The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-09-11

mate of the whaler Ironbow-a strong
man among the strong ones. In per-
son he was six feet in height and we'll
proportional, and for muscular power
he beat anything l ever saw in my
life. Yet, somehow, in looking at his
face, one couldn't get over the idea
that he had suffered great sorrow, or
had some wrong to avenge. He SEEM
ed to be always looking for some one,
and we never had q new mate and ne
never met a stranger, but he'd give
one single, penetrating look and then
drop his eyes, az If 1t wasn't the man
he was looking for.
1 told him one day how he seemed to
affect me, and he gave me one OF his
strange looks.
Yes, Jack, my boy" he said, I'm
looking for a man. and I'll find him
yet, please God! You may be thankful
for one thing, my lad"
And what is that?' l said.
THAT you are not the one I'm look
ing for" he answered, with a look I
didn't understand then, but learned the
meaning later. "See here, Jack, must
trust some one, or this thing will drive
me mad I want to find a man with
the little finger gone from the right
hand-a sailor man, with three stars IN
India ink In the palm of his right hano,
and the letter C below them. Find ME
that man and you'll do an old mate a
kindness; that's all I've got to say"
/ was a carpenter on the IrOnbow,
and we had a captain who was a ter
ror. Oh, he was tough old salt!-with
a face the color Of mahogany, and a
voice like the roar of the wind in a
gale. A stove boat made him happy,
if he only got the whale-that's all he
asked.
But we filled early in the season and
ran into port to get rid OF our cargo,
refit a little and get some fresh pro-
visions While we lay there a man
came to the captain and wanted to
ship as harpooner. He was a fine. tail
fellow, just the kind of man a skip
per would banker after, and he proved
to the captains satisfaction that he
was a good harpooner, too.
He sailed under the name of Gus
Williams and was every inch a sailor,
with a handsome face, black curling
hair and a devil-may-care look in his
eyes. Although he was hail fellow we'll
met with the crew, I didn't like the
look of the man, and made up my
mind that l didn't want him for
chun. If I'd known, what he, was it
seems to me now that I'd have drop
ped him over the rail some dark night
before we were fairly out of port.
The captain shipped him when Tom
Dalton was away on another island
looking after a Kanaka or two that
used to sail with him, and so it hap
pened that they didn't meet until the
night before we sailed, and. as he al
ways did, Tom looked at the new man
hard for a moment and then turned
away.
When the new man heard the name
of the mate I thought he gave little
start and turned a trif1e pale. though
why he did that 1 didn't understand
We were we'll out to sea and bowling
along before a ten-knot breeze when
Tom came to me as l stood by the rail-
''Where does Gus William hail from,
Jack?" he asked.
'Marthas Vineyard, he says. /
won't answer for it that he tells the
truth" 1 replied.
do you like him."
mo He's got the devil in him some
where, and it's bound to come out
He's as queer a stick as ever [ saw
in my life, and 1 don't want to chum
with him"
There was one thing about Gus that
was rather queer, and I asked him one
day why he wore the finger of an old
glove on his righthand. He said he had
bad joint there and he had to wear
a cover to keep the salt water out.
I didn't mind that so much; but one
was helping me and holding the spike
and somehow l managed to hit him
on the finger covered by the glove, and
he didn't even finch, and then 1 was
sure Of one thing-and that was that
he had no finger inside the glove.
L didn't say anything, but somehow
1t struck me as queer that this man
should have a finger missing and Tom
had asked me to look for such man.
I didn't think any more Of it until
one night in the forecastle, when we
were all pretty full of grog, the young
men got to Dragging about themselves
and the girls, and Gus Williams look
ed up and laughed. ---'t
you might brag If you had the luck
I've had" he said. There's only one
thing on my conscience after all, and
that's about pretty maid [ made love
to in Nantucket years ago, and then
left without a word. Poor little thing!
L wonder what came to. her?"
Maybe [ can tell you" said a quiet
voice, that is, if her name was Mary
Blake" a1f'2S
We all looked up and saw that Tom
Dalton had come into the forecastle.
That's her name" replied Gus, nod
ding his head with drunken gravity,
while he raised his right hand to mis-
mouth, showing the palm plainly.
There, in plain view, were the three
stars anu the letter u.
81 reckon you've led a wild life, Gus
said the mate, seating himself on q
locker. Seems to me 1 heard some
thing of that yarn myself Didn't you
promise TO marry her and do your best
to make her set her heart on you, and
then leave her letter to say you were
never coming back?"
why, yes. Perhaps 1 ought not to
have done it; but it, was jolly fun to
make love to her! Marry her;
wouldn't do that; for I had q wife in
Bedford. But 1 didn't tell her that
oh, no, nor
And then he broke into a careless
song, such one as a sailor loves, and
the mate got up and went out, with
such a look as l never saw on a mans
face before, and never want to see
again. He didn't say anything to me,
and noticed he never looked at Gus
Williams again.
l knew evil would come Of it, and
didn't know how I could stop it. but
II Gus Williams had known the danger
he'd drawn on himself, 81 think he'd
have jumped overboardo
innings went on all right, until one
september day, wheniwe were lying Off
the Alaskan coast, the captain SEM
three boats ashore for some timber he
wanted, and 1 went iIt Toms boat. Gus
Williams, who was thaFpooner in the
second mates boat went too.
saw Tom come ,up and speak to
Williams after they LANDED, and they
went away together. and something
put 1t into NV head RI follow Them