The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-04-26

r.
81 Just listened tUhilc he talked"
shares in the gem and all tho rest of tho
degrading, money grabbing rubbish.
might have admired that stone myself
il I'd been given fair chance and
even have worshiped it as mild sort
Of god, but the talk about it killed all
my interest, and if it hadn't been for
tn, profit it was bringing tho steamer
as carrier should have gone very near
hating it. And so things were. l was
just driven into cumming with man
called Farren out Of sheer disgust for
every one else on the passenger list.
Il tell you straight that on any other
trip this Farren was not man should
have had anything more than nod for.
He was a little slip of fellow with
hockbottle shoulders and wandering
eyes. and he'd sort Of missionary no
tions that I'd no use for whatever
but he didn't talk diamonds; thought
they were sinful or something, and, |
tell you, after Il spell with the others
that mans society used to como to me
like visit to the country. I'd tip him
the wink, and he and I'd slip away from
the rest and go down to my room and
put up our heels and rest He'd stretch
himself out on the sofa, and I'd slip
my shoes and lie on the bed and lust
listen while he talked. At times I'd feel
| that grateful to him | almost wished
he'd hand round tho hat for n collection
after he'd finished.
"Well, gentlemen, things went on
this way-diamonds, diamonds, dia-
monds. with short refreshing spells of
Farren, till after we'd left Madeira and
had made half days steam toward
home, and then q queerish thing hap
pened. We came across steamer lying
to right in our track.
There's nothing in that, you'll say.
Well, perhaps not, but wait bit. This
steamer, as soon as we drew abeam
made steam and bore away on our
course, keeping parallel to us, about
quarter Of mile off, to port. 1t doesn't
take much to interest people on long
voyage liner, and you can guess it was
not long before most pairs Of eyes
aboard Of US were turned on to the 9th
or steamer, especially as she happened
to be yacht. Who was sho? plenty OF
people were asking, and the answer to
that was simple. She was Lord Ray
bury's yacht, brand new l6 knotter
Her picture had been in all the illus
trated papers, and two Of our officers
had seen her before she left the yard,
SO there was no mistake about that mat
ter. But what sho was up to no one
| could say and our passengers made
regular industry out of betting over it.
1--WE officers of the ship didn't wor-
ry our heads much about the matter Ii
you were to try to find out tho why
and wherefore of all tho queer things
you SEQ in tho two Atlantics, | guess
you'd 60 first gray and then bald and
then into q lunatic asylum within threo
! years time. And SO we looked at the
| yacht, hanging always in the same
place on our port beam, without worry
Ing our heads particularly as to what
her little game might be. But, as say,
tho passengers were different; it was a
brand new interest to the lot of them it
was an "A topic to gamble on, and l
| tell you the talk in that smokeroom be.
gan to get interesting. We'd got some
really imaginative and accomplished
liars on our passenger list that trip, and
they were always ready to back up thor
talk with good solid bets.
They became regularly amusing to
listen to- Diamonds were not spoken of
once after Lord Rayburys yacht Joined
as, and l began to think that on Assen-
gers could make themselves as NICE and
CHEEKY lot as any man might want to
meet just let Farren slide. I'd no
use for any moro Of his sermon and wa
ter talk, and the day after tho yacht
turned up when he asked himself down
to my room while was making up
some accounts after lunch, | let him
know sharply enough that people who
came in there had to wait for an invi
tation. A purser like me doesn't chum
J with cheap teetotalers of tho Mr. Far
rem type unless he's pretty hard up for
a mate. But, mark You that man was
no fool, and he gCt arouLl mo two days
later in way | don't think anybody
could conveniently have guessed at
From what turned out afterward
suppose he intended to play his little
game directly after the yacht joined u.s.
but tho weather was Il bit dirty then,
and 1T fresbencd up to Il snorting breeze
directly aftorward, which we carried
with us all the road through the bay
There was IL big, ugly head sea running,
which KNOCKED a couple of knots Off our
pace, and the yacht was making very
wet weather Of it indeed. A careful
skipper would have slowed her down,
but hers didn't. Ho rammed her at it
and risked carrying everything away.
He hung ON exactly In his place, and
. our passengers bet Lord Raybury him.
self was on board forcing the old man to
drive her.
but when we rounded Ushant and
opened out the channel the breeze left
as. and tho sea went. down. n bit. al.