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Show , I Two r.len a.Rd One 'cman By JOHN MATTER S.Jt lifio. r a', e rr; Nci'ut.er V II :i' n. ) ' I MiE yellow sun slid out of the given ii' t-.iu ; the girl siim-d in her ieep and faintly u.eaned ; and so bei;an another an-other day in the lifi-buat. "Say, you," muttered the red-faced man, "slide that woman overheard. Gets on my nerves, her gnanin'." "Gets on my nerves, you're yappin'," replied the pasty-faced man, "and don't you go to oidi iin' me 'round. You can do your utu murder, you can." The girl sat u right. She grzed first upon the two mi-n, who dropped their eyes at o.e-e and uuickly looked uuay, and then her glance u,ent around the horizon. "I beg your pardon," she smiled. Silence followed for several minutes. min-utes. "W ould it be a kindness," she inquired, in-quired, "to till to murder me';" Another silence lasted for minutes. It was finally broken by the pasty-faced pasty-faced who sipiirined and asked: "Feel-in' "Feel-in' better, nia'ani'.' You've been off your nut, now an' then." The woman studied him before she answered. "My head aches. 1 can't remember everything." Her eyes went to the face of the other man. "Who are you two?" she asked. "Bill Thatcher stoker," said the red-fuce, sourly. "Henry K. Wiggin steward, an' at your service," added the pasty-face and grinned for no apparent reason. "Who put me in this boat?" "We found you here after we lowered low-ered her away." "Oh ! I remember now. I was trampled under the first rush on deck, xud one of the ship's ollicers picked me up and placed me in a boat. Were many people " she hesitated. "Reckon nobody was. Ship struck makin' half speed 'count the fog." Thatcher drummed moodily on a thwart and scowled. "Should have stayed by the ship. Better oft. That cabbagehead yonder with his chatterin teeth stampeded me. Me! Bill Thatcher stoker !" She studied their countenances again and then remarked : "I'm thirsty." Thatcher raised the water bottle. "Here's a swig apiece," said he. "You can have yours now if you want it." "I'll take my share now," the girl decided. de-cided. "You scum of earth and ships." site Hashed. "I heard your talk when you thought I was ah off my nut. You've another water bottle hidden beneath the coat under that seat and another tin of biscuits." "We has, eh?" sneered Wiggins. "Well, what of it?' "Nothing. But I haven't been off my nut, as you call it, all the time ; in fact, Henry, I've heard some talk of murder." "You'll hear more, likely," growled Thatcher. ! "Likely, you will," added Wiggins. The girl whitened but did not flinch. ; "You rat face!" she laughed. "Henry, you amuse me." Wiggins arose, shrilling, to his feet, i "You you tiuit callin' me Henry !'" ' "It w-ould be a pleasure." She turned to the other man. "Do you mind if I call you Bill?" "What the devil do I care?" ; "Then perhaps you won't care If 1 ask you why you stole biscuits from the extra tin last night while Wiggins was asleep?" Thatcher arose to his feet with a bellow. "It's a lie!" he cried. I "What do. you think?" the girl asked Qt Wiggins. A transformation had taken place with the steward. He was kneeling, 1 crouched as though to spring. Already Al-ready one hand held a knife. "Just a 1 moment, Henry," pursued the girl, "I j have a question to ask of you, if you don't mind." "Ask It," commanded Thatcher. "Why did you drink from the extra ; water bottle last night when Bill was asleep?" "A lie !" screamed Wiggins. "A lie !" "Is it?" roared Thatcher. "Is it? I'm not so sure of that, you slimy ' dried herrin' !" And now a change came over the stoker. He was crawling aft toward Wiggins, and in one hand was a knife. The girl scrambled to the bow to ' give the combatants room. She took with her, from under the seat, the tin of biscuits, and proceeded to scatter them upon the water. Then she flung i the empty tin toward, the two men in j the stern and sat back to await developments. de-velopments. It rolled between them as they feinted for an opening for attack. Their knives, ludicrously, dropped from their unclenched hands as the two men leaned forward open-mouthed to stare into the empty biscuit tin. Wiggins spoke first. "She's done us in, the wench !" he screeched. "There goes our biscuits llontin' off astern ! An' now I does her in !" Thatcher pulled him back. He grappled Wiggins around the waist and flung him overboard, and plunged in after him. The steward came to the surface, gasping and fluttering. "I can't swim ! I can't swim!" be wailed. "Sink then an' be d d !" bellowed Thatcher, striking out after the brs-cuits. brs-cuits. The girl laughed unsteadily and quickly unshipped the oars to point the boat toward the men astern. She glanced over her shoulder to observe how much closer the dNtant liner had drawn during the half hour since she had glanced around the horizon. |