Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1896-04-24
A DROP OF BLOOD.


10th of December, and Captain Ira
Drake, hor commander, expected TO cat
his New Years dinner on the island.
Everything was suspicious, and with q
northwest wind he sailed down the river.
he remarked long after that he felt IN
usually lurried by his parting with Mrs.
Drake and his daughter Emma, ON the
wharf, but not being of an imaginative
turn of mind the impressions passed,
and he saw the tall poplars and red
rooted farmhouses in tho Neck fade
away under the winter sunset with pro
fessional indifference
The Governor Clinton was only 430
tons, and she left port in company with
30 others, foreign bound, most Of them
square rugged. At the present time there
are only two ships owned in Philadel-
phia, and neither sails from here.
Mrs. Drake and Emma walked up
Second street to their home, which was
IN the house then a two story, afterward
the tea store of the late eccentric John
Lamond, who died n few months ago.
To be a captains wife in those days
was to hold social position next below
the magnates Of Society Hill, and Cap
tain Drake was reported a prosperous
man.
mother" said the daughter, lido
you feel any unusual anxiety in parting
with father this voyage?"
mo, my dear. Don't lot such things
get into your mind"
Eyes, but the Aggy Slade has been
out over 60 days, and she's bound for
Jamaica too. Poor Mrs. Folsom is Just
wild about her husband. How 1 do wish
father would give up the sea and stay
ashorel'
Shipmasters' wives had to have stout
hearts in those days; there were perils
On the sea then that are unknown now.
A West India voyage meant poor
charts, lodging among the reefs and
keys Of the Bahama banks, northors,
hurricanes and moro deadly assaults
from the desperate ruflians that infested
the coast Of Cuba and were secretly up
held by the Spanish authorities, who
shared their plumber, and at this time
both Tardy and the La Elites were
known to 10 cruising in the gulf.
Christmas passed, and as New Years
came on a feeling Of uneasiness and
dread entered into the Drake household.
Emma had an additional ource Of anx-
iety. Sam Spain, although only "a, was
first officer of the Governor Clinton and
u splendid specimen of the American
sailor, and before this voyage he and
Emma had exchanged vows. And so
poor Emma fretted and made her moth
er anxious.
New Years day, 1896, was cold,
clustering and sleety, and after attend
nee at early mass at st. Joseph's
both women sat down to breakfast.
"For the Lords sake, Emma, don't
tell me anything about Your dreams.
You make me nervous. Your father and
the brig are all right, and when the
Quickstep comes in we'll hear from
Spanish Town. She sails from there to-
day"
"But, mother, there is something in
dreams, and / never had such dreadful.
ones before, and you know-good God,
what is that?" And the girls voice
arose to a scream. "Oh, motherl On
your hand, ON your handl'
The mother looked and grew pale al
death. There Oh her plump, white hanC
was a drop of iuddy blood. She muir
INJURED, MAYBE I pricked myself will
the fork" And with u shudder she
wiped away the dread token. Blu.
there was no wound, the skin being
unbroken. There, there, it has com
again. Oh, mother, let's pray My dear
father and Sam are in peril. l know it.
! feel it."
And they knelt and with heads bowed
down prayed to him who rules the wind
and tempests to spare their loved one
ON the sea
The Governor Clinton was an old tul
and did her best when she reoled Of
eight knots GU a bow line, but this time
under a fair northeast wind, she wa
cutting a feather through the waves O
the Bahama banks on tho 10th of Dc
cember. Here her good luck ended. 4
norther set in, driving them 200 mile
of their course, and then head wind
blew for a week, so that it was the las
day in the year before they came il
sight Of the Cuban coast, and not owe
ten miles off Cape ~. Antoine the win.
AAAA0ar w NAH4A ~ Va AAAk1A AAAi
calma peculiar 10 those ATTITUDES. TIL
sail hung without a shiver, and thu
penaaD. was as straight down as a yarI
Of pump water. But this was net th
worst. Captain Drake knew hat he wa
in the track Of the pirates and was prac
tically helpless 10 keep away from them
and at this moment be was doubtles
signaled of shore to some Of their YES
sells. Everything depended on keeping
Etont heart.
His six "a pound carronades wer
loaded with grape and kentlodge, ia
arm chest was opened, cutlasses aud pii
tolls were served TO the crew, muskel
were loaded, and the cook filed his col
pers with hot water ready to repel boarC
GS All hands kept watch that nigh
and in the morning Mate Spain wer
aloft with a glass. He at once halle
he deck. "There ID a topsail schoon'
bling behind that point Of land oil Il