f." ?"*;.*/?!? ?"????. ?."?? ? *."???'.'?f/.' ?'v '?: V .? ,v"J ? .v''? . '+?; *? ?; .? 1-'.'-' ? V?.?? I ';&?:? f-feVJ Jjg fiheWin^s of the ?j! Jfe 1* ? , By LOUIS ?W Mornm# lit ^ Edward J. CI ode CHAPTER II. Wv~~ hex the Sirdar parted amid ships the floor of the saloon heaved up in the center with a mighty crash of rend lint woodwork und trun. Men and women, too stupefied to sob out a prayer, were pitched headlong into chaos. Iris, torn from the terrified grasp of her maid, fell through a corridor and yoi Id have gone down with the ship had not a sailor, clinging t,. a companion ladder, caught her us she whirled along the steep slope of the deck. He did not know what had happen ed. With the instinct of self preserva tion he seised the nearest support when the vessel struck. It was the mere Impulse of ready helpfulness that Caused him to stretch out his left arm stud clasp the girl's waist as she flutter ed past. By idle chance they were on the port side, and the ship, after paus ing for one awful second, fell over to starboard. The man was not prepared for tills second gyration. Even as the stair way canted lie lost his balance; they were both thrown violently through tlw open hatchway and swept off Into the boiling surf. Under such condi tions thought Itself was Impossible. A ?erics of Impressions, a number of fan tastic pictures, were received by the be numbed faculties and afterward pain fully sorted out by the memory. Fear, anguish, amazement?none of these ?-ripId exist. All he knew was that the lifeless form of a woman?for Iris had happily fainted must be lield until death Itself wrenched her from him. Then there enine the headlong plunge Into the swirling sea, followed by 1111 Indefinite period of gasping oblivion Something that felt like n moving rook rose uj) beneath his feet. He was driv en clear out of the water and seemed to recognize a familiar object rising rigid and bright close at hand. It "was the pinnacle pillar, screwed to a portion of the deck which came away from the chart house, and was rent from the up per framework by contact with the reef. lie se zed this unlooked for sup port with his disengaged hand. A uniformed figure la- thought It "was the captain stretched out an un availing arm to clasp the queer reft ?which supported tie sailor and the girl, hut a Jealous wave rose under the platform with devilish energy and turned It completely over, hurling the man with his Inanimate burden Into the depths. lie rose, lighting madly for his life. Now surely he was doom ed. Iiut again, as if human existence depended on naught mole serious than the spinning of a coin, his l nccs rested ?on the same few stanch timbers, now the celling of the inuulc room, and lie "was given a brief respite. Ills great est difficulty was to got his breath, so ?dense was the spray through which he was driven. Even In that terrible moment he kept his senses. The girl, utterly unconscious, showed by the convulsive heaving of her breast that she was choking. With a wild effort he swung her head round to shield her front the flying send with his own form. The tiny air space thus provided gave her some relief, and in that In stant the sailor seemed to recognize her. He was not remotely capable of a 'definite idea. Just as he vaguely real ized the identity of the woman in his arms the unsteady support on which lie rested toppled over. Again he re newed the unequal contest. A strong, resolute man and a typhoon sea wres tled for supremacy. This time his feet plunged against something gratefully solid. He was I daahed forward, still battling with the < raging turmoil of water, and a second , time he felt the same firm yet smooth j surface. Ills dormant faculties awoke It was sand. With frenzied deapcra tion. buoyed now by the Inspiring hope of safety, be fought IiIh way onward iike a maniac. Often he fell. Three times did the backwash try to drag him to the swirling death behind, but he staggered blindly on. on, until even the tearing gale ceased to be laden with the suffo cating foam, and his faltering feet Bank in deep soft white sand. Then he fell, not to rise again. With a last weak flicker of exhausted *trength he drew the girl closely to tilm, and the two lay clasped tightly together, heedless now of all things. How long the man remained pros trnte he could only guess subsequently. The Sirdar struck soon after day break. and the sailor awoke to a hazy consciousness of Ills surroundings to find a shaft of sunshine flickering through the clouds banked up In the east. The gale was already passing away. Although the wind still whis tled with shrill violence. It was more blustering than threatening. The sea too, though running very high, had re treated many yards from the spot ?where he had finally dropped, and Its ?urface was no longer scourged with venomous spray. Slowly and painfully he raised him self to a sitting posture, for be was bruised and stiff. With his first move ment be became violently 111. He had ?wallowed much salt water, and It was not until the spasm of sickness bad passed that be thought of the girl. "She cannot be (load." be hoarsely murmured, feebly trying to lift .her "Surely t'rorldcnce would uot desert her after such au escape. What a weak beggar I must be to give In at the last moment! 1 am mire she was living when we got ashore. What on earth cun?I do to revive her?" Forgetful of Ids owu uehlug limbs In this newborn anxiety, he sank on one knee and gently pillowed Iris' head and shoulders on the other. Her eyes were closed, her Hps and teeth firmly set?a fact to which she undoubtedly owed her life, else she would have been suf focated and the pallor of her skin seemed to be that terrible bloodless hue which Indicates death. The stern lines In the man's face relaxed, and something blurred Ids vision. He wus weak from exhaustion and want of food. For the moment his emotions were easily aroused. "Oh. it is pitiful!" be almost whim pered. "It cannot be!" With a gesture of despair he drew the sleei e of Ids thick Jersey across his eyes to clear them from the gathering He etaggtrcd blhully on. mist. Then he tremblingly endeavored to open the neok of her dress. He was stnrt.el to Hud the girl's eyes wide open and surveying him with shadowy alarm. She was quite eonsei ius. "Thank Cod!" he erled hoarsely. "You are alive." Iler color came back with remarka ble rapidity. She tried to assume a sit ting posture, and Instinctively her hands traveled to her disarranged cos tume. "How ridiculous!" she said, with a Utile note of annoyance in her voice, which sounded curiously hollow. Hut her brave spirit eould not yet command her enfeebled frame. She was perforce compelled to sink back to the support of his knee and arm. "lio you think you could lie quiet un til 1 try to And some water?" lie gasp ed anxiously. She nodded a childlike acquiescence, and her eyelids fell. It was only that her eyes smarted dreadfully from the salt water, but the sailor was sure that this was a premonition of a lapse to unconsciousness. "Please try not to faint again," he said. "Don't you think I had better loosen these things? You can breathe more easily." A ghost of a smile flickered on her lips. "No?no." she murmured. "My eyes htiv me that Is all. Is there? au.v -w; He la he te iderly on the sand and rose to is !vct. His tirst glance was toward i t : >11. The contrast between the fletci 'munition outside nud the comparai e!y smooth surface of the protecte i >1 was very marked. At low till tie lagoon was almost com pletely i a.ted. Indeed he imagined that ot a tierce gale blowing from the not v est would enable the waves to leap il e reef, save where a strip of broken water, surging far Into the small m.tural harbor, betrayed the po sition of the tiny entrance. Yet at this very point a fine cocoanut palm reared its stately column high In air. and Its long, tremulous fronds were now swinging wildly before the gale. From where he atood It appeared to be growing in the midst of the sea, for huge breakers completely hid the coral embuukment. This sentinel of the land had a weirdly impressive efTect. It was the only tixed object In the waste of foam capped waves. Not a vestige of the Sirdar remained seaward, but the sand was littered with wreckage, and? mournful spectacle?a considera ble number of Inanimate human forms lay huddled up amid the relics of the steamer. This discovery stirred him to action. He turned to survey the larid on whl .h be was stranded with his helpless con pauion. To his great relief lie dlseav i ore., that It vat lofty and tree clad. He knew thai tl e si Ip could not have drifted t" Ho*. ? > wlilch st'il lay far to tl:e soutli. J liis must lie one of t' e hundreds of Islands which stud ti.c rhina sea anil i rovlde resort* lor Hal- I nun fishermen. l'rotisbly It wna lu habited, though I e tho"ght It strange ] that nine of the Islanders laid put In an appearance. In any event water and food of some s irt were assured. Hut before setting out upon his quest two things demanded attention. The : girl must be removed from bcr present i. tlon. It would be too horrible to't , crmlt her tlrst conscious gaze to rest . upon those crumpled objects on the j beach. Common humanity demanded. | too. that I e should hastily examine each of the bodies lu case life was not wlf.it ly extinct. bo he l ent over the girl, noting with I sudden wonder thut, weak us site was. I she had managed to refusteu part of her bodice. "You must permit me to carry you a little farther Inland," he explained gently. Without another word he lifted her t In his arms, marveling somewhat at the strength which came of necessity, and bore her some little distance until a sturdy rock jutting out of the satul offered shelter from the wind and pro tection from the sea and Its revela tions. "I am so cold and tired." murmured Iris. "Is there any water? My throat hurts me." lie pressed back the tangled hair from her forehead as he might soothe a child. "Try to lie still for a very few mln utcs," he said. "You have not long to suffer. I will return Immediately." Ills own throat and palate were on fire owing to the brine, but he first hurried bnok to the edge of the lagoon. There were fourteen bodies In all, three women and eleven men, four of the latter being l.ascars. The women were saloon passengers whom he did not know. One of the men was the sur geon, another the first officer, a third Sir John Tozer. The rest were passen gers and members of the crew. They were all dead; some had been peaceful ly drowned, others were fearfully mangled by the rocks. Two of the Las cars, hearing signs of dreadful Injuries, were lying on a cluster of low rocks overhanging the water. The remainder rested on the sand. The sailor exhibited no visible emo tion while he conducted his sad scru tiny. When he was assured that this silent company was beyond mortal help he at once strode away toward the nearest belt of trees. lie could not tell how long the search for water might lie protrn'-ted, and there was pressing need for It. When he reached the first clump of brushwood ho uttered a delighted ex clamation. There, growing In prodigal luxuriance, was the beneficent pitcher plant, whose large curled up leaf, sliup ed like a teacup, not only holds a lnst lng quantity of rain water, but mixes therewith Its own palatable and nat ural Juices. With his knife he severed two of the leaves and hastened to Iris with the precious beverage. She heard him and managed to raise herself on an el bow. The poor girl's eyes glistened at tlic pr >spoet of relief. Without a word of question or surprise she swallowed the contents of both leaves. Then she found utterance. "How odd it tastes. What Is It?" she In quired, But the eagerness with which she quenched her thirst renewed ills own momentarily forgotten torture. His tongue seetned to swell. He was ab solutely unable to reply. The water revived Iris like a magic draft. Her quick intuition told her what had happened. "You have had none yourself 1" she cried. "Go at once and get some! And please bring me some more!" He required no second bidding. Aft er hastily gulping down the contents of several leaves he returned with a further supply. Iris was now sitting up. The sun Inul burst royally through the clquds, and her chilled limits were gaining some degree of warmth and elasticity. "What is it?" alio repented after an other delicious draft. "The leaf of the pitcher plant. Na ture is not always cruel. In an un usually generous wood she devised this method of storing water." Miss Ltonne reached out her hand for more. Her troubled brain refused to wonder at such a reply from an ordi nary seaman. The sailor deliberately spilled the contents of a remaining leaf on the sand. "No, madam." he said, with an odd mixture of deference and firmness. "No more at present. I must first procure you some food." She looked up at him in momentary silence. "The ship is lo t she said after a pause. "Yes, madam." "Are we the only people saved?" "I fear so." "Is this a desert island?" "I think not, madam. It may by chnms> be temporarily uninhabited, but fishermen from China come to all these places. I have seen no other living be ings except ourselves. Nevertheless the Islanders may live on the south side." "It surely cannot be possible that the Sirdar has gone to pieces?a magnifi cent vessel of her size and strength?" He answered quietly: "It is too true, madam. I suppose you hardly knew site struck. It happened so suddenly. Afterward, fortunately for you, you were unconscious." "How do you know?" she Inquired quickly. A flood of vivid recollection was pouring In upon her. "I?er?well. I happeued to be near you. madam, when the ship broke up, and we?er?drifted ashore together." She rose and fat ed him. "I rernem oer now. si.e cried hysterically. "You caught me ns I wm thrown Into the ocrrldor. We fell Into the sea when the vessel turned over. You have saved my life. Were It not for you I could not possibly lu ve escaped." S'. e g oil : ? hi::: more earnestly, see ing that he l>ln lied beneath the crust of s: It and s. a 1 that covered his fa e "Why." she v ent on. with growing ex citement, "you are the steward I no ticed In the saloon yesterday. How is It that you are now dressed us a sailor?" He answered readily enough. "There was uu accident on board during the gale, madam. I am a fair sailor, hut a poor steward, so I applied for a trunsf r. As the crew was short hand ed, my offer was accepted." Iris was uow looking at him Intently. "You saved my life." she repeated llowiy. It seemed that this obvious Juct needed to lie indelibly established tn her mind. Indeed the girl was over wrought by all that she had gone through. Only by degrees were her thoughts marshaling themselves with lucid coherence. As yet she recalled so many dramatic Incidents that they failed to assume due proportion. Hut quickly there came memories of Captaii. Uoss, of Sir John and Lady Toxer, of the doctor, her maid, the hundred and one individualities of her pleasant life aboard ship. Could it be that they were all dead? ThtyVot: in was monstrous. Hut its ghastly signif icance was instantly borue in upon her by the plight in which she stood. Iler lips quivered; the tears trembled in her eyes. "Is it really true that all the ship's company except ourselves are lost?" she brokenly detuunded. The sailor's gravely earnest glance fell before hers. "Unhappily there is nu room iur uiniiii, ui< saiu. "Are you quite, quite sure?" "I am sure?of some." Involuntarily he turned seawurd. She understood him. She sank to her knees, eovered her face with her hands and broke into a passion of weeping. With a look of infinite pity he stooped and would have touched her shoulder, but lie suddenly restrained the im pulse. Something had hardened this man. It cost him an effort to be cal lous, but he succeeded. Ills mouth tightened, and his expression lost its tenderness. "Come, come, my dear lady," he ex claimed, and there was a tinge of stud ied roughness in his voice, "you must calm yourself. It is the fortune of shipwreck as well as of war, you know. We are alive and must look after ourselves. Those who have gone are beyond our help." "Hut not beyond our sympathy," wailed Iris, uncovering her swimming eyes for a fleeting look at him. Even In the utter desolation of the moment she could not help marveling that this queer mannered sailor, who spoke like a gentleman and tried to pose as her inferior, who had rescued her with the utmost gallantry, who carried his quix otic zeal to the point of first supplying her needs when he was in far worse case himself, should be so utterly in different to the fate of others. He waited silently until her sobs ceased. "Now, madam," he said, "it i essen tial that we should obtain some food. I don't wish to leave you alone until we are better acquainted with our whereabouts. Can you walk a little way toward the trees, or shall I assist you?" Iris Immediately stood up. She press ed her hair back defiantly. "Certainly I can walk," she answer ed. "What do you propose to do?" "Well, madam"? "What is your name?" she interrupt ed Imperiously. "Jenks, madam. Robert Jenks." "Thank you. N'ow listen. Mr. Robert Jenks. My name is Miss Iris Deune. On board ship I was a passenger and you were a steward?that Is. until you became a seaman. Ilere we are equals in misfortune, but in all else you are the leader. I am quite useless. I can only help In matters by your direction. Plodding together through the xrtnd. so I do not wish to be addressed as 'madam' in every breath. Do you un derstand me?" ''As you wish. Miss Deane." be said. "The fact remains that I have many things to attend to. and we really must eat something." "What can we iat?'' ''Let us tud out." he replied, scan ning the ue-.rest trees with keen scru tiny. They plodded together through the sand In :!c:n p. Physic-ally they were a superb couple, but in raiment they resi ml.led scarecrows. Both, of course, were bareheaded. T1 e sailor's Jersey and trousers were old and torn, uud the se i water still southed loudly In his heavy boots with each step. But Iris was In a deplorable plight. Her hair fell In a great wave of gold en brown strands over her neck tyid shoulders. Every hairpin had vanish ed, but with a few dexterous twists ?he colled the flying tresses Into a loose knot. Her beautiful muslin dress was rent and draggled. It was drying rapidly under the ever Increasing pow er of the sun, and she surreptitiously i endeavored to complete the fastening of the open portion about her neck. Suddenly he gave u glad shout. "By Jove, Miss Deane, we are in luck's way! There Is a flue plantain tree." The pangs of hunger could not be re sisted. Although the fruit was hardly ripe. they tore nt the great bunches and ate ravenously. Iris made no pre | tense in the matter, and the sailor was I In worse plight, for he had been on duty continuously since 4 o'clock the previous afternoon. At last their appetite was somewhat appeased, though plantains might not appeal to a gourmand as the solitary Joint. "Now," decided Jenks, "you must rest here a little while. Miss Deane. I'm going beck to the beach. You need not be afraid. There are no animals to harm you, and I will not be far away." - "What are you going to do on the i beach ?" she demanded. I "To rescue stores, for the most part." i "May I not come with you. I can be j I of some little service surely?" He answered slowly: "Please oblige { me by remaining here at present. In j less than an hour I will return, and j I 4-K?,v nAehnna ?s.. ^SlI 44 ?-? ,3 ? 1 4._ 4.~ 2 luru ^ci uayo juu win uuu yicuijr - do." | j She read his meaning intuitively and | shivered. "1 could not do that," she j murmured. "I would faint. While you are away I will pray for theni, my un- ' j fortunate friends." j As lie passed from her side he heard i j her sobbing quietly. When he reached the lagoon he halt- 1 I ed suddenly. Something startled him. ; i He was quite certain that he had j counted fourteen corpses. Now there < were only twelve. The two Lascars' ' bodies which rested on the small group > of rocks ou the verge of the lagoon had j vanished. Where bad they gone? (to he continued.) ONE SENATOR ENOUGH. i ; How the Senate Sometimes Passes ' Bills with Only One Mem ber Present. ' Only two or three people were in the galleries the other day when the senate took up the calendar of private bills. TLe [only senator present was Mr. McCumber, of North Dakota, chairman of the pension com- - mittic, Yi ; President Fairbun! :? was in the chair. It was a reve latiou of how the senate grinds out routine business Mr. Mc Cumber would move to take up a bill granting a pension to a war veteran. The vice president would put the motion and call for the ayes and nays viva voce. Of course Senator McCumber always voted in the affirmative, and the bill was passed. This was the first time in recent years that the sen ate transacted business with only one member on the fioor. "I recall a case that is almost parallel," said Senator Frye, in discussing the incident. "At one time when I was presiding the late Senator Mitchell, of Oregon, was making a speech. I had oc casion to leave the chamber and I 'nnl:o/^ tin tn coo whom I I I ? U tV/ DCC " UVUI A. 1/UUIU call to the chair. I found that there was but one senator pres. eut in addition to Mitchell. He was Mitchell's colleague. "I called hiiu to the chair and | left." added Senator Frye, with |" la smile.?Washington Cor. I n- J dustrial News. 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