Adventure Magazine Cover, December 18, 1919 — page 49: what you’re looking at

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

A Prejudice against Suicide the big, weather-blackened canvas which Purdue kept for a cover was in shape a perfect duplicate of the white sail of his big cat, and that Purdue kept his sail bent to the spars by no more permanent tying: than is used on larger vessels for topsails that‘have to be put on and taken off with the shifts of the wind. Purdue was fairly sure that Hasting had asked for the pleasure of a sail on his boat with much the same kind of in- terest as that with which grown folk | ask children to show their toys. The motive of the request worried Purdue not at all. The important fact was that not less than four people had heard Hasting make it. That he was carrying full sail in a breeze’ which called for reefing would never. be brought against him. Every one was used to seeing him crowd on all the canvas he could carry. He had picked the day himself, of course. It was but the second since Hasting’s re- quest. The day before had been so foggy nobody would have cared to sail for pleasure. Even the weather had played into his hands. Now fate dealt him the joker. As he drew near the point he had chosen for his carefully planned accidental killing, he saw both the school-teachers running down the rocks toward the beach. Not another boat showed within five miles. The cards could not have been stacked better. “We'll jibe her over now,” he said, as Hasting started to shift his position a little to make it easier to meet the jerky movements of the boat in the chop where wind met tide. “Watch out for your head! Sit still!” he commanded as the other started to change with.him to the other side of the -boat. He wanted Hasting on the lee side when they went over; that would in- crease his chances of going under the sail. “Oh,” the other agreed with a smile. “You'll have to tell me everything. The little experience I’ve had with boats has come this Summer with that baby launch of mine.” He smiled deprecatingly. “Next Summer I’m going to have one of these. Do you suppose I’ll be able to ‘get some one to teach me to sail her?’ Purdue smiled. He could not help ity of giant crackers, “C’n you hold the wheel just as she is a minute?” he demanded. An idea had flashed upon him. Hasting should upset the boat by his own blunder. T was time for a bit of nice seaman- ship. It is doubtful if any amount of skill would have made a safe job of the jibe in that wind. Purdue certainly would never have undertaken it with any other purpose than that of upsetting. 32 The point was to capsize at the right © spot. To turn the boat over in the center of the tide-rip would mean chasing it’ for miles out to sea and would add real diffi- culties to the matter of saving himself. Less than the Jessie P.’s length beyond the rip’s edge was a submerged rock. To run to within six feet of that rock and then shift in time to miss it as the boat careened would be easy enough for the man who knew his boat as he knew how to walk. The little vessel heeled far over even as Purdue swiftly hauled in the sheet, and Hasting nearly slipped from his seat as he tried to hold the wheel. Purdue grinned. If she did that now, while her own headway was to be subtracted from the wind’s force, there was little question as to what would happen when the head- way was almost gone and the wind snapped into the sail from the other side. Hasting’s present position was one from which he would not be able to re- cover quickly. To climb out of the cock- pit hastily without becoming entangled in the snarl of lines would be impossible. With the long boom pulled parallel to the keel and the sail snapping like a pack Purdue waited a second. “Now—port yelled. Then, with a quiver of alarm, he real- ized that he was talking to an utter landsman. “To the left! he shrieked. | For an instant it had not been so hard to hold the wheel. As he caught the idea that something was to be done to it, Hasting had half risen and turned about so that he was facing it. His left, as he squatted before it, was the boat’s right. On his own little boat the wheel was in a little—quick!”’ he To the left!” COME cS 100 eo) “ae ‘, tvs va aS Ue = — »" + pate P “ i. ‘fr r aS! ie ie * 2S vars es’ 7 t: ere) ye ‘ i: a ih 4