Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1897-10-30

over me that 1t was woman dead
woman.
When she'd got on dee1 she walked
aft, paying no more attention to me
than II I'd been the capstan. Then
two men came crawling up the side.
They wasn't pretty to look at and one
had blue scar clear across his cheek,
but after ! seen the woman / could
stand them. All Of 'em had the faces
Of drowned folks and where they
1 walked the deck was sloshing with
water. | crept behind them as they
/ went aft and ! saw 'em all go down
/ the cabin stairs. Then / stretched
out on the roof and looked through the
I skylight
They was sitting round the table,
, and their mouths moved like they was
talking. but they didn't make no sound.
though they understood what each 9TH
er was saying. All at onct the tallest
mamie was old, with gray hair
reached across the table and struck the
other on the cheek and the blue scar
opened and bled like II was fresh cut,
though there wasn't any knife that /
could zee. The woman slipped be-
hind the old man. and she put her
hands round his throat so that her
thumbs pressed deep into the flesh. He
tried to get free. but she pressed his
throat till her fingers locked round it.
When she let go he fell with his face
on the table: then she and the man
with the cut cheek dragged him up
stairs and ! could hear the thump Of
his boot-heeis as they hit. ] was hid
behind the miZzen mast, but ] peeked
out and saw them heave him over
board, and then / heard the splash.
Then the woman laughed out loud
Il was the first sound that had come
from their lips-and her laugh was
worse than her face. II was tinkly
and clear, like the high notes Of a pi-
amer. but IL froze your blood Then
she turned. and she wiped the mans
bloody cheek with her hair, and her
eyes shone like green starboard lights
on clear night
Just then ! could hear the click Of
the oars in the rowlocks-it was the
cook coming back. / can tell you it
was music 10 my ears. The man and
woman started toward the side and
follered 'em. caught the woman by
her hair. whipped out my knife and
cut of strand-just in time, too, for
they were over the ship side like a
fash.
When the cook had raised his boat
and hung II from the dayfts he came
aft and found me holding the bit OF
hair in my hand and staring at II like
] was crazy. We went below and
had nip of something. then / told
him what'd happened. He gave me a
sharp look and asked me II | hadn't
never heard the yarn. ! said that
was dragging without anchorage, and
II he knew what Il all meant to tell me
he was an old Teller that had cooked
in half the gaIleys on the lakes and
knew every craft from Duluth to Buff
, falo.
HE said he guessed hadn't never
heard the early history OF the Calisty
Nj. Jones. and had to admit that
didn't know anything except that shed
been built about eight years when the
. Hiles Brothers bought her and made
me master He said two or three par.
lies and owned her before. and that
her first captain was an old Teller that
ust to take his daughter with him in
the summer. His mate was young, and
he and the girl took liking to each
other. but the old man wouldn't hear
OF their marrying and WIS going Ia
discharge him as soon as they got back
to the home port. Before that. though
| ..a -ixht hn.- oaIe
harbor and in the evening the crew all
went ashore just as mine did. The
old man and the mate had a quarrel
and the captain cut the U,ate with a
long knife: then the girl crept up be-
hind the father and choked him to
death and she and the mate dragged
him up the stairs and chucked him
overheard. Then they saw the cabin
boy a-peeping at 'em from behind a
mast-he'd been asleep when the 9TH
ers went ashore and had seen the
whole killing. He run from 'em and
J hid in the hold, and they put off In
the second yawlboat so'se to be gone
4 when the crew came back. They wai
r never seen again, for in the night 9
Q white squall came up and they was
4 thought TO have got their just desert:
r by being drowned. The cook said i
o wasn't no uncommon thing for tn,
d dead folks to return to the places
a where they'd did deeds OF wrong. 81
a that when the Calisty NJ. Jones pu
: into the harbor where they'd don,
/ murder they was just drawn to her lik'
l iron filings is drawn to a magnet.
e might "a believed that It was all ;
d dream IL | hadn't had that lock o
t hair In my hand, but that was evi
4 dence, wasn't it?"
I answered that 1t was most convinc
g ing evidence. but / was unprepare'
r for the next move of the ancient cap
n tain.
1--WE got II right here in my weski
i pocket, and I'll show 1t to you," h
t said. drawing out small battere'
T. locket, which he opened and handed t,