Willmar tribune., 1899-09-13

WyseA as I tnuS cOmplleu my galns-l nad
two friends. one of whom, oath or no oath,
should come to no harm from mankind
while 1 had an arm to interpose.
l had suggested the Jersey shore as mat
ter of duty. had heard their determine
tion to abide with me and share my for
tune, be it high or low, with something of
a feeling that put a new power into me, and,
I fancy, a new light in my eye chad they
been looking closely, not caused by the
dazzle of the sun. Our destination lay, then,
first for the Vineyard. There would place
this now homeless girl in care of my mother
and sister, who were probably mourning for
me as lost, then to New London to deliver
prisoners and cargo to the proper authori-
ties, and after that-well, I would wait and
see.
Ay, would wait and see. One need not
plan ones life for months ahead. Somehow
there was brilliant spot in the future
which l cared neither to define or get be-
hind-a Will-o' -the-wisp both tangible and
elusive which I could not analyze. being
content with the glow it spread over my
mental picture The radiance lay on the
ancient island farm. It fell on the ancient
house and livened its homely interior. It
vent abroad over familiar fields, dusky
woodlands and swamps, and gave a color
to the stretches of lonely beach. 1t made
life more than living, and changed the dross
Of existence into something very like gold.
l knew was dreaming dreams and build
ing air castles as stood my trick at the
wheel and hove it over to meet the low-run-
ming swell and forestall the vessels yaw.
hut what picture equals that of the brain
in progressive stages mentally doubled
Montauk, raised Blockhouse island, sunk it,
and saw the mist of Norman's Land, and
then swept around the great western clay
cliffs of the Vineyard, and was at home.
Every detail was real, yet faircs than reality.
by some queer change in me looked less
for glory now than / had the month before.
War was we'll enough if it must be; glory was
Il prize easily gotten, but there was nothing
to equal peace. had tanned wonderfully;
nothing to equal the delights of home and
domesticity. had acquitted myself before
1ny fellows, and for time would rest on
my honors. In short, had by then gotten
into weak-kneed mood, the like Of which
every man knows at some moment of his
life; harmless enough, possibly, and for the
enjoyment of which he can thank God for
Withholding the knowledge of what the
next hour has in store.
By this it was about four in the AFTERNOON
as I figured from the height of the sun,
which, though clear, shone from sky that
had become faxed as though fne-drawn
smoke had settled over it. Though the
wind hung still from the west, it was lightef,
and the schooner dragged through the water
as if it was travelling uphill. Its sluggish
ness / knew was due somewhat to the char.
acter of it's cargo, which was the deadest of
dead weights, but more to the marine
growth which had collected on her bottom
during her long anchorage, and which could
easily be seen streaming below like long
and ragged green beard. Beyond the dull
gurgle of the cutwater and an occasional sob
in our wake, not sound broke the intense
stiffness Of the afternoon. Ames was for.
ward, guarding the forecastle hatch, and his
sister had gone below. From the prisoners
.twho had come at last to realizing sense
of their position) nothing had been heard
beyond demand for water, which had been
given to them, and air, ocean, and schooner,
with all on board, had quieted into what
bade fair to become dead calm.
We had seen number of sail during the
day, but nothing had as yet come hull above
the horizon, even these showing south and
WCst lucic spechS VI lISuI dSdluSI Iue pearl
of the sky line. I thanked God for the scare
given the British by the advent of the
French feet, and knew that each cables
length we made to the east brought us 20
1:1uch nearer safety. The day was waning;
night would soon be on us, and if the Wind
held, under cover of darkness we would be
secure in our flight, and possibly the NOR
rows sun might rise and show me the gor-
geous reds and yellows of Gay Head bluff
with its cap of green turf, sign that we
were in home waters.
Even as my heart warmed at the thought,
I cast my eye landward over the larboard
quarter and saw coming out of the haze
which had all but blotted out the Long
Island coast topsail schooner bearing
southeast or directly toward the Phantom.
She was some FIVE or six miles away, but
even at that distance I could see BY her
slope that she had found fresh slant Of
wind, and that from her forward cloths to
the tip of her main boom every rag was
drawing, her progress being nightly helped
by the square sail set on her foretopmast.
There was no knowing what she was, but
the fact that any craft had gotten SO close
without having been marked, gave me .
start, and put the helm down that the
jib and staysails might draw, which would
at the same time bring the stranger over our
taffrail "A landlubber could have seen she
was no Frenchman, for the Gaul had style
of cut, rake and carry, All his own, be.
sides which they were not given to sailing
small craft in these waters. She might be
"a privateer, in which case all would be we'll.
but if not, and l feared my own intuition,
then my air castles were doomed to ruin,
my borrowed happiness was but the swan
scng of hope, my dream that of con-
demned man. Il H 5ss.s}ts$$ ss.} z.s
The jibing. Of the foresail and my: hail to
Ames brought Miss King to the deck. Her
brother joined us, and we three stood look
iEg at the oncoming vessel which bad APP
peared like cloud to mar the brightness
of a perfect day. There was no need to ex-
plain the menace lying beneath that bunch
of swollen canvas. By the faces Of the two
4 saw they realized il was q plain case Of
chase, the only doubt being whether il
would prove for good or evil. would have
given the gold ia my pocket for a good glass
with which to make her out, but, ,sas that5was
impossible, it took me but d few seconds to
come to the conclusion that our only hope
1sand that q slim one) wals to make the chase;
astern one and give the poor Phantom,
with her foul bottom, All the speed possible.
Putting the wheel in charge Of Amek, with
no loss Of words 4 went forward, clambered
up the fore shrouds and managed alone 10
rnfurl the square sail, set Ting the sbracine
and the sheet and tack on my return to tho.
deck Insthe present light air the pull Iof the
nvasWassrnall but it was sonnet thing, and
knew the estrangerwould:m mark the increaaas
wanted nothing Of her
TO Bn coisTIN NuED.l
sss sscorpionl s he hisaet !, tier the oths1.
fellow had kicked 81. for 4
Hsa{x 3, 7,