The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-07
UGLY JIM.
His Kind Heart Under Cover of a
Rough Coat.


o'clock) on that night in March, SO,
which fate had ordained should never
forget. / had heard the cry Of "Au
hands on deck!" beloved down the
fo'castle, the scurry of feet, the hoarse
command: "All hands aloft to shorten
sail! Quick, lads, for your lives.'' and
had bounced out Of my berth, jerlsed
into my clothes and tumbled up the
ompanion-way to the slippery deck.
What was doing aboard the ship
Well, by profession I am doctor and
by occupation rambler. Not that it
is part OF my business as a doctor to
ramble; bat, you know, a doctors mis-
sion is to try to restore natures Jewel.
health, and l, being doctor las said
before), was endeavoring to do my
duty TO myself and find that which I
had studied hard to be able to restore
to others So there was standing, or,
rather, trying to (for the northeast
gale nearly blew me of my feet, on
the quarterback OF the little brig Jen-
ny Lind, bound from Liverpool to Que
bee. Horatio, wasn't it cold And the
sharp sleet, driven hard before the
gale, seemed like a sand blast cutting
the gravestones for the poor chaps
who were to be that night laid for their
last rest, rocked in the cradle of the
deep"
This is fearful night" I say t.
the man at the wheel, and his answer
of aye, aye. SIR" comes through teeth
cot Wis nj cd
rather, rooted to the deck, body bent
forward, eyes trying hard to make out
the canvas he cannot see, he moves
only as the orders shouted through
the trumpet come family TO him:
Hard starboard!'' STEADY" Ease
her a little!" straining hard at the
wheel to put it port or "starboard''
as is ordered, and between his white
lips growing back his Aye, aye, sirr'
BY the ftful flicker of the pinnacle
lamp see his face and know him to be
jim Peters, the hardest man ID the
crew. Nobody liked him or would
have anything to DO with him. He
was not a prepossessing object to look
at. His face had as much socia bility
Heavy, square jaw; large mouth; eyes
black, or rather, one eye, for a large,
red scar running across his forehead
and down his left cheek back of his
ear took that eye along with it;
shaggy head of sandy hair and I'M
kempt beard did their part in his make
up of ugliness. l said nobody would
have anything to do with him. Ill
take that back, for there was one
aboard who pitied and tried to be
friendly to him. lie was the ships
boy, nice, likely lad, good-looking
and smart and a sailor, every inch of
him. There was one thing about Jim,
however, which none could get back
Of, and that was he was strong as an
OK and as good a sailor as ever trod
deck. He was the only man aboard
who could have held the wheel alone
in such night. On we drive, a reel
and then a plunge. and the little brig
comes out of the trough of the sea
and shakes herself and then leaps on
ward.
What's that cry ford? Jim starts,
and l see his face pale, as with all his
mighty strength he puts the wheel to
port
Hard, Jim, hard, down" comes a
faint voice, and the captain comes run
ming aft You did well, Jim, but your
three times to port were too late to
save her, for with a sickening, ghastly
crash she strikes and commences to
Ia he
my arm and deep voice growls:
Its the ice, doctor; jump for it
jump for it,"
Before can do so, I am taken off
my feet; and the next moment l feel
myself going through the air; then a
sudden stop, and | find myself on
neld of drifting ice. l turn to thank my
deliverer, and find it was Jim whose
clear head and strong arm had saved
me. l try to thank him, but he says.
shortly: I'D a done it by the ships
dog, doctor. as soon as We, had he been
as handy" Nevertheless shake hands,
and say a few words to him, as he
turns on his heels and joins his mates
strhinfng the;r syos to pierce the black
ness and see the little crafts last
plunge. Like bird whose wings flut-
ter and then drop, her canvas shakes
and she dives, never to come up. The
crew sadly bid her farewell and even
grouty Jim says: "Good-by, little 'un-"
You folks ashore can't realize the fear
that came over us as the waters closed
over the little craft that had been to
us our home, our "all in all" A feel
ing of dreadful loneliness thrilled us as
the inl1y darkness we tried to
read the expression in our companions
faces.
I mentioned it was cold, but words
are inadequate to properly convey the |
icy intensity, now that the blood which |
had been quickened by the strain and |,
excitement had become normal Added |
10 the bitter cold was the chill of fear. |
We drew close together to diagnosti- |
cate our case Naturally we looked /
TO the captain for advice, and when /
asked what we should do, he said. |
.ersely:
"Stick here till morning. Then we ,
IAN get our bearings, and shape our |
course accordingly"
Now, when the brig stuck. we had /
had close call. and so had a chance to |
ave nothing but what we stood in
The captains advice was excellent as
far as it went. but to stay where we /
we're, huddled together like so many
frightened sheep. meant certain death.
and the dawn, as it broke. would fall /
on fifteen frozen corpses |.
hat. few hours before, had been the
rev of the little gallant Jenny Lind
lin now came 70 the front. and, in his
,ough, surly way, said: LAS how I've
nade m observation of these hare
,arts and | calculate there is room .