The Wreck of the South Pole and Other Strange Tales — page 181: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

174 Written in Water. me,’ and he went forward a rod and with his cane wrote his name in the rolling wave. It made no mark even for the instant. “This,’ he said, ‘is what many of us will do.’ But I replied: “““A name may be writ in water, sand or granite, and I shall choose the granite.’ ““*To not be too sure,’ he said. “How true he foretold the future. In water it has been written, for I am the last of my family, and I, the last of the Leslies, have lost the woman I love. No son will ever be born to keep up the old name. “And my book! Well, it is not finished, but my life nearly is. I shall never live to write the last page. As far as fame is concerned, my name has been written in water. It has left no mark even for the short instant of my own life.”’ At six o’clock John Brent brought in his dinner, but he could scarcely touch it. At seven, Gracie came to sit with him. “Gracie,” he said, “I do not wish to leave my work- shop in disorder if—if—anything should happen. There are some papers upon that shelf—loose papers, you will see. Please bring them to me.” Gracie brought them to him. “Ves, these are the ones—useless—I want them de- stroyed. Please put them in the grate.” Gracie did so. “Now, these few I have been scribbling to-day. They Eomichooks. co