The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-02-25

as pdSScd byfn the small steam launch.
certain boatbuilder's yard for repairs,
but what these repairs had been my in
formant could not tell me. The yard in
question was higher up the river, and
thither / betook myself to pursue my
inquiries. The man in charge was not
a promising subject and doggedly denied
having executed any such job as that
indicated. Mullen-if it were he-had
no doubt paid him, and paid him well,
to hold his tongue, and thought none
the worse of the fellow for being faithful
to his promise, especially as was able
to obtain elsewhere the information
needed The boat which had put into
the yard for repairs had come by night
and had left by night, but every water
side place has its loungers, and the less
legitimate work your habitual lounger
does himself the more incumbent upon
him does he feel it to superintend III
person the work which is being done by
other people.
From some CT the loungers who had
witnessed the arrival Of the boat which
had been put in for repairs / had no
difficulty in ascertaining that her hulk
was painted white when she entered the
yard and chocolate brown when she left
and that the time of her arrival coin
cided exactly with the date upon which
the Odd Trick had left Gravesend. Nor
was this all, for two different men who
had seen her come in and afterward
had watched her go out were absolutely
sure that, though she went out cutter,
she came in a yawl. This was an i'm
portant difference and would so alter
the appearance Of the boat that the very
skipper who had been sailing her might
well have been partloned for not know
ing his own craft.
| had played my cards sometimes
wisely, but more often foolishly, while
conducting my scare h for Captain Shan
non, bat the wisest and the luokiest
Ieal made throughout the business was
ny Denomination to spare no pains in
iscertaining what step the fugitive had
taken to cover up his tracks before set
out TO look for five ton yawl, painted
white, picked ont with gold and bearing
the name of the Odd Trick.
But for that determination and the
discoveries which resulted from it l
should in all probability have passed
unnoticed the little brown cutter that
saw lying at anchor to the west Of
Southend as passed by in the small
steam launch which hired for the pur-
pose Of carrying on my investigation.
And had l passed that cutter unnoticed
Captain Shannon would i'm all probable
ity have reached America or Australia
in safety, and it is more than likely
that this narrative would never have
been written.
To the comment, Sand small loss,
tool' which may rise-and not unrea-
sonably--to the lips Of some critics can
only reply that undertook my search
for Captain Shannon to please myself
and in search of excitement. IL is the
plain story of the adventures which be
fell me and not a literary study which
is here set forth, and am quite content
to have it written down as such and
nothing more. The one thing can safe
| ly assert about it is that it is not story
dealing with the new woman. IL it has
any popularity at all, it is that it tells
| of one of the few pieces of mischief
which have happened in this world since
the days Of Eve concerning which il
may, without fear Of contradiction, be
affirmed that no woman had hand in
it, for, with the exception of the mere
mention of Mrs. Stanley Burgoyne--
who never once comes upon the scene IN
person--this is story without a woman
in it.