Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-05-02

was no Sturgeon to dress either the ctt or
fracture. and, as for the sake of all, my own
necessities were paramount, | would lose no
time in experiment without more warrant
My own necessities, forsooth, and for the
sake of ALL l lost no honesty through
dreaming of heroism. If my finer sensibili.
ties had awakened, so had my coarser, and 1
knew | was now working for purpose, the
roots of which lay in selfshness, but of
stripe easily forgiven.
AS put the maiden down she closed her
eyes, and either tainted or slept from ex-
haustion, and /, like famished wolf, CROPPED
about the floor for the food which had been
tipped from the table, holding her onto the
transom the while with one hand, and with
the other drawing together the fragments
of the but half-eaten meal
Iwould have been moving sight to an
onlooker could one have peeped into the
cabin at this time. The wounded brother
and sister, abject in their misery, even the
ocean allowing itself no rest in its efforts
to throw them from where they lay; the
lengthy bulk of the drunkard spraying half
leap Of the vessel, and about the floor mix
ture of broken food, the bag of gold and
empty bottles which ran hither and thither
the deck, all seemingly chased by the over
turned bucket which had stood by the side
of Ames.
The light of the low-burning lantern
swinging madly from its hook in the beam
gave melancholy effect in contrast to the
pale dawn now cleaning white and cold
through the windows, and in this muss, to
the accompaniment of the groaning wood.
work, was half on my knees examining my
mouth with bits of hard bread and such
matter as came rolling within reach.
ate like man in despair, and yet with
hunger which gave a sweet taste to each
morsel, unsavory as commonly would have
thought it. As snatched and swallowed,
now possessed by the fear that the gale
might rise again while was below, marked
the unholy aspect of the surgeon. He did
not present the disgusting appearance of
Scammell, but beggarly enough he looked
rum-sodden brute, outshining his sur
roundings in the glory of his scarlet uniform.
held a firm hatred for him as he lay there,
feeling that half my present trouble was due
to his internal weakness or deliberate care
lessness. Had matters gone well below,
might have made shift to keep to the
| deck and yet have food and drink supplied
me, but now the whole business was on me,
and my wounded were without proper care.
wondered how it could have come about
| that such an accomplished swiller of liquor
had found it possible to have gotten dead
| drunk on the short allowance of whisky left
in the bottle had given him, but soon
gave over thinking of it. The question to be
| settled was how | could leave Ames and his
| sister, but it was soon solved. Letting them
| take their chances for moment, seized the
snoring redcoat by the collar and hauled
him up the companion way, he making the
! third drunkard l had pitched from the cabin
in this fashion. AS | dropped him with
| small ceremony there came a sound as
| though he had struck the deck with a
muffled club. This made me suspicious OF
| still concealed arms, but, on turning him
over, found the cause and supply for his
latest debauch. In the skirts of his coat
were two bottles like that had taken from
him, one full, the other two-thirds empty
1t was Godsend, and then and there l took
such dram that ere long the contents o.
my veins were less akin to the icy water
they had seemed to be holding.
Going back to the cabin, l hauled the lar
board bunk mattress to the floor and lait
the girl upon it. Close to her | laid Ames
lifting bed and all, and thus both were be
You'd danger of bad fall, however the yes
sci might ramp. The lad opened his eyes a:
placed him by his yet unconscious sister
but / babe him not speak, and tried tt
hearten him by telling him l was yet mas
ter, that Gertrude was by his side, hurt, bu
not badly, and that we would, by the hell
of God, be safe ashore ere sunset. H
smiled family, and made as if to nod, b.
which / guessed that whisky was no medi
cine for his complaint, but managed to ge
a dram down the throat of the girl, wherea
she soon opened her eyes and came to lif
with another moan.
Though | wished to linger by her, dared
not; there was much to do-too much TO
| one mortal. 1t was the work of moment t,
clear the floor of the bounding missiles ant
heave them above GALL but the gold, whicl
l threw into an empty bunli) and l followe,
after for brief look about
Since l had taken the whisky my energ
had come back full nedged and in fighting
mood, as though the numbness of the pas
which had Just recovered. The broaden
ing day put hope in me, though clearly AM
with a quick sensitiveness l marked tn
anger of the sea, the sinister scowl on tn
face of Nature, and the wild disorder reign
ing aboard the Phantom from her bow
SPIRITS end to her remaining truck BE
slowing glance on the drunkard, who la
on the wet planlling not whit less con
fortably than on the carpet of the cabi
floor, l gave my attention to the shroud:
finding as yet nothing had let go or sprung
| then carried aft the main throat and pea
halyards, that they might act the part of
back stay and give some relief to the stant
ing rigging. | was engaged in making fas
the lines when there passed beneath us
wave of extraordinary height and sharpness
1t was IA cross sea, and it well-nigh trippe
the schooner, which term betokens cal
size from lack OF supporting surface beneat
a vessels bilge. With twisting lift it Dor
the stern so high in the air that the dec
! slanted like the sides of steeple, forcin
me to drop the halyards and cling to I'll