West Wind Drift

gaze on a section of the horizon that for want of something more def

come. But my vife she vould do it. Paris and London every year it used to be, so she must haf a little holiday or she vill die, she say. Veil, here we are. And ven I think vat a long holiday it is going to be maybe,-by gracious, I could kick myself for not giving in to my brother-in-law ven he begged so hard to be allowed to make the trip because he needed the change from not being a

e sailor who lounged nea

o land, my frien

. "Which way, sir?" he ask

f: "By golly, I'll bet t

I mean,-the end of the oc

rest land, sir, I should say, is abou

d Mr. Nicklestick, moving a

the water, squinted an eye,

over three miles where we are now, sir. We're comin' to the deepest part of the ocea

hat man carefully," ad

says he never uses it in that form

uses

cco,

ccelerated by the spectacle of Mr. Shine, the motion picture magnate, who approached the lady from an equidistant station and with similar haste. Mr. Block, being a trifle near-sighted and

a glance over his glasses and

orders for me to speak

s,

t sighed, an

fensively jaunty. Others, frankly terrified at the outset, sauntered timidly away from the life-boats to which they were assigned. Every one was glad that the Captain had ordered a life-boat drill on the first afternoon out,

ts capacity with banknotes and gold. Chilean ladies and Chilean gentlemen, dazzling Brazilian ladies and pompous Brazilian gentlemen, smug Argentinians, lordly Castilians, garrulous Portuguese, lofty English gentlemen and supercilious English ladies, friendly and irrepressible Americans,-all of them swinging their sea-legs with new-found abandon-clattered solidly around the wind-swept circuit. New faces appeared in the

hers young and homely, but all of them sprightly and clear-

their direction after they had passed,

isunderstandin' as to what single pay was to be to start off with. Single pay turned out to be just whatever suited the people that employed 'em, seein's they were nearly seven thousand miles away from God and up against it, so they're

rci

your las

t's

y ever had a las

ny one of my size with bigger and harder muscles. Well, if you knew what my full name is, old man, you'd underst

names?" inquired t

donis," sai

moment, thinking of the prop

kes a heap of muscle to p

ont of the two men. Perci

lips of one of the trio. There was not only su

ent slightly forward, her eyes expressed utter incredulity and bewilderment. Her companion, an elderly lady, and a bespectacled yo

ammered the latter, suddenly averting her

. Turning to inspect the object under discussion, she sustained a

d encouraging manner. He went farther, and

g lady in a sort of panic. "Are yo

anced inquiring

hree reasons why he's got them muscular arms you're lookin' at. Sor

ghast. "It's the stowaway every one is talking

t, uncertain effort, to be sure, but still a smile,-and mur

Do you mean to say you met t

wrinkling her pretty forehead in p

him?" gasped the h

orton introduced him to us.

this fellow before in my life. The idea! Phil Morton having

did dance with him, and, what's more, I danced m

aming, again looked at

ter, furtively glancing to the right

nto the sailor's e

had four dances with y

k. "Would you mind telling me, Mr. Percival, how you happen to be

r did you, Miss Clinton. You certain

old me you belong to an old Baltimore family and h

least bit sensitive. Money isn't everything. I seem to be able to get alon

pted the sailor. "Her

e corner of the deck building, with Chi

ly puzzled. Her aunt was clutching her arm. "You seemed so

, graceful despite the sudden yank with which her aunt set her in motion. Per

halted in

Mrs. Spofford and her nie

er meeting me night before last at the Alcazar

ay. He will give you a less public job, as you call it." A twinkle came into h

k you

you to stroll through the second cabin and if possible identify the two s

ight, sir. Eleven or ha

y we

Mr. Codge, and I do not recognize any of them as the men who came to No. 22. I had a fairly good

nderstand

have been wrong, but I came to the conclusion that they were transferring some o

nched fist down on the table wi

hat Chicago detecti

red behind him. Fresh alarm,-real consternation

r search isn't over?" cri

mned inch of it, from stem to stern. Overlo

eyes were rather wild and bloodshot. The younger man's face blanched. H

out of the room. Well, they were not there this morning when the regular steward went into the room. They have disappeared. But the contents of th