The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1879-08-30
Rates ofAdvertisin

We IIISIlG IlhNC Huu tlie4eil eViN4
ton Of the mystery; hut ! had
never heard IN adept in the art,
neither had any of my ship mates.
Poor Chester, when with us. Our
most intelligent shipmatc, seemed
to i,c ,s much in the dark rs the
rest Of us.
Strolling along the streets Of San
Francisco one night, about Il year
after the wreck, my eye caught 4
large poster which announced the
wonderful doings Of Professor
Meredith "the world renowned ven.
triloQuist." This, thought | shall
be my evenings enjoyment. l
was soon seated in snug corner
Of the building, and was not long
in hcing carried away by the won
dcrful sayings and doings Of the
professor. At last he told us that
he would hold Hn imaginary con-
vcrsation with a person up the
chimney. When in the midst Of
the dialogue the person up the
iluC gave dcrcsivc "lIah, hah !"
I was startled. | sprang from
my scat, Surely" said l, half
aloud, that is the voice and tone
and words which more than once
camo from the maintnp of the
Niger" And while I was staring
at tho professor, lie came to the
trout of tho stage 10 perform his
part. Then in spite OF his flowing
beard, I saw in Professor Mertlith
the indcntical jack Chester who,
over twelve months before, was be.
licved to have lcaped in fit Of
madness, into the sca and was
drowned.
!"Chostcr l cried out in my
excitement.
"Sit down." cried one; "put
him out?" said some Others. In the
meanwhile had come to myself
and resumed my seat, but not be-
fore l had got from the professor
a sign Of recognition.
When tho performance was over,
my old shipmatc, for it was he,
bockoncd me to him, and, taking
me to his private room, he graspcd
my hand in all the fervcncy ofar-
dent friendship. "sit down, Henry
my boy" he said, "and you shall
have a solution OF the mystery
which hangs over meand the past"
"llow came you to bc saved
from a watery grave on the awful
night when you plunged into the
raging sca?" I impationtly asked.
ID II did not jump ovcrboard,"
replied Chester, laughing; "ncithcr
was 1 any less sane than | am at
this moment. The entire affair
was n trick of my own invention
to frighten the Captain and then
get away from his cluthes. My
madness was n sham, and the man
overheard was simply a bundle of
old togs, topped by my old hat
which l had just put together.
The moment pitched them over
tho rail | slipped down into fore
peak, where I lay hid until the
night after tho ship entered the
port, when I stole out and went on
shore. had taken care to lay up
plenty Of junk, and I managed to
avoid detection until tho Niger
sailed. The cries you heard from
the maintop, from bohind the long
boat, and in the cabin, l need not
explain
mo" said I ; "all is made clear
by the doings ofthat night OK
actly so," said he. And then he
continued: Il had performed as q
ventriloquist in most of the largo
cities and towns ot Europe before
you know me but becoming some
what restless in my habits, and
having squmdcrcd all my earnings,
in u tit OF trecklossness | took to tho
sea, and, in the capacity Of Il
sailor, found my way to Puget
Sound. But | had not in mo tho
stuff Of which sailors are made so,
after my adventures on board the
Niger, went back TO my old pro-
fession, in which | have done well.
My wild oats arc all sOwn, | hope,
and, having learned wisdom by bit.
ter experience, | shall stick to, that
line nf my lie for which | have
capacity---a hotter thing than splir-
ing old ropes or taking in top-sail
rccts nn Il blowing night"