The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-05-11
\ From Ocean to Ocean \
n By Rudyard Kipling +

In all of kipling's many books no passage
OF equal length is more vivid than the de-
scription, in Captains Courageous" Of
Harvey Cheyne's rush across the conti-
nent, TO meet the son whom he had mourned
as dead. This is said to have been based on
record" trip between the same points
San Diego, Cal, and Boston, Mass.-made
by western railway president in 1885, By
permission of the Century company we
print herewith the passage in question,
from Chapter TX. Of Captains Cour-
ageous."
HTHATEVER his private sorrows
w may be, multimillionaire, like
any other working man, should keep
abreast of his business. Harvey Cheyne,
Sr., had gone east late in June to meet
a woman broken down, half mad, who
dreamed day and night of her son
drowning in the gray seas. He had sur
rounded her with doctors, trained
nurses, massage women, and even faith
cure companions, but they were useless.
Mrs. Cheyne lay still and moaned, or
talked of her boy by the hour together
to anyone who would listen. Hope she
had none, and who could offer it? All
she needed was assurance that drown
ing did not hurt; and her husband
watched to guard lest she should make
the experiment. Of his own sorrow he
spoke little-hardly realized the depth
of it till he caught himself asking the
calendar on his writing desk: What's
the use of going on?'
He had taken the wife to his raw new
palace in San Diego, where she and her
people occupied wing of great price,
and Cheyne, in a veranda-room, be-
tween secretary and typewriter, who
was also a telegraphist, toiled along
wearily from day to day There was a
war of rates among four western rail-
roads in which he was supposed to be
interested; devastating strike had de-
yeloped in his lumber camps in Oregon,
and the Legislature of the state of Cali
fornia, which has no love for its makers,
was preparing open war against him.
Ordinarily he would have accepted
battleereit was offered, and have waged
pleasant and unscrupulous campaign.
But now he sat Imply, his soft black
hat pushed forward on to his nose, his
big body shrunk inside his loose clothes,
staring at his boots or the Chinese junks
in the bay, and asserting absently TO
tae secretary's questions as he opened
the Saturday mail.
Cheyne was wondering how much it
would cost to drop everything and pull
out. He carried huge insurances, could
buy himself royal annuities, and be-
tween one of his places in Colorado and
a little society (that would do the wife
good, say in Washington and in the
South Carolina islands, man might
forget plans that had come to nothing.
On the other hand
The click of the typewriter stopped;
the girl was looking at the secretary,
who had turned white.
He passed Cheyne telegram repeat
ed from San Francisco:
Picked up by fishing schooner We're Here
having fallen off boat great times on Banks
fishing all well waiting Gloucester Mass
care Disko Troop for money or orders wire
what shall do and how is mama Harvey N.
Cheyne.
The father let it fall, laid his head
down on the roller-top of the shut desk,
and breathed heavily. The secretary
ran for Mrs. Cheyne's doctor, who found
Cheyne pacing to and fro.
''What-what d'you think of it? Is it
possible? Is there any meaning to it :?
i can't quite make it out" he cried.
81 can," said the doctor. 81 lose seven
thousand year-that's ALL He
thought of the struggling New York
practice he had dropped at Cheyne's
imperious bidding, and returned the
telegram with sigh.
you mean you'd tell her. May be
a fraud?"
whats the motive?" said the doc
tor, coolly. "Detection's too certain.
It's the boy, sure enough"
Enter French 1l2id, impudently, as
an Indispensable one who is kept on
only by large wages,
Mrs. Cbeyne she say you must come
at once. SIZE think you are seek"
The master of thirty millions bowed
his head meekly and followed Suzanne;
and a thin, high voice on the upper land
ing of the great whitewood square stair
case cried: "What is it? What has hap
pened?'
No doors could keep out the shrek
that rang through the echoing house
moment later, when her husband blurt-
ed out the news.
'And that's all right" said the doc
tor, serenely, to the typewriter. about
the only medical statement in novels
with any truth to it is that JOY don't kill,
Miss Kinney"
II know it; but we've heap to do
first" Miss Kinney was from Milwau-
kee, somewhat direct of speech; and as
her fancy leaned towards the secretary
she OWNED there was work in hand
He was looking earnestly at the vast
roller map of America on the wall.
"Milsom, we're going right across.
Private car-straight through-Boston
Fix the connections" shouted Cheyne
down the staircase.
u thought So"
The secretary turned to the type
writer, and their eyes met tout of that
was born a story-nothing to do with