The Somerset reporter., 1885-12-09
SELECTED.
MY WIFE'S PRAYER BOOK.

MY WiFE'S PRAYER BOOK.
had been settled in Rochester somt
ten years as II merchant, when, as | Sa
one morning quietly reading the paper il
my Office, the following advertisement
met my eye:
zone thousand dollars reward will be paid Il
any person who can give precise information a
to how the late James Smithson met his deatl
on board the William Curtis on the night of th'
22d of August, 1854. Address Jacob Sharper
Esq, Dag Fulton street, New York"
You will wonder why this made me turl
pale and sick, but did, and for this reas
on. | knew the late James Smithson.
was his passenger on board TIL,
William Curtis, and was one of the per
sons who last saw him alive. We were
coming from England, | to make my fort
une, he to return to his native land; anC
| ha felt for him an instructive repug
nance that took little pains to conceal
He was big, burly, bullying fellow who
had made a fortune, and WAS now spend
ing it and Boosting of it as such people
will. He dislikcd me aS cordially As | de
tested him; and being the only cabin pas
scngers, we necessarily rubbed against
one another to an extent almost unbear-
able.
remember one day after dinner We
were sitting in Sulky silence over onr grog
when sudden lurch Of the vessel sent
tIe scaldiug fluid out OF my glass all oven
his clothes.
Course you" he exclaimed, you awk-
ward fool-what are you doing. Can't
you hit out like man, if you want to
vent your spleen, and not throw boiling
water over me, like Il dangerous IDIOT
had already begun to explain, but
was silent for little after this attack,
and then merely said; There was no in
tention to insult or vent spleen; the oc-
currencc was purely accidental"
'Hang accidents! I've found that acci-
dents happen very conveniently some
times; and you shall pay for this as soon
as ever we're out of this accurscd tub.
If you're n man--which | doubt-you
shall give me Il meeting for this, prom
Use you; and I'll try whether you Can
hsndle a pistol aS well as you can throw
glasses, You cowardly BritiSher'
IF you use such language to me, HI
Throw another, won't you? You plucky
little bantam"
was maddcncd beyond all endurance
and | rushed at him and struck him full
in the face rs he stood up. lie fell, and
as he rose drew out his revolver and shot
at me. | stopped, and the ball shattered
the swing compass in the sky-light; he
raised the revolver again, but the steward
and the captain having by this time ar
rived, the pistol was taken from him.
explained the circumstances, and the
captain at once said that unless we would
give our word not to renew the dispute in
any way he would put MS both under lock
and key.
After some little dcmure we agreed to
this.
! went to my statcroom and turned in
and determined that | would not agaii
speak to the brute. In the morning mel
tho captain at breakfast, and he cautioned
me in Il friendly way against Smithson.
Mind what you're about; don't give
him chance. He'd think no more OF
dropping You overboard or putting ;
knife into you, than do Of cutting thi:
bread. Don't 90 too near the rail, ant
see that there's a bit of rope over the sid'
if you go forward; and if you do FIN,
yourself mile away over the quartz
some fine night, don't say didn't war;
your Clear away, steward.
"Mr. Smithson hasn't sat down yet
sir.
"Ncycr mind: he's sulking, perhaps
clear away"
went on deck and came down again a
dinner time. We were all Seatcd-that i
the chief officer, the captain and myself
when we missed Smitlson
Call Mr.. Smithson, steward. w
mustn't spoil our dinner with his sulks.'
The steward opened his door, and cam
back.
lies rot there, sir.
Not there? Where the devil is he, then
| Has anybody seen him this morning.
| Inquiry was made, and no one knew any
/ thing about him. The men had seen hin
70 forward at about eight bells, but III
/ one had set eyes on him since.
Where the devil can he bc?" said tn
captain. "lIc must be in the ship, unlos
| YOU took my hint the wrong way, and pu
/ him out of the way, youngstcr.'
II can assure YOU never left my room
until break fast time this morning, cap
| tain.
In further search we failed To find an
/ trace of the missing man except one.
large brass belaying-pin was discoverc
/ jamned between the iron that supportc
the starboard fore the chains and the ve>
sells side. II must have been thrown oN
crboard, and by one of those mystcriou
chances that sometimes occurs, lodged il
self there. 1t could not have been pu
there, for the man who saw it could nc
reach it without the assistance of tw
others. II was brought ON deck, taken I
the cabin, and examined. Nothing wa
found on it, it was clean rs if it had neN
cr left the rack. Where did it come from
II was soon found to be one of the spar
pins round the forcmaSt rail. The tw
things looked like foul play. could nc
deny it. The steward remembered thg
Mr.. Smithsun drank good deal after
left the cabin the night before, and til
man at the wheel thought he seemed III
tie unsteady. but he lost sight of him q
he went forward.
The entries were made in the log; an
life went on in its old course, except ths
| was regarded with suspicion and mi'
trust that made me envy the victim or su
eide who calmly slept in the sea bencat
me.
The voyage ended, the whole story wa
laid before the authorities at New York
and after merely formal examination
was told that there was no evident
against me. and left the place, yowin
never willingly to set foot in it again,
1t is no wonder, then, that knowing a
this, | should he startled to see this az
vertisement 1t had for me the horrib
facination of the snake. knew that o'
of it would spring misery and trouble III
ending, and yet could not take my ey'
t..A al sshs nh