The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-07
CHAPTER XVII.

poor leilOW drifting ABOUT ike that-
The speaker, a bluff. hearty skipper
whose sturdy craft had outridden ont
of the worst storms of the season
pointed to our poor friend Sweetwater
whose head could just be seen abov,
the broken spar he chung TO. In another
moment half-dozen hands were
stretched for him, and the insensiblC
form drawn in and laid on a deck which
still showed the results of the nights
fierce conflict with the waters.
Damn it, how ugly he ISL cried one
OF the sailors, with leer at the half
drowned mans face. Didn't please
some merry lass in saving him, He's
hit to poison devil fish,
But though more than one of them
laughed, they gave him good care fol
all that, and when Sweetwater came
to life and realized that his blood
was running warm again, and that a
gray sky had taken the place of dark
ness and a sound board supported limbs
which for hours had yielded helplessly
TO the rocking pillows. he saw a ring
OF hard, but goOd-natured faces about
him, and realized quite well what had
been done for him when one of them
said:
There, he'll do now; all hands on
deck. We can get into New Bedford in
Two days, If this wind holds. Nor'West."
the skipper shouted to the man at the
tiller. We'll sup with our old women
IN forty-elght hours at New Bedford"
1t was the only word Sweetwater
heard. So, he was to get no further
away from Sutherlandtown than that
| Evidently Providence had not meant
him to escape. Or was it but trying his
1ort1tude? A man as humble as he
| might easily be lost even in a place as
small as New Bedford 1t was his iden-
tlty he must suppress. With that I'M
recognized, he might remain in the next
village to Sutherlandtown without fear
OF belng called up as a witness against
frederick. But could he suppress it?
He thought he could. At all events, he
would try.
What's your name?" were the words
he now heard shouted in his ear.
Jonathan Briggs" was his mumbled
reply. / was blown off a ships deck
in the gale last night.
What ship?''
THE Proserpine." 1t was the first
name that suggested it to him.
oh, thought it might have been the
Hesper; she foundered off here last
night
'Foundered. The Hesper?" The hot
blood was shooting now through his
veins.
Yes, we just picked up her name
poafd. Ihat was before we got a hold
on you"
''Foundered, The ship from which he
had been so merciiessly thrownl And
all on board lost, perhaps. He began to
reallZe the hand of providence in his
fate.
1t was the Hesper l sailed on. I'm
not just clear in my head. My first
voyage was made on the Proserpine.
Wen, bless the gale that blew me from
that deck"
He seemed incoherent, and they left
him again for a little while. When they
came back he had his story all ready.
Whlcn imposed upon them just so far as
1t was for their interest. Their business
on TINS coast was not just legitimate.
ana when they found he simply wanted
10 De set on shore they were quite will
ing 10 DO this much for him. Only
they regretted that he had only 50 or so
ana his own soaked clothing to give in
exchange for the motley garments thew
trumped up among them for his pres
ent comfort But he, as well as thev
mace the best of a bad bargain, he es-
pecially, as his clothes, which would he
presently scattered among half dozen
families, were the only remaining clue
connecting nm with his native town.
de could now be Jonathan Briggs in
deed Only who was Jonathan Briegs
and how was he to earn the dinner for
which he felt himself at that moment
furnishing?
AT the end of a couple of DAYS he was
dexterouSly landed on the end of a long
per- which they passed, without SION
ping, on their way to their own oh
scure anchorage. As he jumped from
.ne ran TO the pier and felt again the
touch OF terra firma he drew a lone
breath of uncomfortable eIation. YET
ne had not cent in the world. no
IrlendS and certainly no PROSPECTS He
dld not even know whether TO turn 10
the right or the left as he stepped ont
upon the docks, and when he had de-
cided 10 turn to the right as being ON
the Whole more lucky, he did not know
whether to risk his fortune in tbe
streets of the town or to plunge al once
into one of the low-browed drinking
houses. whose signs confronted him on
this water-lane.
He decided that his prospects for n
dinner were slim in any case. and thar
his own hope for breaking fast that
day lay in the use he might make of
one OF his three talents. Either he
muH hnd fiddle to play on, a carpen-
ters bench to work at or a piece of
detective shadowing to do. The last
would bring him before the notice of
the police, which was just the thing he
must avoid, so it was fiddling or car
pentry he must seek, either of which |
would be difficult to obtain in his pres |
ent garb. But of difficulties Sweet |
water was not man to take note. He |
had undertaken out of pure love for a |
good man to lose himself. He had ac-
compl1Shed it, and now was he to COM |
plain because in doing so he was likely |
TO go hungry for day or two? No: |
Amabel might laugh at him. or he
might fancy she did, while struggling
in the midst of rapidly engulfng |
but would she laugh at him
now? He did not think she would. She
was of the kind who simetimes go
hungry themselves in old age. Some
premonition of this might give her a
fellow feeling.
He came to a stand before a little
child sitting on an ill-kept doorstep.
Smiling at her kindly he waited for her
first expression to see how he appeared
IN the eyes of innocence. Not so bad a
man, it seemed, though his naturally
plain countenance was not relieved by
the seaman's cap and knitted shirt he
wore. For she laughed as she lookeE
at him, and only ran away because
there wasn't room for him to pass be-
side her
Comforted a little, he sauntered on,
slancing here and there with that sharp
Eye of his for piece of work to be
lone. Suddenly he came to a halt A
market woman had got into an alter
alton with an FISHERMAN, and her stall
lad been upset in the contention, and
Ter vegetables were rolling here and
here. He righted her stall. picked I'D
Ter vegetables and fruit and in return
got two apples and a red herring he
would not have given to dog at home.
Yet it was the sweetest morsel he had
yer tasted, and the apples might have
)een grown in the garden of the Hes