The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-07-27
..rhere ID nothing 90 impossible that 4

sat in group at the Authors Club. THAT'S
so,"'aeid Edgar Saltus. s'but I've found
that the best schemes for odd fiction are
Frustrated by the necessary death of the
principals without disclosing the material
for Climax II know what you mean,"
said Editor Glider of the Century maya
zine, "and I wonder why some of you gem
tlemen don't extend a romance beyond
death-say by means of spiritualistic
communication from the actors. Now You,
Prof. Smith, you're scientist, Why don't
you do it?'' The gentleman thus addressed
was Prof. Brainard Gardner Smith, Of Cor
nell university.
.sAnd have the start of it in mind now >
Prof, Smith replied. "Once, when was in
journalism, had occasion to go over pile
Of old Liverpool newspapers, and thus came
upon remarkable paragraph in the ship
news, Translated out of the language of
commerce it was to the effect that the ship
Empress. just arrived from Australia, re-
ported that while rounding the Cape of
far out of her course BY storm, and away
down in the southern Atlantic had sighted
vessel drifting aimlessly about. The first
mate boarded her, and, returning reported
that the derelict WAS the ship Albatross.
That she had been abandoned was
Dldlus Hlx bA6 DOdb6 WcI0 kOAcs
and SO were the log, and the ships
instruments. On deck close by the
companion hatch lay two bodies, or rather
skeletons, clad in weather-rotted garments
that showed them to have been man and
woman. These bodies were headless, but
deserted deck. The mate found on the
cabin table an open book, with writing on
its pages. A pen lay on the table and
small inkstand in which the ink had evil
IDENTIFY long since dried. The book was evil
IDENTIFY journal Or diary. SO the ne mate :; re-
TO carry it aboard the Empress, but when
he was getting down into his small boat the
took slipped from his pocket. dropped into
the water, and sank. The Albatross was
badly waterlogged and he thought could
port the editor of the paper added note
saying that the readers would all doubtless
remember that the Albatross had sailed
from Liverpool several years before bound
for Australia, and was thought to have
gone down with all on board as no news OF
her had since been received. That was the
substance of the remarkable paragraph.
What was almost as remarkable to me,
newspaper man, was that the Liverpool pa
per had evidently made no effort to learn
the owners name of the Albatross, the
name of her captain and crew, or whether
or not she carried any passengers, care
fully searched the files to see If there was
any further reference to the case. There
was none. After the manner of his kind
the editor of the paper had, so it seemed.
taken it for granted that his readers would
wanted to know.
g "A few weeks after that I went into
northern Vermont to report the Benton
murder trial, which was attracting much
more than local attention. was pleased
to find that the prosecuting attorney was
an old classmate of mine, but not pleased
to find that he had become a spirltualist.
mentioned the headless bodies to him and,
as a joke asked him to conjure up the two
spirits in W., ssanG t,o e g 70 solve ths
failed, of course" interposed Edgar
Fawcett. A quizzical expression came into
Professor Smiths face and he said: 'sOh,
no; we got the whole story through
medium. The bodies were those of Arthur
Hartley, and Helen RANKING and he
tradiction. 1T was HaItiey whose COM
munioation we got through the Vermont
medium, and this is what be said:
Helen and were passengers aboard
me fortune. He was confident that an
explosive of his invention would work such
wonders in Australian mines that within
ten years we could 60 back to England
rich beyond the dreams Of avarice. One
day Uncle John got into p hot discussion
of the wonderful explosive compound. The
captain seemed doubtful, Uncle John was
for the instant angry.
''I'll show you, Them he said, and he
rushed into the cabin where his boxes were
stored and came out ohortly with two tin
anscrewed the top of one, disclosing
brownish powder ssTake carep' said the
captain, who seemed needlessly cautious
and almost fearful.
why, thought you said it was useless
said Uncle John with a laugh. 'and yet you
match and held it close to the powder. A
dark smoke arose that instantly extinguisned
the little fame and foated of, leaving
queer smell behind. That was all.
Perfectly harmless, CAPTAIN. continued
Rood-nature. Perfectly harmless-unless
you wet it. Then lookoutw
1.-THE cook made sort of dumping for
dinner and a great lot of it remained.
Uncle John took mass OF this dough. for
it was little else, squeezed it until it was
quite dry, and moulded it into ball.
Come with me,'' he said, ''and Arthur
bring plate of that dough with you" He
took the cans and We followed him to the
deck. There he carefully covered the ball
of dough with the powder, and going to the
placid sea. As the ball struck the water
there was loud explosion and the spray
was thrown high into the air. The crew,
who had been hanging over the port rail
forward. turned and rushed over to see
what was up. Uncle John made another
ball and threw in with like result.
..Oh, honly torpeters," growled one of the
men, and they turned back to their places.
Uncle John, now evidently anxious to give
us thorough proof of the value of his COM
pound, was for throwing more balls, when
the boatswain, rolling aft, touched his hat,
and said to the captain:
':Please, sir. there's big shark as has
showed his fin hoff the port bow, and if
go be that the doctor'l wait bit with his
torpeters we'll show 'um some fun a.
catchin' of it,
ssAll right bo'sun," said the captain and
We all went over to the port rail.
s.There he ISL said the captain, pointing
to a sharp, black thing that. rising just
above the water, was cutting quietly
through it. "That is his fin and there's
. big shark under it or I'm much mistaken
1.-THE men fell back and looked eagerly.
The cook handed up a big chunk of meat.
Wipe it as dry as you can, said uncle,
land tie it firmly to rope" When this
was done he sprinkled the powder
from the can carefully over the meat,
then he carried it cautiously to the rail.
The shark was cruising back and forth.
Uncle lowered the meat slowly into the
water right in front of the monster. He
saw the bait and darted at it. and then
there was a tremendous report and the
spray flew into our faces as we leaned over