Story of Chester Lawrence | Page 5

into the sea. Chester tried to see him
as the ship rushed on, but the commotion and the darkness prevented
him.
"Man overboard! stop the ship!" came from the excited passengers.
"Man overboard!" What could be done! The man was gone. He had not
one chance in a thousand to be rescued. Had he fallen overboard
without much notice, the ship would have gone right on--Why should a

world be stopped in its even course to save one soul?--but too many
had seen this. Signal bells were rung, the engines slowed down, and
then stopped. Lights flashed here and there, other officers of higher
rank came on the scene; a boat fully manned was lowered. It bobbed up
and down on the waves like a cork. Back into the track of the ship it
went, and was soon lost to view.
The search was continued for an hour, then given up. No trace of the
man could be found. The small boat was raised to the deck, the engine
moved again, and the big ship went on its way.
Chester lingered among the steerage, passengers and listened to the
story of the lost man who, it seems, had been one of those unfortunate
ones who had failed to pass the health inspector at New York and had
therefore been sent back to his native land, Ireland. He was known as
Mike, what else, no one could tell. And the woman? Poor girl, she had
wandered in her night dress to the ship's side, and in some unknown
way had gotten overboard as far as the protruding piece of iron. How
Mike had reached her, or how long they had occupied their perilous
position, no one could tell. He was gone, and the woman was saved to
her husband and her baby.
The night was growing late; but there was no sleep for Chester. Many
of the passengers, having been awakened by the stopping of the ship,
were up, hurriedly dressed, and enquiring what the trouble was. Chester
met Elder Malby in the companion-way.
"What's the matter?" asked the Elder.
"A man has been lost at sea," replied the other. "Come into the saloon,
and I'll tell you about it."
Chester was visibly affected as he related what he had seen. At the
conclusion of his story he bowed his face into his hands for a moment.
Then he looked into the Elder's face with a smile.
"Well, it's too bad, too bad," said George Malby.

"Do you think so?"
"Well--why--isn't it a terrible thing to die like that?"
"I hope not," replied Chester. "I think the dying part was easy enough,
and the manner of it was glorious. He was a poor fellow who had failed
to land. He had no doubt thought to make fame and fortune in the new
world. Now he has gone to a new world indeed. He entered it
triumphantly, I hope. As far as I know, he ought to be received as a
hero in that world to which he has gone."
Chester's eyes shone and his face was aglow. "Elder Malby," he
continued, "I remember what you told me just yesterday,--To our
immortal soul, nothing that others can do, matters much; a man's own
actions is what counts. Neither does it matter much when or how a man
leaves this life; the vital thing is what he has done and how he has done
it up to the point of departure. The Lord will take care of the rest."
As the two men went slowly along the narrow passage way to their
state rooms that night, the older man said to the other, "I guess you're
right, my brother; yes; you are right. Good night, and pleasant sleep."
CHAPTER II.
The next morning the sky was clear and the sea was much smoother.
The sun shone bright and warm; more people came on deck, rejoicing
that they could live in the vigor of the open rather than in their stuffy
state rooms. The two seasick elders thought it wiser to remain quietly
in their berths for another day, so Chester and Elder Malby had the day
to themselves. As the accident of the night before became known to the
passengers, it was the topic of conversation for some time.
That afternoon Chester and his companion found a cosy corner on deck
away from the cigar smoke, and had a long heart to heart talk. The fact
of the matter was that the young man found comfort in the society of
his older brother. For the first time in nearly two years Chester could
pour out his heart to sympathetic ears, and he found much joy in doing
this.

"Yes," said Chester to a question, "I should like to tell you about
myself. When my story gets