Adventure, June 1911 — page 36: what you’re looking at

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

222 “Qi-yoi!” exclaimed the other in amaze- ment. . “Man overboard!” he yelled, rais- ing his voice so that it rang throughout the vessel. Quickly he slipped off his coat, _transferred a gold watch from the fob pocket of his trousers to the inside pocket. of the outer garment, folded the latter neatly, laid it on the deck, and, jumping upon the flat top of the railing, dove into the white surge. 3 Fifty feet away the other man came to the surface, shook the brine from his eyes with a vigorous twist of his head and flung his right hand forward in a powerful, prac- tised overhand stroke. He was heading for the canal-boats, which were nearer to him than the rapidly receding ferry-boat, but he looked back in time to see the man in the gray silk waistcoat plunge from the rail after him. The chill of the river had cleared his brain and he understood. With some anxiety he watched the bobbing head of the other swimmer. The latter made progress slowly and, as he approached, it _was quite plain that he was laboring hard. Gray-eyes turned and went after him and drew up alongside with a few of his long | reaches. _ “How are you?” he asked. **Bout all—all in!” gasped the other. “Got-got a —— cramp in—in my—gurgle- gurglel” The waves closed over his head. Gray- eyes slipped down and caught him and without difficulty got him back to the surface. “Lie perfectly quiet!’ he admonished, holding him by the collar and swimming easily on his back. “All right,” the stocky chap answered. Meanwhile in wild excitement passengers were crowding upon the deck of the ferry- boat, that calliope cry, ‘‘Man overboard!”’ having drawn them in haste from the cabins. Blue-shirted deckhands were loosening coils of rope and tying big cruller-shaped life- preservers to the ends of them. The man in the pilot-house signaled ‘“‘Slow speed ahead!” to the engine-room and tooted like mad with his whistle. : Tidal action had swung the canal-boat flotilla around so that the tail of it was within one hundred feet of the two men in the water and Gray-eyes struck out for the nearer craft. It was easy work for him to make the distance; he soon grasped the line dropped over the side, and, still holding Adventure his companion by the collar, looked up into a pair of very large brown eyes that peered over the rail of a big grain-barge. “Thanks!” he said, grinning. The possessor of the big brown eyes nodded acknowledgment. , “Hold tight!” she directed. ladder down to you.” A minute later the end of a long ladder fell beside him and he swung around.so that his companion could catch a rung. “Can you climb up, or shall I carry you?” he asked. , “T can make it,”’ the short man replied briefly. | “All right; you go first and I’ll follow 9) you. iG gained the deck, and the ferry-boat pilot, seeing them safe if soppy, swore with remarkable enthusiasm, put his helm hard-a-starboard, and edged around to the rear of the tow. Gray-eyes looked at the girl who was standing on the deck. She was a splendid creature, with raven hair coiled braid upon braid upon the back of her head, glorious eyes with tawny glints in the depths of them, sun-tanned cheeks through which the roses glowed, lips of scarlet, and shining, strong teeth. A soft felt hat was pinned to the masses of her hair and a canvas waist with a wide brown collar fell away from her glorious neck and rested loosely upon her full bosom across which her bare brown arms were folded. With her canvas skirt snap- ping around her in the brisk river breeze and the low western sunbeams slanting down upon her over the irregular sky-line of New York, with the western windows all aflame and the scarlet clouds fluttering like pennants in the amethystine depths, Gray- eyes concluded that he had never seen a picture so magnificent. Further thought upon the subject was arrested by a vigorous smite on the nose. The young man’s eyes blazed with anger and, clutching the brother of his adventure by the wet front of his diamond-decked waistcoat with his left hand, he drew back his right hand to return the blow he had received so unexpectedly. The short man threw up his hands to guard his head in a manner that indicated some familiarity with the rules of the game, but the fingers “Pl slip a SO THEY ascended the ladder and ‘that gripped his chest were fingers of: steel: Go NOOKS. CO AMG SS