Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-07
CHAPTER XIV.

Mr.. Sutherland was right. Sweetwater
did not return with the pilot. According to
the latter there was no Sweetwater on board
the ship to return. At all events the mi
nutest search had not succeeded in finding
him in the cabins, though no one had seen
him leave the vessel, or, indeed. seen him
at all after his hasty dash below decks. 1t
was thought on board that he had succeeded
in reaching shore before the ship set sail
and the pilot was suitably surprised at
learning this was not so. So were Sweet
waters friends and associates, with the ex-
ception Of a certain old gentleman living
on the hill and Knapp, the detective. He,
that is the latter, had his explanation at his
tongues end.
'Sweetwater Is a fakir. He thought he
could carry OF the honors from the regular
force and when he found he couldn't he
quietly disappeared. We shall hear of him
again in the Brazils."
An opinion that speedily gained ground,
so that in a few hours Sweetwater was all
but forgotten, save by his mother, whose
heart was filled with suspense, and by Mr..
Sutherland, whose breast was burdened by
gratitude. The amazing fact that Frederick,
the village scapegrace and Amabel's reck-
less, If aristocratic, lover, having been made
the legatee Of the upright Mrs. Webb's
secret savings, had something to do with
this. With such a topic at hand, not only
the gossips, but those who had the matter
OF Agatha's murder in hand, found ample
material to occupy their thoughts and
tongues, without wasting time over a pre-
sumptuous busybody who had not wits
enough to know that five minutes before
sailing time is an unfortunate moment in
which to enter a ship.
And where was S~weetwater, that he could
not be found on the shore or on the ship?
We will follow him and see. Accustomed
from his youth to ramble over the vessels
while in port, he knew this one as well as
he did his mothers house. 1t was, there
fore, a surprise to the sailors when, shortly
after the departure of the pilot, they came
upon him lying in the hold, half buried
under a box which had partially fallen upon
him. He was unconscious, or appeared so,
and when brought into open light showed
marks of physical distress and injury; but
his eye was clear and his expression hardly
as rueful as one would expect Of a man
who finds himself enroute for the Brazlls
with barely a couple of dollars in his pocket
and every prospect of being obliged to work
before the mast to earn his passage. Even
the captain noticed this and eyed him with
some suspicion, But Sweetwater, rousing to
the necessities or the occhslOn, lOrlHWlln
showed such a mixture Of encouragement
and perplexity that the honest sailor was
deceived and abated half at least Of his
oaths. He gave Sweetwater a hammock and
admitted him to the mess, but told him
that as soon as his bruises allowed him to
work he should show himself on deck or ex-
pect the rough treatment commonly be-
slowed on ~stowaways.
1t was a prospect to daunt some men, but
not Sweetwater. Indeed 1t was no more
than he had calculated upon when he left
his little savings behind with his old mother
and entered upon this enterprise with only
a little change in his pocket. He had un'
dertaken out of love and gratitude to Nh.
Sutherland to rid Frederick of a dangerous
witness and he felt able to complete the sac
rihce. More than that, he was even
strangely happy for a time. The elation OF
the willing victim was his, that Is for a
few short hours; then he began to think OF
his mother. How had she borne his sud
den departure? What would she think had
befallen him, and how long would he have