The morning call., 1893-11-12

tacbe. | now noticed that band of Grape
was stitched round his sleeve, while like
band round his hat gave a sort of mourn
ing appearance to the whole man. He ap-
preached Captain Carter with smile
which though IL exposed set of fine white
teeth, rather hardened than softened his
stern expression. His eyes bore no part in
the grin he gave.
Just when / was halfway down the
companiOn-ladder, nv sight being a little
con fused bv the brillignt light was fresh
from, a piercing scream rang through the
cabin. At the same moment | saw the
captain of the Kinda. with his back to-
ward me, take two or three steps in slow
recoiI, his arms were stretched out as
though he warned off some apparition,
Mrs. Cole stood beside her cabin door, she
had evidently just issued from it. She it
was who had shrieked never could have
pictured such figure of fright and horror
as she made. Her face was as white as
the plank of the deck. she was shrinking
and covering when l caught sight of her.
Instantly after she had screamed out she
cried:
Don't let him take me away! Don't let
him come near mel He tried to murder
mel Oh, God he tried to murder met He
will DO it again if you let him take mev'
At this moment Mrs. Godholi ran out
of her cabin excla inning; "What is il?
what is it ?'' while she adjusted her CAP or
v
When Mrs. Cole saw her she flung her.
self into her arms, screaming: He would
have murdered me! Don't let him come
near me! He is my husband! What is he
doing here?"
And then she struggled and wrestled
with Mrs. Godbold, striving to sway and
heave her and herself into cabin imme-
diataly abreast.
You're quite safe here" shouted Cap
tain Carter. Nobody can touch you
aboard this ship without Inv consent" and
he turned fierrely upon the other. saying:
whats the meaning of this ladv's &C
cusation? We found her floa ting. Are you
her husband? What's your name, sir?
What did you do to her?"
He would have drowned mel"
screamed tle poor girl. and. indeed, she
was scarce more than a girl in years,
while in looks she might have passed for
IS. "Oh. guard me from him-make him
leave the ship" And here she went into
Mysteries and screamed most dismally.
Then. while the woman still screamed,
and I was making for her to lend Mrs.
Godb9ld Misunderstanding as [ stepped
huddle of hairy faces staring down the
skylight in plain expectation of being in
time to see the worst of 1.-THE captain of
the linda twisted on his heels. in a spring
or two gained the deck and was gone.
The captain went on deck and | quickly
followed, and when [ looked over the rail
/ saw the Hi0da's boat making for the
Indiaman. The men seemed to be pulling
for dear life; PROBABLY they had heard the
shrieking through the open skylight, and
the captain may have started them hard at
their oars with some affrighting lie about
our ship.
Even while our own white-tipped yard
arms glanced through the sparkling wind
to the drag at the braces, swinging the
fabric of white cloths into leaning and
swelling breasts of canvas. the Indiaman
as her own boat was hosting at the davits.
filed on her maintOpsails, and we started
together. But quickly saw that she was
for losing US by the eaSterly course she
made, and, indeed, long before the after
noon was gone she had sunk herself below
the horizon to the tacks OF her courses.
That same evening Mrs. Cole took Mrs.
Goldbolf into her confidence, and this is
the story she related, Just as it reached
my ears day or two later:
Her husband was Captain Charles Cole,
commander of the Kinda Indiaman, ana
the person who had come aboard our ship
TO borrow hands. They had been married
three years. She told Mrs. Godbold that
from the hour of her marriage life had been
made burden and curse to her and him.
self by his Jealousy. She had gone two
voyages with him against her wish: she
detested the sea; but be was too suspi-
cious and jealous to suffer her out OF his
sight. A married sister of her lived in
London, but he would not trust his wife
with her.
Well, it fell out that on board the Kinda
he was doubtless one of those figures |
had observed on the pOop of the India
mana particularly gOod-looking young
no5leman formed one of the dozen or so of
officers who were going home in the Ship
He began to pay Mrs. Cole marked atten-
tion before the vessel was fairly under
way. She could only avoid him by keep
ing her cabin. Her husband requested
her to do so. She refused to imprison her
self in a small berth in a roasting climate.
Quarrel after quarrel resulted. The
captains passions were made white hot
by the significant looks and half laughs
and purser's grins of my lords brother
officers
One afternoon. while she sat on the
poop, his lordshiD pulled chair to her
side and entered into conversation
with her. She could have had no
other excuse than her husbands ieal-
NAMED seated. Presently the officer was
called on some pipeclay business to the
quarterback, and Mrs. Cole went to her
cabin. 1t was a stern cabin under the
wheel, lighted by couple of large. old
fashioned windows, which were open.
While she stood at one of them watching
the pale line of the wake running from I'M
der her into the evening dusk, the door
was opened and her husband entered. He
approached her with the looks of mad
man; he could hardly speak for passion.
Captain Carter and l talked this yarn
over, and clearly saw how the thing stood.
The man had attempted TO murder his wife
in fit of jealousy. No doubt she had pro-
voked him to the last degree. He had
backed her to an open stern window. chok-
ing her cries with his grip OF her throat.
and tnm bled her overheard The slope of
the ships great square counter no doubt
Tended off the noise Of the splash-if
splash there was-from tn ear of the
helmsman or any one else standing aft;
and the figure floated white in the bubbles
and foam bells of the ships furrow, and
went swiftly and noiselessly astern out of
sight in the gloom.
We calculated that when this tragedy
happened the Indiaman was ahead of US
by two hours and a half, sailing at our
then speed of five knots, which was
rapidly slackening into the stagnation
described at the beginning of this story.
To END which-for nearly all that is in
teresting in it is tod-on our arrival in the
Thames Captain Carter deposed to having
rescued a woman in midoceap; fuller in
formation was communicated to the
police, aud Captain Cole was to
be taken into custody upon the
arrival of the Kinda at the first