Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-06-10

hears of it-that pushed her brother over
boardf"
He had not the courage to tell her. Hours
passed, and he walked the deck like mad
man. By this time the storm had abated.
For a few minutes the moon shone. Then
1t was hidden by the Clouds and darkness
again fell
Il cannot tell Mabel cannot wake her
yeti She will learn the dreadful truth soon
enough" muttered the wretched man.
Not long after the dim light of cominp
dawn struggled through the gloom. A sol
emn look rested on the faces of the sailors.
Every eye was turned toward the miserable
captain.
All at once from the steerage emerged a
slender youth. The captain stared aghast
Then he started back with a terrible cry.
1t was Jack Wilton he saw-the cabin boy
whom he thought he had pushed overheard
on the previous night.
He rushed up to the boy and caught him
by the arm, while the astonished seamen
all came thronging aft.
| What does this mean' Speak, Speak"
he gasped. II pushed you out of the long
boat into the sea, and here'-
What? Oh, Mr.. Bartonl What?" in
terrupted the youth, turning pale as death.
"You don't mean
| Speak outl Speak out, / tell your
roared the skipper, tremblingin every limb.
u say l thought pushed you overheard.
You were asleep, as thought, there on the
lookout, and"-
| Up stammered the youth. mo, it
was not |. My sister came and said she
would take my place. She insisted, and
| putting on my hat and cloak. so that no
person might guess it was she, sat down in
the boat and sent me below to sleep. You
said you pushed her into the sea, but of
course you are TESTING. You do not mean itl'
What have | donei" screamed the mis-
cradle man, almost frantic. II see nowl
It was my own wife pushed overboardp'
/ He leaned against the rail for support
He wrung his hands and tore his hair.
! But she is not lost No, mol" he
shrieked, almost beside himself Mabel,
Mabel, come back to mep' he added in a
plaintive, despairing voice, stretching out
his hands over the wild waters.
HE is going mad, said the mate.
But at length the captain became calmer,
although his face was as CHASTITY as that of
the dead. He wore ship and retraced his
] course toward the island. When within a
mile of It, he ordered a boat to be lowered.
He had it manned and was pulled to the
beach. A group of wild islanders stood
there.
! ~ want my wife" cried the captain.
"Wifey What mean" inquired one of
the savages who could speak a little Eng
lish.
"She fell overheard last night, but she
was good swimmer, and j think she must
have reached the beach," said the skipper
confidently.
| But the native shook his head.
"She is here! am sure of itr' insisted
the captain.
"Madl madr' muttered the mate, who had
accompanied him.
/ All that day the skipper searched about
the island for his wife, but no sign Of her
could be found. The moment he reached
the ship Barton was stricken down with a
raging fever.
| For many days he lay in this delirium
| When he recovered, he was n mere wreck Of
| his former self, but his mind had recovered
| from the shock he had received. He could
now talk in a rational manner about hi.
wife
'She is lost LOST But will soon joir
/ her." he said mouTnfully. II am not long
for this world"
His conscience gave him no rest. His
| hand it was that had sent her into the dark
waters. True, it was an accident, but il
was his violence that had caused it.
! In due time the ship reached Java, the
! port of her destination. The vessel was not
| long anchored when the skipper went be.
low and took from pantry some prussiC
acid, with which he intended to put an end
to his wretched life.
! He poured the poison into cup and was
about raising it to his lips, when light
beautiful form descended the companion
steps. He turned, still holding the cup, to
behold a most unexpected vision. For a
moment he stared wildly as if looking at q
ghost. 1t was his wife-his own beautiful
wife-he saw before himl
| A wild cry escaped him, and the two
rushed into each others arms. Then from
| the deck there rose cheer that made the
vessel shake from keel to bulwark, and
seemed to split the very skies. The crew
had seen Mrs. Barton when she came
aboard from a shore boat and were now ex.
pressing the wild joy that thrilled them all
Explanations were soon made by the
happy wife. The moment she struck the
water on that night when she fell over
board she had walked, and instinctively
throwing out her arms she had touched the
boat mast, which had fallen with her. TIC
this mast she chung Her skill as a swim.
mer assisted her in keeping her position.
She was carried past the island. BY that
time the storm had subsidized, and the moon
shone. Ahead Of her, approaching, she be.
held small schooner. 1t passed so neal
her that by shouting she attracted the at
tention of the crew. A boat was lowered,
and she was picked up half senseless.
As soon as she could speak she told her
story, but she could not make herself un-
derstood by the wild crew, who were ma
tives of some neighboring island and did
not understand word of English They
were evidently traders in cocoanut oil and
were bound to some port not far distant.
At dawn she looked about her, but owing
! probably to an intervening headland she
/ could not see her husbands ship.
! The schooner kept on and in a few days
arrived at Rennel's island. There, to Mrs