The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-10-19
A Fall From Aloft.


the Humber at Spurn. The boatswaiT
turns TO q Iandsman standing on the for.
ward deck and explains: "Yon flag Ia.
only two uses. sir. one 10 signal for :
plot and the other as q pail for tht
dead
The passengers stand about in lit;lG
groups. una bic 10 settle down 70 any OF
The usual shlp-board a[nusements Or oc-
equations. impatient TO make landing
and go ashore. Two girls and q mar
stroll aimlessly into the MUSHROOM One
begins stunning q popular air while the
others hum as she plays: but even popu-
lar airs pail after nearly nine days The
steward comes 10 the door and says. with
the air OF an emissary OF me Car de-
lowering a 'ukase,' The Captains CON-
pliments. young ladies. and would you
please stop playing?" There was Z gen.
eral laugh al what we supposed 20 oe
the Captains chan and a general rush
on deck TO call him 70 account
But what has become OF our ship? The
doctor is hurrying att with a roll OF ban
dages, the Captain, beside him. carrying
bottle of whisky Knots of sailors stand
about on the decks. their work forgotten,
their voices hushed. Their prentice lads
on their first voyage. who have been IN
ceasing in their larks and devilment.
stand together, their young faces sud
| ncI4y grown set anu OiUt lnelT yOuE 8
| voices silenced in horror at the thing they
| have Just seen. A passenger asks a pass
| ing sailor what has happened With the
! sarcasm of chance the man is one We
! have always chosen TO interrogate be-
| ca use Of a very funny impeachment In his
| speech, and his answers were usually fol-
! lowed by that suppressed sort Of silence
| that only waits a favorable moment TO
burst into merriment Far other is the
silence that now follows his halting an
swer: "A ch-ch-au named P-P-Price fell
I from zloft; he's d-d-d-dying." DYING
! and a moment ago he ran up the rigging
with a jest on his lips Was it a sudden
| giddiness? Was he all TOO sure OF his
! footing on those perlous but familiar
! heights? Dying Perhaps dead by now,
and in sight of port, We watch the Cap
! tain coming toward US. and we know that
| all is over with the chap named Price ="
| The sailors draw closer together. the
| prentice lads grow gray beneath their
! tan, the very sea- ulls seem to wheel in
air less buoyantly. A seaman goes aft
to lower the ensign that floats astern.
The boatswain now remembers that last
week the dead man spoke of writing home
to his people, saying: who knows.
something might 'appen to me any time
and I've not written ONE in near a year.
II might a knowed then e was not for
long" added the boats vain. And so they
lash themselves into perfect rage of
superstition and terror, finally sinking
off TO the forecastle to brood on the i'll
luck they are now convinced has fallen
on the fated ship.
Soon we glide UP to the entrance OF the
docks, and OH my heart aches for those
anxious women watching on the quay,
each mother and wife and sweetheart
thinking ii is for her dear one that flag
floats at halfmast, and that union jack
lies covering a something on the after
hatch signalling for that last pilot who
alone knows the channels OF 1.-The haven
where we would be-"
We stand leaning over the rail watch
ing the stolid English crowd that swarms
the docks, Aries and 'Arriets strolling
about arm in arm. all watching the ship.
but with the utmost apparent indifTer-
ence after the manner of English crowds.
Suddenly our attention is attracted by
little, laughing. merry child dancing about
among the crowd; now playing with an
older child of about twelve years. now
running and hiding her face in her moth
er's skirts. She seems, as she fits in
and out, like a dainty white butterfly,
the only bright and bonnie thing in sight
All at once she gives a shout of glee, and
dancing UP and down on her tiny toes
kisses both her little hands to some one
on the ship. An old gentleman lifts her
high in his arms, she waves her arms
and kicks her little feet with delight al
something or some one she has seen.
Then the snip goes through the lock and
We lose sight of our baby as We pass from
that wharf to the next one There is more
pulling and fussy little tugs. a hawser
snaps under the strain; there is shouting
of orders and answering "Ay, avs" and
all the turmoil and combination OF TAX
ing ship into the great Alexandria Docks
az Hull, which like a huge lake stretch
far UP into the town. Finally We reach
our allotted place to find that most of
the crowd has preceded us there. We
look for our winsome baby; there she
is, poor little lassie, tired out from her
two hours wait on the cold quay. The
fair young English mother is sitting on
a box, and the baby's flaxen head DROPS
on her shoulder the little dancing feet
hang limp in their short stockings the
little round legs all pink from the cold
wind
At last the gangway IS In place and
among the first 10 go ashore is the dapper
young second officer, who has been look
ing at least six inches taller than usual
in his fine uniform. ever since we sighted
the port. The baby IS wide awake enough
now the dreary, tedious waiting is over.
and Daddy" has come at last. What
kisses, What clasps Of baby arms around
that sun-tanned necki What radiance
OF JOY in that young wife's face, Oh!
not for her loved one does that flag wave
at half-mast, and SO. forsooth. the other
woman whose heart is wrung with sorrow
for the chap named Price is all for
got.
We cali out. and ask the second officer /
to bring his bonnie BARN on board. and
proud indeed he looks as he sets her
high on his shoulder and hurries up the ,
gangwsy with long. free strides. She IS .
lust as wInsome and sweet al close 4
quarters as she was at a distance. and .
performs her little 'parlor tricks" as all .
children should. but seldom 60. We agree .
she is quite truthful when. in answer 20 .
the question, what Is your name she .
replies Good Msrjory."
We stand AZ the head Of the landing
stage for some tine. the women passen- +
gers in raptures over such pretty curls"
or such dear little shoes or such cold .
little paddles" when We notice a sudden
parting Of the crowd There drives up
TO The FOOT Of the gangway one % those
claret-colored. .coffin-sn>ped wagons that
come 20 take the unclaimed dead THO
policemen draw a smaller coffin from out +.
the larger one and carry II on board
Now they raise the union Jack and 10
he hing into the box covering Il sga,n
with the beautiful pail As they raise
their burden TO carry u away Good Mar
1ory-' and her father turn % go ashore.
she kisses her baby hand 20 rs. and. sud
denly catching = ght - re union JACK.
cries. Look Daddy. A. - n1T1ies h.r
6cen ne incline and she waves hsr rose
.eat hand toward u
So. after a.. ne chap named Price
al not -ua % his gni in vain. anA Z
Ike q think X vs. Good Aa-l1ry' Who
zlzhsd il and puc;e1 him 10 h-s desired
- p