Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1897-09-04

be saved by Madge Blair and had been
under her care as a patient. The middle
was hopeless. The only way out Of it
was to go back to Baltimore and go
home from there with anecdotes of my
voyage. AS l had been abroad number |
OF times, could invent that part Of it |
without any difficulty. AS I did not
want to appear in the city before the |
ship came i'll, had to tell Jim and |
Madge that thought, in consideration
OF my battered condition, should have
to lay it to the account of the ship where
! ought to have been, and that should
like to have a telegram sent from the
nearest station asking for the ships date
The Blairs are the sort of people (most
rare) who never ask questions but help
you carry out your own plans. So Jim
dispatched a man to Terra Alta with
the telegram. He was gone "a hours
and came back with stunning answer.
The Ella was long overdue, and as
great storm was reported she was sup
posed to be lost.
well, now," Jim said, "that' s lucky.
vi SouloS chC 1911 lOSt. icy utN6T dEt.
She will be coming along in day or
two, and you will have that much more
time to recover from your accident II
she is lost, you can say you came over
on another vessel. All, that was it'll
We sent man over to Terra Alta
with instructions to keep telegraphing
and bring the first news Of the ship My
conscience did trouble me now and then
as l thought Of Julia's anxiety, but l
am afraid l had arrived at the point
| where was more afraid eff being found
out" than anything else And, notwith-
standing everything, they were the last
days of cur holiday, and they went on
wings.
A week went by, and then Jim and l
went over to Terra Alta to hear the wire
messages for ourselves. | babe Madge a
sorrowful gCodby. | tried to tell her
how appreciated her services to me,
but couldn't. And as l turned for the
last time there were tears rolling down
her cheeks. Then / resolved that moth
ing could ever induce me to tell Julia
the story Of those weeks.
The first message from the office of
! the Ella had come There was no posi-.
BILE doubt but that it had persisted
"There is nothing TO be done, Jim said,
"but to run up to New York and say
you came over in one of the northern
vessels. y So, going back by night and
crossroads, SO that would be sure of
missing acquaintance, I reached New
York.
l only waited there long enough tc
inspect the latest vessel in and telegraph
Julia that l was in America, when ]
boldly took the train for home. was
still weak from my illness, and as ]
alighted from the cars the delegation of
old friends that came up with exclama-
lions of greeting fairly bewildered me.
Everybody cried out at once: "Tell us
about it, How We're you saved?"
81 came over on the Etruria," I said
calmly
"Yes,'' they said, "but how did you
Escape from the Elia?"
81 came over OIL the Etruria, said
again and again. Then my wife's
brother quickly put me in the carriage
and closed the door, 'There come a lot
Of those cursed reporters" he said.
"John, drive fast.
81 don't see what reporters can want
of me-, said peevishly.
"Well," my brother in law said in his
slightly sarcastic manner, the sole sur
vivor of shipwreck is usually an inter.
esting person to interview. The owners
and insurance men will think SO. "
But said, II came over in the
Etruria
"Well," my brotherin-law said
"what they want to know is how yor
! got from the middle of the Atlantic t.
the Etruria. When man leaves on,
, shore ON vessel that never reaches lane
+ and turns up again from another ship
he must have some sort of tale tt
a tell. +" And he looked as though he ex
! pected to hear it then and there.
l fell back with groan. was in
mess Evidently the Ella had been los
! before she reached Bremen. At least
could plead nerves and tell nothing to
l night. Julia and the children met M
at the door and fell sobbing Oh my neck
Poor Julia was sick and worn will
anxiety and grief, while Johnny ant
. the baby chung around my knees.
ooh, pepper, Johnny said, II think
3 ed for a whole week you was angelP
The first words Julia said were, "Tel
me, oh, tell me how you were savedP"
Tonight l cannot, said family
"Not now. Let me go to bed. an
nearly exhausted. And truly 1 was.
Some kind of yarn had to make III