The Argosy, August 1914 — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

NOBODY LOVES A LOSER. of the undertaking. It brought Jes- sica to the point where skill became valueless and must give place to reck- less dash. The instant the bow of the Polly Ann, luffed into the wind, touched the raft she had sprung from its dry safety to the unstable footing beyond. The Polly Ann’s long painter ‘was in her hand, that the catboat ugh not drift away. Seemingly blind to the havards of the situation, yet stepping as lightly and certainly as a mountain-goat, she picked her way toward the derelict. She grasped his plight without wasting breath on words. Every second was fraught with peril of death. His arm, as he had told her, was wedged in a V of fractured lumber. They joined strength in tearing it loose. It might be broken, as he had said, but the time was too short to think of that. The doctor could, look to it later. “Get up!” she ordered when ce was free. He had pluck, had this curly-head- ed, handsome young man—handsome despite the pallor which the unshaven cheeks accentuated—for he tried to obey. But the effort undid Inm, for he sank back, fainting. Jessica saw that she had a larger task cut out for her than she had fig- ured on. She accepted the odds with- out a moment’s hesitation. Her left hand still held the Polly Ann’s painter. Her right fingers she wound into the derelict’s coat collar. Thus she dragged him toward her boat, as unceremoniously as she would have dragged a bag of meal. But how she managed to get him over the cat- boat’s rail she could never afterward explain. CHAPTER VI. THE FAULTY COMPASS. THE rapidity with which the old barge broke up after grounding fairly 21 amazed Jack Garrett. He had recog- nized her for an ancient hull during his search for an exit from her hold. Not until now, however, had it be- come apparent that she was pinned together only with rusted spikes and . oakum calking. She seemed fairly to crumble under his feet as he stood clinging to the deck - house door to keep from being blown oversides. a half-hour at the utmost would read her doom. And yet to Jack’s benumbed mind there appeared nothing to be done. He could only renew his determina- tion to fight to the last, accepting the end with unfurrowed brow as became a gentleman and a prize-fighter. The barge groaned and shrieked for mercy in the clutch of wind and wave. ‘The elements lifted the great bulk and cast it down with the ease and unconcern of a child playing with its rattle. The bottom was first to go. Jack could tell when it had been ground out by the rush of air which lifted the hatches. The vessel lost a. little in buoyancy after that. Nevertheless, her gratings were terrifying. She disintegrated rapidly following It was evident that this first tremendous breach. Her side - planking was torn away, the deck- house, shaken loose, carried over the rail, and the lone passenger found himself driven from spot to spot in brave determination to*cling until the - last second. | Then, when her rails were level with the water, there rushed over her a tremendous roller, which lifted and threw him wide. He was surprised .at coming to the surface a moment later to find himself still alive. He was sorry, too; it would have been ‘so much easier to die than to carry on the struggle. Yet honor insisted on the latter. | The same lulling of the gale which had lured Jessica Hooper to adventure the passage to Barratry had made it- self apparent while the barge was be- ECOMMICOOO® S (C@