The Spoilers | Page 6

The master's voice was gruffly
good-natured. "Hello, Dextry! Hey! Open up for inspection." He rattled
the door.
There was nothing to be done. The old miner darted an inquiring glance
at his companion, then, at her nod, slipped the bolt, and the captain's
blue bulk filled the room.
His grizzled, close-bearded face was genially wrinkled till he spied the
erect, gray figure in the corner, when his cap came off involuntarily.
There his courtesy ended, however, and the smile died coldly from his
face. His eyes narrowed, and the good- fellowship fell away, leaving
him the stiff and formal officer.
"Ah," he said, "not feeling well, eh? I thought I had met all of our lady
passengers. Introduce me, Dextry."
Dextry squirmed under his cynicism.
"Well--I--ah--didn't catch the name myself."
"What?"
"Oh, there ain't much to say. This is the lady--we brought aboard last
night--that's all."

"Who gave you permission?"
"Nobody. There wasn't time."
"There wasn't TIME, eh? Which one of you conceived the novel
scheme of stowing away ladies in your cabin? Whose is she? Quick!
Answer me." Indignation was vibrant in his voice.
"Oh!" the girl cried--her eyes widening darkly. She stood slim and pale
and slightly trembling.
His words had cut her bitterly, though through it all he had
scrupulously avoided addressing her.
The captain turned to Glenister, who had entered and closed the door.
"Is this your work? Is she yours?"
"No," he answered quietly, while Dextry chimed in:
"Better hear details, captain, before you make breaks like that. We
helped the lady side-step some sailors last night and we most got left
doing it. It was up to her to make a quick get-away, so we helped her
aboard."
"A poor story! What was she running away from?" He still addressed
the men, ignoring her completely, till, with hoarse voice, she broke in:
"You mustn't talk about me that way--I can answer your questions. It's
true--I ran away. I had to. The sailors came after me and fought with
these men. I had to get away quickly, and your friends helped me on
here from gentlemanly kindness, because they saw me unprotected.
They are still protecting me. I can't explain how important it is for me
to reach Nome on the first boat, because it isn't my secret. It was
important enough to make me leave my uncle at Seattle at an hour's
notice when we found there was no one else who could go. That's all I
can say. I took my maid with me, but the sailors caught her just as she
was following me down the ship's ladder. She had my bag of clothes

when they seized her. I cast off the rope and rowed ashore as fast as I
could, but they lowered another boat and followed me."
The captain eyed her sharply, and his grim lines softened a bit, for she
was clean-cut and womanly, and utterly out of place, He took her in,
shrewdly, detail by detail, then spoke directly to her:
"My dear young lady--the other ships will get there just as quickly as
ours, maybe more quickly. To-morrow we strike the ice- pack and then
it is all a matter of luck."
"Yes, but the ship I left won't get there."
At this the commander started, and, darting a great, thick- fingered
hand at her, spoke savagely:
"What's that? What ship? Which one did you come from? Answer me."
"The Ohio," she replied, with the effect of a hand-grenade. The master
glared at her.
"The Ohio! Good God! You DARE to stand there and tell me that?" He
turned and poured his rage upon the others.
"She says the Ohio, d'ye hear? You've ruined me! I'll put you in
irons--all of you. The Ohio!"
"What d'ye mean? What's up?"
"What's up? There's small-pox aboard the Ohio! This girl has broken
quarantine. The health inspectors bottled up the boat at six o'clock last
night! That's why I pulled out of Unalaska ahead of time, to avoid any
possible delay. Now we'll all be held up when we get to Nome. Great
Heavens! do you realize what this means--bringing this hussy aboard?"
His eyes burned and his voice shook, while the two partners stared at
each other in dismay. Too well they knew the result of a small- pox
panic aboard this crowded troop-ship. Not only was every available
cabin bulging with passengers, but the lower decks were jammed with

both humanity and live stock all in the most unsanitary conditions. The
craft, built for three hundred passengers, was carrying triple her
capacity; men and women were stowed away like cattle. Order and a
half-tolerable condition were maintained only by the efforts of the
passengers themselves, who held to the thought that imprisonment and
inconvenience would last but a few days longer.