Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-11-01
IRB MYSTERIOUS GUNNER
An Exciting Story of the War
of 1912.
By JOHN R. 1IUsICK.
CHAPTER m.-CContinueO.

Ola Gatrell was a beautiful girl, with
large dark eyes, raVen-black hair, and
cheeks like the full ripe peach. She was
as good as pretty, and loved by all who
knew her. Her sunny smiles and light
heart won her way wherever she went.
She talked hopefully to her lover as she
conducted him to the east parlOr, where
her father sat IN the great bay window,
smoking and gazing out at the roaring sea.
Hey, lad, ye hove into port, eh?" cried
the old tar with a heartiness which assured
our hero that he was welcome. Well,
just cast your anchor here along side o.
me, for 1 am right down glad We come.
Fact is, boy, I'm not feelin' very we'll,
and, though Ola won't believe me, I've
got the idea IN my top riggin' that I'm
booked for Dayy, Jones. Oh, now; ola,
don't ye go to taIkin'. Let yer father do
all the talkin' tonight. But say, lad,
heV We taken anything aboard since ye
got in, or hev they let ye starVe?"
Griffith, who cOmprehended the sea
jargon of the old sailor, answered, Il
have had supper, Captain"
All right, then. Come alongside,
both O you children, fur I've got a big
cargo o mystery aboard tonight. Ye
needn't heY any fears o that man-O'-war
comm into port this night. She's too
sharp for that, so rest easy. I've got
story to tell ye."
Both Griffith and Ola stared in amaze
ment at the old sailor. Capt. GatrelI,
unlike most of his calling, hadnever been
given to story telling, and this announce
ment was an establishment But no old
professional sea-dOg yarn-spinner ever
set about his work more deliberately
than Capt. Gatrell. AS if to whet their
curiosity he refilled his pipe, and lighting
it, sat for a few moments putting in
silence, while he gazed from one to the
other of the lovers.
Dye hear that old ocean beginning O
roar" he at last asked.
yes, Capt. Gatrell, Griffith answered,
and think we are going to have a
storm"
r ght ye are, my lad. never hear a
storm that it don't put me in mind o.
that night,
What night?"
The night I'm gOin' to tell ye about.
The warn begins with that night When
the sun went down it settled behind
bank o. clouds which seemed to get
darker and redder until it looked like a
long belt o blood stretched across the sky.
They got blacker and blacker till they
Just blOtted out the sun, an 1 could have
swore it never set at all. I was just of
the Azores when 1 saw that dark cloud
come up; the barometer Indicated high
wind, and I stood out to sea.
Il never saw a blacker night; 1 never
saw keener lightning nor heard louder
thunder, while the wind blew a hurricane.
[ got ready for the squall and took in all
sail, except barely enough to manage the
ship, and remained on deck myself, al
though 1 was almost worn out.
Suddenly, as we came to the top after
shippin' a heavy sea, the lookout cried:
"A flash O. lightin' showed at the same
moment ship which didn't carry a rag
O. canvas, and in much worse condition
than our own, plunging and staggering
through the water. 1 knOWed at once
that she was water-lOgged. By her make
I thought she was an American ship, but
didn't know to a ertainty. They fired a
signal gun o. distress, but we couldn't
help 'em; we had all we could do that
night to keep ourselves afOat.
"The next flash that come the ship was
dowhere to be seen.
q johnson 1 called to the lookout
through my trumpet.
Ave, ave, sir, he answered.
What become O. the ship?"
4 don't know. Guess she's gone to
Davy Jones'. " he answered.
I'VE spent that night in dOin' every
thing we could to weather the storm, and
[ thought sometimes that We must go
10 the bottom in spite o all we could do.
1t must a been two or three o'clock in
the mornin' when I saw q fash o light
ming and heard a report like tremendous
explosion. The sailors were now all
grouped about me, all O. EN- seemin' to
think their last minute had come.
What was that, Mr.. Smart?' I asked
o my mate.
I don't know, Cap'n but it sounds
very much like ship blOwed up The
roar O. waves on our larbOard told Us that
there were breakers there, and we kept as
we'll to Ieeward as We could. I needn't
tell you how we beat about that night
and seemed at every moment to be run
ming down into the bottom of the ocean.
How We shipped sea after sea, until our
upper cabin and foot-deck were washed
away, with three o. my bravest sailors.
@But mornin' come at last. The wind
abated, though the sea run high In the
middle of the afternoon our lookout dis
covered a wreck lynn up in the rocks anC
sand of a small desert island, which is
west Of the Azores twenty leagues. We
beat about several hours, and at last come
up near enough to lower boat and sc
to it.
Such sight as was there I never saw
before an never want to again. It seemed
that there had been an explosion, which
had torn the stern to atoms, and on TIT
bow deck, which was driven high up ont
the rocks from the explosion, lay fOu
dead bodies, three sailors and one WON
an. Whether it was the lightning tn