Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-10-05

over me that it was a woman-a dead
woman.
When she'd got on deck she walked
aft, paying no more attention to me
than if 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 l could
stand them. All Of 'em had the faces
OF drowned folks and where they
walked the deck was sloshing with
water. I 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
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 it was fresh cut,
though there wasn't any knife that I
could see. 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 l could hear the thump Of
his boot-heels as they hit. l 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
1t was the first sound that had come
from their lips-and her laugh was
worse than her face. 1t was tinkly
and clear, like the high notes of a pi-
amer, but it 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 l could hear the click of
the oars in the rowlocks-it was the
cook coming back. / can tell you it
was music to my ears. The man and
woman started toward the side and
follered 'em. l caught the woman by
her hair, whipped out my knife and
cut off strand-just in time, too, for
they were over the ship side like a
flash.
When the cook had raised his boat
and hnncr from ha do, re- bo
aft and found me holding the bit Of
hair in my hand and staring at it like
| was crazy. We went below and |
had nip of something, then told
him what'd happened. He gave me
sharp look and asked me if hadn't
never heard the yarn. I said that I
was dragging without anchorage, and
if he knew what it all meant to tell me
he was an old Teller that had cooked
in half the galleys on the lakes and
knew every craft from Duluth to Buff
falo.
'He said he guessed I hadn't never
heard the early history of the Calisty
M. Jones. and l had to admit that 1
didn't know anything except that she'd
been built about eight years when the
Hiles Brothers bought her and made
me master. He said two or three par
ties 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 a liking to each
other, but the old man wouldn't hear
of their marrying and was going to
discharge him as soon as they got back
TO the home port. Before that. though,
they was CANNED right here in Eagle
harbor and in the evening the crew all
went ashore just as mine did The
old man and the mate had quarrel,
and the captain cut the mate 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
hid in the hold, and they put off in
the second yawlboat so'se to be gone
when the crew came back. They was
never seen again, for in the night a
white squall came up and they was
thought to have got their just deserts
by being drowned. The cook said it
wasn't no uncommon thing for the
dead folks to return to the places
where they'd did deeds of wrong, so
that when the Calisty M. Jones put
into the harbor where they'd done
murder they was just drawn to her like
iron filings is drawn to a magnet. |
might "a believed that it was all a
dream if l hadn't had that lock Of
hair in my hand, but that was evil
dence, wasn't it,"
answered that it was most convino-
ing evidence, but l was unprepared
for the next move of the ancient cap.
tain.
I've got it right here in my weskit
pocket, and I'll show it to YOU" he
said. drawing out small battered
locket, which he opened and handed TO
me.