The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1873-05-22
SHE IRlBunE.
THE FATAL CRADLE,
Otherwise, the Notwithstanding story
OF Mr.. Eeayysides.
BY wILKIE COLLINS.

general rule. [ have got grievance and
don't object to mention it. Compose
your spirits to hear a pathetic story, and
kindly picture me IN your own mind as
baby FIVE minutes old.
Do understand you to say that am
too big and too heavy to be pictured in
any body's mind as baby? Perhaps [
may Debut don't mention my weight
again, if you please. My weight has
been the grand misfortune of my life. 1t
spoiled all my prospects las you will
presently hear before l was two days
old.
My story begins thirty-one years ago,
at eleven o'clock in the forenoon, and
starts with the great mistake of my first
appearance in this world, at sea. on board
the merchant ship Adventure. Captain
Gillop, five hundred tons burden, cop
pered, and carrying an experienced sur
geon.
In presenting myself to you (which |
am now about to dol at that eventful
period of my life when / was from five
to ten minutes old, and in Withdrawing
myself again from your notice $50 as not
TO trouble you with more than a short
story before the time when / cut my first
tooth, need not hesitate to admit that
i speak on heresay knowledge only 1t
is knowledge, however, that may be re-
lied on, for all that. My information
comes from Captain Gillop. commander
of the Adventure. twho sent it to me in
the form of letter.; from Mr. Jolly, ex-
perienced surgeon of the Adventure(who
wrote 1t for me-most unfeelingly, as l
think-in the shape of humorous mar
rative); and from Mrs. Drabble, steward
ess Of the Adventure (who told it NE by
word of MOUTH. Those three persons
were, in various degrees, spectators-I
may say astonished spectators-of the
events which ! have now to relate.
The Adventure at the time I speak of
was bound out from London to Austria
liza. [ suppose you know without my
telling You that thirty years ago was long
before the time of the god-fnding and
the famous clipper ships. Building in
the new colony and sheep-tarming far up
inland were the two main employments
of those days, and the passengers on
board our vessel were consequently build
ers or sheep-farmers almost to man.
a ship of five hundred tons wei Dad
ed with cargo doesn't offer frst-rate ac-
commodation to large number of pas
sengers. Not that the gentlefolks in the
cabin had any great reason to complain.
There the passage money, which was
good round sum, kept them what you
call select. One or two berths in this
part of the ship were even empty and
goipg begging, in conseq uence of there
being only four cabin passengers.
These are their names and descriptions:
DIR. Sims, middle-aged man, going
out or a building speculation Mr.. Pur-
ling, weakly young gentleman, sent on
a long sea-voyage for the benefit of his
health and Mr.. and Mrs. Smallchild, a
young married couple with little indie
pendenee, which Mr.. Smallchild propos-
ed to make large one by sheep farm
ing.
This gentleman was reported to the
captain as being very good company when
on shore. But the sea altered him TO a
certain extent. When Mr. Smallchild
was not sick, he was eating and drink.
ing; and when he was not eating and
drinking, he was fast asleep. He was
perfectly patient and good humored, and
wonderfully nimble at running into his
cabin when the quaIms took him on
sudden; but as for him being good COM
pany, nobody heard him say ten words
together all through the voyage. And
no wonder. A man can't talk in the
qualms; man can't talk while he is
eating and drinking and man can't
talk when he is asleep. And that was
Dir. Smallchild' life. As for Mrs. Small
child, she kept her cabin from first TO
last. But you will hear more of her pres
emily.
These four cabin passengers, as [ have
already remarked, were well enough off
for their accommodation. But the mis-.
cradle people in the steerage-a POOR
place at the best of times on board the
Adventure revere all huddled together,
man and women and children, higeledv. /
piggledy, like sheep in a pen, except
that they hadn't got the same quantity !
Of fine fresh air to blow over them. They
We're artisans and farm laborers, who !
coultsn't make it out in the old country. i
L have no information either of their /
exact numbers or Of their names. It
doesn't matter; there was only one fam /
lily among them which need be mention. /
ed particularly-namely, the family of
the Heavysides. To wit, Simon Heavy.
sides, intelligent and well educated, a
carpenter by trade; Susan Heavysiaes, +
his wife; and seven little Heavysides.
their unfortunate ofsprings Ny father I
and mother and brothers and sisters, did .
l understand you to say? Dent be in n /
hurry / recommend you to wait {. lit +
tie before you make quite sure of that
circumstance.
Though [ myself had not, strictly
speaking, come on board when the YES
sci left London, my i'll luck, as | firmly
believe, had shipped in the Adventure to
wait for me-and decided the nature Of
the voyage accordingly.
Never was such a miserable time /
known. Stormy weather came down on us |
from all points of the compass, with in /
tervals OF light. battling winds or dead
calms. By the time the Adventure had |
been three months out. Captain Gillop's
naturally sweet temper began to get sour
ed. leave you to say whether IL wss
likely to be much BY a piece of news
which reached him from the region of |