Evening star., 1886-11-13
Written for The EVENING STAR
THE MAILBAG OF THE PHG-
NIX.
By FLORA HAINES LOUGHEAD.
fCoprright. 1ss6.l

uSt De conceded that ne SelleIsthy sce."ON ~
get the better OF that ancient worthy. he was
a San Francisco stock broker of the rattling,
impetuous type who never let the grass grow
under his feet when any undertaking IN which
he was concerned was in hand. Therefore no
one was surprised when, after q months vaca-
tion up NORTH he returned with a pretty young
wife. whom he had met, courted and married
in that brief space of time. But there were
many who predicted that only i'll could result
from 50 hasty a wooing.
They had been married upwards of three
wears. and things had not gone well with them.
Whenever Jack made lucky stroke upon the
street he was sure to swamp the proceeds in
some ill-timed venture, and find himself, in
western pariance Hat on his back again. In
vain his vile beseeched him to put by little
sum for a rainy day. or to embark in some busi-
ness less dazzling in its possibilities but Surer
in its returns. Whatever the present outlook,
Jack was always confident of ultimate success.
Vt one time occupying "a costly suite OF rooms
al a fashionable hotel, at another dwelling in
furnished apartments in cheap quarter, liv-
ing partly at restaurants and partly resorting
TO that decent type of starvation, known in
san Francisco as Light housekeeping" Kate
Alsteyne tasted all the bitters and sweets of
existence known 10 "A SPECTATORS wife, When,
after long surfeit OF this sort of living, the de-
sire grew strong upon her to revisit her old
Oregon home, her husband yielded ready
consent for, TO tell the truth, he needed all his
available funds to invest in n certain stock
that was offered at bedrock" prices, the bears
having possession OF the market.
He missed her more than he had expected.
After u day OF feverish excitement IL had been
a rest to MIN TO come in to- her thing, womanly
presence, and To recount TO her the veXations of
the day sure of her sympathy il not of her ap-
prevail Nor did he cOnIrive tn effect any appre-
ciabie saving n his personal C xpenses although,
to do the justice, he pTacticed the most
abstemious habits and neglected his apparel
until his seedy appearance became the talk OF
the street.
Months passed by, and the stock upon which
he had staked all he possessed showed no pros
Dect of rising. In fact, there was at one Juncture
!. heavy assessment levied, and had it not been
Tor the generosity of friend Jack would not
have preserved the empty comfort Oh sliIl re-
tanning the certificates.
Hinder the bined influences of his lonely
life and i'll fortune he grew morbid, and fam
c3ed that with his Wife's departure bad luck
had come upon him, for, although he was not
unused TO commercial ups and DOWNS the bal
ance had never before been against him Tor SO
long a time. Although she wrote frequently
and affectionately, always expressing the same
cheering confidence in their ultimate prosper
its, she never made any mention OF returning
to him. Month followed month, and when No
yeBber came with its chilly winds and rains
he formed fierce resolution. He would assert
his martial authority and perelnptorily de-
mand her return. With Jack Aisteyne to plan
was To execute and on this occasion ne d1d not
proceed in the happiest manner in the world to
carry out his resolution. He sat down ana
wrote a savage letter, proudly refraining from
betraying the bitter sense OF desoiatlon ner
continued absence caused him, but reproaching
her lor SO long neglectny her wiiely dutiessand
demanding that she should take passage iOr
San Francisco on the steamer Phoenix, which
he ascertained would leave the port lew days
later.
This letter dispatched, he would f;lin have re-
called il, for he knew how it would wound his
wife's sensitive nature, and deep in his heart
he recognized her unswerving fealty to him.
During the days that followed, wandered
restlessly about, oppressed with the sense of i'm
pending disaster. A couple of days before the
steamer was due, the ominous storm signal, "a
black flag with a blood-red square In the center.
hoated from the tower OF the Merchants ex-
change. The wind rose and raved like
million furies set loose, rain descended in
torrents, and tidings came that the bar was
breaking heavily at the entrance TO the harbor.
several days passed, and although many
noble ships came crawling feebly into port,
their crippled and dismanLled condition bear
ing witness to the violence of the storm, the
Phoenix, long over due, did not put in an appear.
ance. One night Jack Alstey ne, strolling along
Montgomery street, joined a crowd gathered
about the bulletin board OF a newspaper office.
He stopped just long enough 10 read that the
steamer Phoenix had foundered and gone down
up on the northern coast, with all on board; then
he disappeared into the darkness and the night.
Had he waited a little longer, prudent
man should, TO take the full measure of his
lamity, he might have made two discoveries
freighled with moment TO him; the one, that
his wiieS name did not appear on the list OF
cabin passengers on the unfortunate vessel; the
other, that in a window Close py, among the
stock reports Of the day, certain mine, long
considered worthless, was quoted at fabulous
figures.
Two weeks later a mutilated and unrecog-
nizabie body, found floating in the bay, was
pronounced by coroners jury TO be the NOR
tai remains OF Jack Alstey ne, the dasning young
stock operator who had disappeared on the
night the Phoenix went down.
Meanwhile Tue cUrps vi volunteer wreckers
coast where the good snip went to pieces found
their party augmented by grim-faced, satur-
nine man, who applied himself TO work with u
savage energy, Claiming no salvage upon the
various useful articles which came floating in
upon the tide, but searching with morbid curl
Osity each CHASTITY form thai Was cast upon tue
rl,ill
sand-dune, above, or with his own hands nail
ing up rude collins wherein they made the
journey to sorrowing hearts in tine great city,
Wnen tine waves finally forbore To give up
further treasure anu the other men depar ted
for their homes, IL was observed that he
maineu behind, taking up his abode in a dismal
cabin winch had been constructed by some
Italian fisherman and then abandoned. Here
nc lived on alone ior more than TWO years,
holding little converse with human beings, and
apparently sustaining himself by scant catches
oi nsl, which ne traded OFT at little seaport
town d mile or two away. By the inhabitants
o. the surrounding country ne was regarded as
q harmless lunatic, whose chief diversion con-
sisted in gathering fragments OF wood and bolts
and bars from a wrecked ship, whicn ne stored
in heaps beside his dwelling. Whenever a ven
turesofne pedestrian chanced down that way
he was sure 10 see tue reciuse, not watching mis-
nets and lines as a thrifty fisherman should,
but delvIng in the sands sleadlastiy gazing
upon the incoming TIDE.
And so more than two years passed by, and
the inhabitants began TO point with pride to the
lonely hut and its eccentric occupant as legtti-
mate attractions OF the region, when the lu-
the leach day. after his
wont, made discovery which changed the
current of his LIE.
Stroilins psi,t little sandy cove he observed
q bit OF 0ry brown leather, looking not unlike
an old bootleg, projecting from the sand He
poked III careiessly with his foot, and az he did
80 Ills attention Was attracted by "A rusty nail
which appeared 10 be riveted in the leather
he sat down beside it and iistlessIy shoyeIed
away the sand with his hands, growing more
interested when he came upon a row of curious
metallic rings, and then upon stout CLASP,
with the letters U. ). A deeply craven upon
the surface. he knew he had come upon tue
mailbag OF the lost steamer. FIinging il across
hls shoulder, ne started Tor his CABIN and rip
ping open the leather with "A Sharp-bIaded
knife, spread out its contents on the floor be-
fore MIN. Dried and crisp through long ex-
posure In the burning sands, they yet bore wit
ness OF The ordeal through which they had
passed, Tor many OF the addresses were par
uaiiy or wholly ooliterated, newspapers We're
reduced 10 compact mass OF pulp and many of
The folded sheets mad become 50 FIRMLY glued
together that they mad taken on the Consist
ency OF Cardboard AS he turned them over
one by one, he came upOn addressed To
himself In a Clear woman's hand.
The sight stupefied him tor an instant TN
70 that moment he had not know what he y
pected, but had pursued his search with un-
reasoning desire and vague anticipation. He
hesltated for a moment before he Opened the
little envelope which the waters had unseaIed
Tor him, and started like man struck by AN
electric shock when the first line he read con-
nrined the meaning of the address.
FOR IL was no message from the dead that
greeted jack Alstey ne 5 eyes, but q letter from
MS hNinS vile, a letter posted lin haste eeiore
tAe steamer nao sailed, letter which took no
neeo oi his reproaches, but in the gentlesi,