Show D WV it it C 1 Y D F MANN capt riley was intently watching from his net loft window the approach of his biggest fishing tug the alice riley even in the inner harbor she was pitching and rolling in fit the decem ber seas and was sheathed in ice fee from bobbing timber head to the overhang aft not a boxful not one he groaned seeing the nested fish boxes still lashed to the house root roof but the boys 11 get their pay somehow they 11 get it if I 1 have to slap a mort gage on all the outfit no one else should know it but the truth was christmas cheer was not in capt riley s heart as he turned gravely to the twine reeling he had busied him self with since he broke his ankle and billy noonan had proudly taken out the alice riley the most powerful tug that fished off in the straits of mackinac Mackl nac the tug tied up to the dock with a bump there was some shouting heavy footsteps clumping on the icy wharf then up the shaky stairs and the door flew open letting in a blast of raw north wind and an ice coated being in oil skins who presently shed his chrys alia ails and became a crestfallen skipper a curly haired alert young fellow who almost hugged the roaring stove for he be was drenched and shivering not a pound cap n was his greet ing breezed up so we couldn coulden t touch the nets he added old michigan must be cuttin up considerable the old man answered cheerily never mind boy yell ye 11 get em ein next time but billy noonan knew how bad the fishing had been all yea and could figure as well as his employer how bad mattery matters must be not a man of them got a line to her all but loved the grizzled old man and marveled at him for he knew the lake bottom from point betsie to the great log that scarred the fluffs bluffs north of light as most men know dry land billy noonan however also loved the old captain s daughter mary and had hoped how he had hoped I 1 to bring in a big catch ol 01 whitefish when he was given the big tug to lift the last nets of the year now a lean christmas a very lean christmas seemed certain in the kiley riley home a home tor for all homeless lads at christmas time mary s laugh had been infrequent ot of late and her merri ment had been forced here she was herself in the door way as the crew clumped in billy noonan she called don dont t you know you swamp with the fish jammed to the gu gun walls nalls soa there was a note in her raillery that cut him to the quick how queenly she was this straight blue eyed brunette wrap ped in the captain captains s oilskins flushed from facing the storm billy noonan lay awake that night notwithstanding the long daa da at the wheel of the lurching tug through his window he stared out at the black ness and he listened to the wailing wind walling wailing it seemed to him corn com plaint at the year of misfortunes and pitiful catches of fish walling wailing corn com plaint at the wages and prices of fish fixed by the union that made the lot of capt riley so hard in an off year far par out on the charlevoix pier no white light shone up and down the angry lake the lighthouses and light ships were nowhere else on watch the fog signals were silent although belated barges still stumbled up and down the lake suddenly a flash in fn the north and another and another the flash of rockets brought him out of bed this side 0 about white shoals he calculated bad place with this wind he shook his bedfellow bed fellow kelly the fireman and finally roused him get out kell someone s in trouble near the straits and maye the alice riley can get a line to her first aia 4 W 4 kelly knew what that would mean at least a day for or the old man and he knew the need everyone said the alice riley had an uncommon crew two hours later the tugs whistle blew four our booming blasts in the darkness strong ahead and five more that were billy a fare are well to mary if she was awake or cared she saw from rom her bedroom window the tug steam through the channel sparks flying weirdly in the wind out to the open lake where no light shone to mark the way for the 30 miles of 0 desperate tussle with waves chat hat now at times burled buried the very deckhouse root roof again the five short blasts as the starboard light turned north beyond the pier then was gone here s hopin growled billy as he whirled the wheel over he ile was hang ing on grimly for at times the tug stood about on end A sea smashed one ot of the pilothouse pilot house windows and he fixed it as best he could by the dim binnacle light he lashed the wheel to a course two points east of 0 north in the blackness he could see only the white crests of waves the panting ot of the tugs exhaust told him kelly was stoking like a fiend and that 0 nell was squeezing the last ounce out of his big engine 16 square ahead was black ness the maddened waters and the in frequent flash of rockets it was still dark when billy saw as the tug popped topped a great wave a ship s light ahead twinkle a moment where the whitecaps marked white shoals at dawn he had a line to the derelict and the grf gnat at seven inch hauser was going to her an hour later they were fast by the forward towing post it would be easy in such a sea to trip on the hauser and turn turtle or to be snatched by a great wave and have the hauser break the barge on the shoal wag was an ore freighter loaded to the water a edge a heavy tow with his hand on the bell cord to signal to oneil onell billy muttered here a for mary and better he rang the engines started then crash billy a christmas wishes were cut short the tow post was gone and water poured into the hole in torrents it was hours later when they got that hauser again when the tugs tug a hoarse whistle roared all right and the bellow of the stranded barge replied it was dreary work and billy and the crew were gaunt with hunger and weariness again slowly in the teeth of the wind they went ahead jerked bously at intervals when the waves snatched the tow when they were getting into deeper water 0 nell neils s en gines suddenly stopped and ten min utes later the barge had drifted back to the shoal the eccentric had slip ped the tug was but driftwood bad bu biness in such a sea billy 1 noonan and oneil 0 nell kept her afloat someway and all the time billy 81 11 link the wheel was mutter ing ingot of mavy laivand and christmas he b bad ad but was still eane sane as a skipper when at last the frantic hammering in the e it gine room ceased near evening of the next day they were still near to the barge that was pounding on the shoals the sun bun broke through the clouds a red sun near to setting beyond the tossing wa lers the sunset of christmas eve it was never clear how they got the slow steel barge to move so fast once they got her off again but in the midnight hours when st nick kris kringel and all the christmas fairies were abroad on land when the last embers of the yule logs ed cozily under lines of stockings in many many homes the alice riley a deep whistle sounded off the charle pier capt riley still stil I 1 sat before his fireplace waiting hopefully as was his nature but for the hundredth time he looked about the room at mary marys s pitiful efforts at christmas decorations suddenly he heard taint faint but unmistakable the bass call of the alice riley instantly he picked up his crutch and rapped on the door of marys mary s room so quickly did she appear sus viciously red eyed but sm smiling fling she bile must have been awake too listen he cried holding up his hand boo oo oom booboo oom all right again deep full and growing less taint faint the whistle sounded all right that means a christmas for all of us mary in spite of the fish then there came a succession ot of short sharp toots and the captain stared perplexed with a twinkle he turned to mary do you know what that means mary 9 he asked she flushed crimson but before she put her arms about her father with a hug that he understood she flashed her answer from the bow window with a lamp the captain smiling for a long time sat looking at a picture over the mantel the picture of her mother merry christmas he said to the pic pie ture very softly I 1 knew it would come billy brought it and billy had it an unforgettable able christmas with the riley s when at last he rolled in with kelly the fireman would have his joke he called it mary christmas copyright 1907 b bi wright A patterson |