2
THE BEST STAKE H TIE STATt
Built by Low Prices, Fair Treatment, Good Goods.
SPECIAL DRIVES ON
Bed-room Suits,
Parlor Suits,
Couches,
Lounges,
Rockers,
Cook Stoves,
Pictures,
Bric-a-brac,
China Closets.
Book Cases.
Don’t let lack of READY MONEY keep you from buying if you need anything we have.
We have a credit system that will enable you to furnish your home beautifully and easily.
The Lowest Prices in the World! They Make Our Competitors Wince!
THOMAS & C AMPBELL,
RALEIGH, N. C.
“sum bowm: 9
(Copyright by Cuteliffe Hyne, 1899.)
“Hullo, there’s Culvert, of all peo
ple!” I heard a brisk voice say liehiml
me, “Now, he’s the very man. I'll in
troduce you to him this minute, and
then we’ll go below and see your room,
and back-sheesh the steward into civili
ty.”
1 turned my head and saw Yanreunan
elbowing his way amongst the crowd
which swarmed on the steamer's bridge
deck between the gangway and the
head of the first-class companion. He
had a couple of dressing bags in his
fists, a bundle of rugs under liis arm
and a pair of ladies in his train. To
these last he introduced me.
"Mrs. Cordington and my sister Mabel.
They’re going across to New York to
stay with some friends, and then, when
the warm weather comes, thy’re off
with a party to see the Yosomite valley.
They’ll be met on the wlmrf at the other
side, but up to there tiie.v’ll Ik- two lope,
lorn females, and I want you to give
them the benefit of your countenance,
and do the genial watchdog business. By
the way, you’re taking matters pretty
coolly; you look either as if you had
been settled here for a week, or else
had no connection with the steamer
whatever. 1 suppose you are crossing by
her?”
“I laughed. “Oh. yes,” I said, “I came
on board her Id minutes ago, saw the
purser and found 1 knew him; made him
give me the best room in tin ship in
stead of the one I’d get; carted my
things in there one-time and locked the
door, and then cleared out here and
didn’t worry any more.”
“You’re an old, l>old hand.” said Yan
rennan, “and many years of wandering
have made you perfect in tin* art of
looking after yourself. What, do you
think of the boat?”
“O, sbe’s a fine steamer and she'll do
a quick passage. Moreopvcr. because she
is a foreigner, they’ll feed us extremely
well, which is a great thing for this
time of year.”
“Then do you think we shall have a ,
very bad crossing?” Mrs. •( ordingtou '
asked anxiously.
“We may have a breeze or \vc mayn’t;
the Western ocean is always delight
fully uncertain about that. But I was
thinking about the cold. There’ll be
precious little going out on deck: meals
will he the most interesting item of the
day, and therefore a good table is a dis
tinct pelasure to look forward to.”
“Do you think there is any danger?”
said Mrs. Cordington.
I smiled. “Beniarkably little. Consid
erably less, for instance, than you
woind lie exposed to if you traveled by
train for a week backwards and for
wards between London and (ilasgow.
In fact, if you care to give me the sum
of one penny apiece, I’ll insure you each
ByCUTCLIFFE HYNE.
for £I.OOO against fatal accident all the
way across like the weekly papers do
ashore. Come. now. will you let me do
that stroke of business?”
“Save your coppers.” said Yanreunan.
laughing. “Calvert is too grasping.
Come along down below and get settled
in your quarters, and then bill) me an
affectionate good by. I shall have to
clear if l don't want to be taken on.
I'a-ta. 'Calvert, old chap. So awfully
good of you to take these damsels un
der your charge. Hope you’ll all have
a good time on tin* other side, and not
get frozen on the road. Hoodb.v.”
We hove up at dusk that afternoon,
and because tin* channel outside was
while with an ugly, choppy sea. tlu'i' *
wen* iiddles on tin* table at dinner and
extraordinarily few diners. I sent down
dry champagne and biscuits to Mrs.Cord
ington's room, and then, seating my
Then came the rush till the port boats hung inboard against their davits.
THE NEWS AND OBSERVER, SUNDAY MORN I NO, JUNE IS, ISIK>.
FURNITURE
' ~ B in)> iti i
Cash or Credit.
self next to the purser, made a gor
geous meal.
“We do ourselves well lu*re in the
grub line, don’t we?” said the purser.
“Better than the English boats. We*re
dragging all the passenger trade away
from them now. Come along down to
my room for your coffee, and we'll have
a quiet smoke before 1 get to work
squaring up my papers. Lord! 1
wouldn't care to be the old man tonight'!
He'll lie perched then* freezing on the
upper .bridge till we're bang clear of
the channel, and very likely for the
next 24 hours after that, if the weath-
er’s at; all thick. He's got just over n
thousand human lives on tills ship, and
I guess they give him all the responsi
bility lie's any use for. Steward, bring
me down a hot lie of green chartreuse
to my room. Now, Mr. Calvert, if you're
ready.”
The purser and I talked Western
ocean shop during the burning of two
Cuban cigars, and then he turned to at
work, and I silippcd off to the smoke
in and lead tin* illustrated papers.
it was 11 o'clock before the smoke room
steward hinted that the hour of closing
had come.
I went, out into the night, a black,
mi-ty night full of rain and spindrift
driving down from the nnr’-nor’west. 1
cocked my eye and saw the skipper and
two mates patrolling the upper bridge;
on the break of the deck ahead of me
were three men in glistening oilskins;
in the crow's nest forward were two
others; and 1 shivered luxuriously, and
thanked the fates that 1 was a mere
passenger who could travel in absolute
safety and have no watch to keep. Ami
then I went below, made fast my i«>rt
manteati and turned in. Sleep humored
me at ouce.
I woke to the tune of colliding ships
and the full orchestra of death.
To say that my senses came to tin*
without flurry and at mice would Ik*
too great a claim. By some violent
shock from beneath 1 was banged up
against the iron roof of tin* cabin. I
pitched back on the Honor, and for a
minute or so lay there stunned.
Something serious was going on. 1
became dully conscious of (bis. and with
an effort roused myself and stared curi
ously at the curtain rod of the bunk,
which lay doubled* up and twisted be
tween my hands. Then lit began to be
Iwirne in upon me that (lie ship was
awake with screaming and the tramp
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us and here are some lines we
are closing out. You can’t af
ford to miss this opportunity.
Matting, Carpets, Re
frigerators, Ice-Cream
Freezers, Lamps, Mir
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Curtains, All Lawn Goods
> . > i . • V
Window Shades, Baby
Carriages.
ling of frightened feet, and then the in
terpretation of these things came to me
in a flash. We were in collision.
A man snatched open my door, stam
mered out. “We're going downs (►,
what shall I do?” and ran away shout
ing. The ship was full of noise and
darkness and hammering. The propel
ler had stopped, no light cante when
1 turned the electric switch, and we
had so heavy a list of starboard (my
side) that that already the ports were
covered most of tin* time. It was pre
cisely clear that the steamer was in a
bad way. and one’s first and most natti-
ral instinct was to bolt for the upper
decks.
Cm ashamed to say that I had al
ready rushed outside tin* door, with
this idea, before I got my wits in hand
again. But then I pulled myself up, amt
went back and dragged on some heavy
serge clothes over my pajamas, and
added boots and a whiskey flask, after
which I pounded off along the alleyways
to the room which Mrs. ('ordington
shared with the Yanreunan girl. The
door of it was slamming noisily with
tin* roll of the ship. 1 looked inside.
The place was empty, and from out
of the darkness came a swirl of water,
whi eh ran coldly about my knees. T
• guessed they had gone to the upper
deck, and ran there myself with the
best of pace. There was a feel about
the steamer that I knew. She lay down
soddmi and numb in the son. and rose
to the wave- no more. I had felt that
sluggish, sullen roll before on another
ship. We had found her drifting, and
had just time to leave her decks before
she sank down to the ocean floor. The
mail steamer was going to repeat that
dive —and she was carrying a thousand
human lives.
The bridge deck lay atilt like the root'
of a house, and it was carpeted with
humanity. From the upfier bridge rock
» ts climbed up high into the night in
one. never-ending stream of yellow
Ha me. Orders, prayers, shrieks and
threats were being hurled about Hi
every tongue that Europe knows. The
stokehold crews, mad wiKi fear, were
raging like devils unchained round the
grips ami chocks of the lifeboats. Naked
emigrants were with them. Sick men.
who could hardly crawl, tore at the boat
a wirings with their teeth. The ship’s
officers ami the few deck hands were
swept aside like straws.
Then a bellow from the steam siren
drowned all the clamor, and at that in
stant the moon slid 1 out and burnt like
a great white* lamp through a gap in
the racing clouds. A shout could not
be heard above the din and the shou»s
died away while tin* trembling fingers
tumbled on at boat grips ami rived at
the stops on tin* falls. Then the cap
tain on tin* upper bridge let go the lan
yard of the* siren and gave his orders
before tile* silence* could be* broken.
“Keep your heads and all will be
saved.” lie* cried in Herman. “Women
stand by the starboard boats ami men
away to port. Boat crews to their sta
tions. I will shoot the first swine that
disobeys me.” Then he repeated the
words in English and French and
Norsk, till his cry was lost once more in
the raging clamor.
Now. for myself I had seen the use
lessness of thinking about my own hide
till matters were somewhat further ad
vanced. and I remembered (with grim
amusement) how 1 had offered to heav
ily insure two ladies’ lives for the trifling
premium of two copper coins. So from
the moment of coming out on deck I had
been employed in Intuiting for these
charges among the mob. and had not
been sparing vigor in the process. There
were Pdd people wedged into one group,
and it was not a possible thing to go
through these singly. So T had gone
I'oimd outside the bulwark rail, occa
siotially climbing up by a stanchion ora
stay, and had gazed down on the huddle
°t tares from above; and when 1 found
the two that were wanted 1 fought
my way to them with elbow or shut
fist ns required. Min. (Vrdlngton wore
a flannel dressing gown, and as the
of he r girl had turned out in a singularly
becoming garment of cotton, T gave her
my own pilot jacket, and stole also for
her (by brute force) a spotted carriage
rug from ;i IN dish .lew.
“Now,” 1 said, “there’s string in the
pocket of that jacket, and thi/s thing
will make you an elegant skirt. You'd