and encouraging all
that he touched. The Gulf Stream of
humanity, he put new llfo and cour
age and Joy Into the cheerless, sor
rowing world to which he came.
And he was able to do this because
he was so gloriously hopeful, so
stnnchly commlttted to the belief in
the best.
Looking up, he saw, Instead of the
"black, bottomless eyesockct," the liv
ing, loving glance of the "Father,"
whose "eternal goodness" would never
do him harm.
Looking ahead, this man saw no
spooks or bogles, no devils or fiends
In the way. The path was clear, and
over It hung no dark clouds of impend
ing disaster.
If Jesus had written a poem we
may be sure that it would have been
very similar to Whlttier's:
I know not where his lalandt lift
Their trended palma In air;
1 only know I cannot drift
Beyond hla love and car.
And to beside the client left
I wait the muffled oar;
No harm can come from him to me.
On ocean or on ahore.
Now It Is Just this sort of spirit
that every one should feel within the
soul at this Christmas time the spirit
of a brave trustfulness, of a rock
ribbed confidence and hope.
Be not afraid of anything. To be
afraid Is to be a sham, a cringing
menial, a nobody ; while to be-ble to
believe in the best and to trust that,
no matter what our evil genius may
suggest to the contrary, the light
awaits us on ahead, is to be a hero
and a conqueror, a friend and helper
to all mankind.
It Is well, then, that in obedience
to old custom we should throw about
the Christmas season the partl-colored
mantle or joy and wreathe it with the
heart's most exurberant gladness.
It would be a shame not to be glad,
and not to try to make everybody
else glad, on Christmas day !
On Christmas day to be a cynic and
to curl the lip of scorn at sight of
the rosy festivities about us, would
be an unpardonable crime, the very
abyss of the mean and contemptible.
It is a part of the unwritten law of
every healthful heart that when
Christmas comes we are to "put our
best foot forward," cast all care" to
the winds and be as full of gladness
and good will as an egg Is of meat.
And right here In this unconquer
able optimism we find the only true
and genuine Christianity. The one
whose birth the Christmas signalizes
came to replace tears by smiles, sor
row by happiness, worry by confi
dence and despair by the "hope that
maketh not ashamed," and In his
name I wish you all a "Merry Christ
mas 1" not merely an abundance of
turkey and plum pudding, but an ex
tra abundance of "good will to men,"
with no lack of the disposition and
resolve to make everything else as
happy as yourselves.
To Dolly
rriTi 1 1 1 ij-i
Tomorrow's Chrletraaa, Dolly, dear,
So off to bed we'll go.
We'll hang our locks upon the shelf
For Father Chrlatmaa, thought
Don't try to keep awake, my dear,
But shut your eyes up tight
If we're awake, he Is so shy.
He's sure to take to flight
l:. 1 flu
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ACljrtBttitaflSnaBt
JjffERE'S gladness to
H every one open
your hearts to it
all year round don't
keep them closed until
you are shamed into pry
ing them open with a
jimmy on Christmas
make every day a Christ
mas Day get rid of
. your grouch throw it
overboard and don't
throw out a lifeline if it
cries to be saved let it
drown it will do the
poor thing good.
Some Legends
of Christmas
Celebrations
T 1 HB original "halcyon days"
A were at Christmas, and were
so-called because the halcyon,
an ancient name for the king
fisher, was said to build its nest upon
the waters at this time of year. It was
generally supposed that this bird,
through the Influence of the holy sea
son, had the power to still the waves
and winds, so that the weather was
peaceful and calm, and .enabled the
halcyon to lay her eggs in her floating
nest and brood upon them with perfect
safety.
In olden times It was believed -that
all nature testified In various ways to
a recognition of the great event com
memorated In the celebration of Christ
mas. The winds and seas, as well as
the animals and plants and all other
living things, gave evidence of knowl
edge of the approaching glorious anni
versary and became Imbued with the
prevalent spirit of adoration, Joy and
peace.
Tradition tells us that at the mo
ment of the Savior's birth a universal
peace reigned throughout the earth,
that a deep silence rested upon the
world, the birds stopped in their flight,
the cattle ceased to feed, men became
motionless with sudden awe In the
midst of their labors, and the stars
glittered with added luster. From this
tradition came the superstitions of the
middle ages relating to the miraculous
phenomena supposed to occur annu
ally at Christmas, many of which still
survive. s
Bells, too, have their legends. In a
village near Ealelgh, In Nottingham'
shire, England, there Is now a valley
where once there was a picturesque
flnd prosperous village, but an earth
quake swallowed it up; yet every
Christmas since, the bells of the bur
led church are heard chiming.
Similar tales are told of Preston, In
Lancashire, and Been, In the Nether
lands. This latter city was famed for
its beauty and magnificence, and also
for the sins and avarice of its Inhnbl
tants. On the anniversary of his birth,
the Saviour came as a beggar and went
from door to door; but, although
Christmas festivities were being kept
up, nobody would give him alms. Sin
was abundant on all sides, but there
were no Christmas goodwill and char
ity, and he called to the sea and it
came and completely covered the un
holy city of Been. But at Christmas
time even now comes the Joyous peal
ing of bells from under the water
The skulls of the three Wise Men,
each encircled with a crown of Jew
eled gold, are among the relics in
Cologne cathedral.
CHAPTER XXII.
15
The Crew Decides.
Except that many of the men re
mained armed there was no suggestion
of violence. But for the gleaming car
ronade trained on the main hatch, and
the small group of gunners clustered
about it, the scene was peaceable
enough, resembling the deck of some
merchant ship. LeVere stood motion
less at the poop rail, staring down and
his attitude and expression of fnce
aroused within me a doubt of the man,
a determination to put him to the test.
Evidently he had held aloof and re
frained from taking even the slightest
part in our activities. The men them
selves were mostly forward, grouped
together and still excitedly discussing
the situation.
"Stand by to reef topsails," I shout
ed. "We're all one vatch now. Go at
It lively, lads, and when the Job is
over we'll cat, and decide together
what's our next move. Two of you
will be enough to guard the hatch and
one of you go into the cabin and re
lieve the girl there. Keep your eyes
open. I'll be down presently. Aloft
with you and see how quick a Job you
can make of it."
Watkins led the way up the main
mast ratlines, and Cole was first into
the fore shrouds, the others following
eagerly. I watched them lay out on
the yards and was heartened to hear
the fellows sing as they worked, the
canvas melting away as if by mnglc. I
climbed the ladder to where LeVere
stood on the poop, but carefully
Ignored his presence, my gaze on the
scene aloft. Twice I gave orders,
changing the Steering direction slight
ly, and commanding the lower sails
reefed. The mulutto scowling, Joined
me at the rail.
"What's nil this about?" he asked.
"That's no storm cloud yonder."
"There Is always danger in fog," 1
answered coldly, "and besides there Is
no use carrying on until we know
where we are bound. Sly purpose is
to keep the men busy, and then talk
the situation over with them. Have
you any criticism of this plan, Senor
LeVere?"
He hesitated, but his eyes were nar
rowed, and ugly.
"You'll do as you please, but you
told me we sailed for Porto Grande.
Was that a He?"
"Not necessarily," and I smiled
grimly. "Although I should not have
hesitated to tell one under the circum
stances. I mean to leave tlia decision
to the men themselves. It Is their
lives that are In danger."
"That scum 1 half of them are Eng
lish and French. All they wunt Is to
get away; they will never go back to
Porto Grande without you make
them."
"How make them?"
"By false observations; there is no
navigator forward. It is a trick easy
enough to play with a little nerve. I
would never have taken part in this
mutiny if I had supposed you meant
to piny Into the hands of the men."
"It is very little part you took Senor
LeVere, Judging from what I saw. You
seemed quite content to stand aft here
and look on. However you are In it
Just as deeply as I am, and are going
to piny the game out with me to the
end. Do you understand that?"
"What you mean, senor play it
out?"
"Go on with the rest of us; take
your chance with the men and do your
duty. I am captain here. The first
sign of treachery on your part will
send you below with those others.
don't trust you, and all I want Is an
excuse to put you out of the way so
be careful what you do."
I turned and walked away from him
toward the forward rail. ..The men
were still aloft but coming In from oft
the yards. Below me in the door of
the companion, stood Dorothy, her
eyes peering curiously about the de
serted deck. She glanced up and saw
me. ,
"May I come up there?" she asked.
"Certainly ; let me help you. Stand
fcere beside me, and you can see all
that Is being done. That's all, lads;
breakfast is ready; lay down all ex
cept the lookout."
We watched while they streamed
down the ratlines and gathered for
ward of the galley, squatting in groups
on the deck. To all appearances the
fellows had not a care in the world,
or any thought of the stirring scenes
Just passed through. The girl's hand
touched my sleeve, and I turned and
looked Into her face.
"Have you considered Captain San
chez?" she asked.
"Why no," In surprise, "he Is help
less below, badly wounded."
"Not so badly as you suppose," she
" said swiftly. "He Is able to be up and
about his stateroom. I heard him
moving, and I believe the steward has
told him what has occurred on board,
and endeavored to bear a message
from him to those men amidships.
held my pistol to his head and locked
him in the pantry. He Is there now,
with the sailor you sent on guard,
That is what I came on deck to tell
you."
"He Is a danger, of course, but not a
serious one," I said confidently. "It
CoiiyiiHiil, by A, C. MuUui'K tit Co.
Is safe enough to leave him undis
turbed at present. The first thing I
need to do Is to satisfy those men. I'll
attend to that now, and then see to
the proper securing of Sanchez. Re
main here with LeVere while I go for
ward, and watch that be does not at
tempt to go below."
The fellows had not finished mess,
but I felt the danger of further delay,
and talked 'to them as they sat on
deck, explaining briefly the entire situ
ation, and the causes leading up to the
mutiny. I dealt, with the matter In
plain terms, making no apparent effort
to influence them, yet forcibly com
pelling each Individual to realize what
would be the result of our recapture,
They listened earnestly, asking an oc
casional question, and passing com
ments back and forth freely - among
themselves.
I sent Watkins to the cabin for a
roll of charts, and spreading these out,
endeavored awell us I could, to make
clear our probable position and the
nearest point of land. When I had
completed the explanation, and stood
before them awaiting decision, it was
Haines who acted as their spokesman.
"This yere Is Cape Howarth?" he
asked, a grimy thumb on the point In
dicated. "An' yer say It's 'bout a hun
dred and fifty miles west?"
"Yes, about that?"
"An' thar's no settlement?"
"Some colonists fifty miles north Is
all."
"That's 'bout right." He turned to
the others. "Say mutes, this Is how I
figure. We can't go on no long cruise
with all those bloody rats in the hold.
They're bound ter find some way out
if we give 'em time 'nough. Fer as I'm
concerned, I'm fer dividln' up whut
we've got, and ter hell with piratin'.
What 'er yer say, mates? Shall we
run the ol' hooker ashore, an' leave
her thar, while we trump the coast?
We're Just a shipwrecked crew. What
sny yer?"
There was a chorus of approval suf
ficient In volume to satisfy me, and 1
accepted this as a decision.
"All right, lads," I said briefly. "In
my Judgment your choice is a wise
The Stricken Sailor Told the Whole
Story.
one. I ll have an observation as soon
as the fog clears and we'll head in for
the Cape?"
"When do we divide the swng?"
"Fifty miles off the eoast. That's
fair enough, Isn't it? And my share
goes to you."
There was a straggling cheer, but I
broke it up with a sharp order.
"Now stand by for work, all of you.
Watkins and Carter, I want you aft."
CHAPTER XXIII.
The Prisoners Escape.
The two men followed me silently as
far as the companion, where we
paused a moment staring blindly about
us into the fog. Even the guard at
the main hatch was invisible.
"Carter, guard this after deck until
Watkins and I come back. Under no
circumstances permit LeVere to enter
the cabin."
With the aoor closed, wo were
plunged Into a darkness which ren
dered the Interior invisible. I won
dered dimly why the man on guard
had not lighted the swinging lantern.
I stumbled over something on the
deck, as I groped forward, but did not
pause until I had lighted the lantern.
It blazed up brightly enough, Its yel
low flame Illuminating the cabin and
the first thing I saw was the out
stretched figure of the sailor almost
between my feet. We needed to ask
no questions, Imagine nothing the
overturned chair, the stricken sailor
told the whole story. He had been
treacherously stuck from behind, the
blade driven home by a strong hand,
and was dead before he fell to the
deck. It had been silent, vengeful
murder, and the assassin had left no
trace. Who could it have been? Not
Gunsaules surely the steward lacked
both nerve and strength for such
mm
deed. Then there was but one to sus
pect Sanchez I
I flung open the pantry door, but
one glance inside told me thnt Gun
saules had vanished. . On the deck lay
the strands of rope with which he had
been secured they had been severed
by a sharp knife, the ends discolored
with blood stains. I held these out to
Wutklns.
"Cut since the murder," I snld, "and
by the same knife. What do you make
of It. Tom?"
"Well, sir, the thing he'd most likely
try fer wud be ter release them lads
amidships. My idea Is, sir, he thought
he'd have time ter git the bulkhead
door open, before anybody cum be
lowhe an' the stewurd, who'd know
whar the tools wus. That wus the
scheme, only we busted In too quick.
That's whar they both are skulkin'
back in them shadows."
lie fitted the smoking lantern back
onto the shelf to have bis hnnds free
fur action, and drew a cutlass out of
the arm rack, running one leatherly
thumb along the blade to test its
sharpness. Ills eyes sought mine ques
tioningly. "Probably your guess Is the right
one," I said soberly. "We'll give It a
trial."
Murder had been committed for a
purpose It was the first step In an ef
fort to retake the ship. If we were
to retain our advantage there was no
time to be lost; we were pitted now
against Silva Sanchez, and he n'as a
leader not to be despised or tempor
ized with ; no cowardly, brainless fool.
The passage leading forward was
wide enough, to permit of our advanc
ing together and for a few steps the
light dribbled In past us, quite suffi
cient for guidance. I had been down
tills tunnel once before, and knew the
bulkhead was not far away, but the
few steps necessary plunged us into
profound blackness, through which we
advanced cautiously witli outstretched
hands. No slightest Sound warned of
danger and I was already convinced In
my own mind that the refugees were
not hiding there, when It happened.
Within an Instant we were fighting for
our lives, fronted not by two men, but
by a score, who flung themselves curs-
lug upon us. Their very numbers and
the narrowness of the passage was
our only salvation. At first our resist
ance was blind enough, guided only by
the senses of touch and sound. We
could see nothing of our antagonists,
although their fierce rush hurled us
backward. I fired into the ma.ss, as
Watkins slashed madly with his cut
lass, both managing in some way to
keep our feet. Hands gripped for us,
a bedlam of oaths splitting the air;
yet, even in that moment of pande
monium, I was quick to realize the fel
lows were weaponless, seeking only to
reach and crush us with bare hands.
The same discovery must have come
to the mind of the sailor, for he yelled
It out defiantly, every stroke of his
blade drawing blood. I Joined him,
striking with the butt of the pistol. We
killed and wounded, the curses of hate
changed into sharp cries of agony, but
those behind pressed the advance for
ward, and we were inevitably swept
back Into the light of the cabin lamp.
Then I saw faces, hideous in the
glare, demoniacal In their expression of
hatred a mass of them, unrecogniz
able, largely of a wild, half-Indian
type, with here and there a bearded
white. Nor were they all bare-handed ;
in many a grip flashed a knife, and
directly fronting me, with a meat
cleaver uplifted to strike, Sanchez
yelled his orders. Ignoring all others
I leaped straight at him, crying to
Watkins as I sprang.
"Back lad; dash out that light; I'll
hold these devils here a minute 1"
I did God knows hdw 1 It was like
no fighting ever I had done before, a
mad, furious melee, amid which I lost
all consciousness of action, all guid
ance of thought, struggling as a wild
brute, with all the reckless strength of
insanity. It Is a dim, vague recollec
tion ; I am sure I felled Sanchez with
one blow of my pistol butt; in some
way that deadly cleaver came into my
hands and I trod on his body, swing
ing the sharp blade with all my might
Into those scowling faces. They gave
sullenly backward; they had to, yelp
ing and snarling like a pack of wolves,
hacking at me with their short knives.
I was cut again and again. I stood on
quivering flesh, crazed with blood, and
seeking only to kill. I saw faces
crushed In, arms severed, the sudden
spurting of blood from ghastly wounds.
Oaths mingled with cries of agony and
shouts of hate. Then In an Instant the
light was (lushed out and all was dark
ness. (TO BE CONTINUED.)
Mends Granite Ware.
The government suggests we econo
mize on kitchen utensils. To mend a
hole In granite ware work a piece
of putty until perfectly soft, then take
a piece of the putty large enough to
cover the hole and put one piece on
either side of the metal, pressing to
gether Inside and out, smoothing down
the edges. Place the vessel In a slow
en and bake until the putty Is a
deep brown. For containing water the
vessel will be as good as new.