The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-04-01
+ AT THE END OF
THE MANROPE,
Continued from Seventh Page.

and I'm going ashore he said to
Martin. BE back about midnight. Fore
you turn in bring the dingey mp to the
gangway"
Martin answered respectfully, and
obeyed him, while the smiling idiot
watched the operation. Then Mr.. Ar
buckle descended the side ladder slack
ing himself carefully down by the man
ropes. These were two short fancifully
covered ropes, leading from brass stan
chions to the rail, one each side of the
ladder, to within a foot Of the water.
They were covered with ice and hard to
hold, yet he paused halfway down to
repeat the command to stand watch on
the poop"
YES, sir" answered the old sailor,
as he climbed the rail with a pump
brake in his hand. 1.-The bCy'll do that
all right, but ! want to say something
first. You're going George Arbuckle.
You've got your money and discharge,
and this is the last Well see o you.
know the trick. You're not takin' your
clothes, cause you have none worth taxi
in Wen have to wait three days fore
we get our money, and then we can't find
you. You'll lay lew and ship again to
cripple more men. But I've got this to
say-and, you chew it over, toO-you JUST
remember that I had the satisfaction Of
tellin' you Held on, there" (Mr. Ar
buckle had moved his hands upward.)
Don't you come up, or you'll go down b.
the run. I'll brain you, you devil, if you
climb that ladder. You stay there and
listen. You've pretty near killed this
crew. You've hammered and dubbed us
to the last mainland one of us you
drove insane-this boy here. Look at
him, you brute. Hes your own son. DO
you hear? Your own s0n-the little boy
that we all thought died Of starvation.
He didn't die-nor the mother, either, at
the time. She came back to Tompkins-
Vile since this brig sailed from New
York and she died here, eight months
ago. She fooled you. The letter / got
tells of it. And the boy was a Salvation
Army man. and shipped in this vessel She
told that, but she didn't know that he
was to meet his father and be driven in
sane. Look at your work.
Mr.. Arbuckle descended quickly. The
ropes and steps were very slippery, but
this may not have been the reason of his
hurry. The demented youth looked down
and gibbered The man in the boat said
nothing When Martin cast off the paint
ef, ne Shipped the oars anu Dulleu SHOIG-
ward.
He was not back at midnight; he came
! at 1 o'clock, when the flood tide had
| gathered force, and the vessel was failing
up the harbor with the side ladders on
| the off shore side. He hailed as he ap-
| preached, but the anchor watch, looking
down from the poop rail, did not answer
! the order to take the painter, so he pull
! ed to the steps and esayed to climb them
| with the painter in his hand. But steps
| and man ropes were still icy. He slipped.
| scrambled lost the painter, and as the
! beat mad fcated sternward. found himself
! in the water, holding on TO the end of the
after man rope, with the side ladder
tantalizingly close. but not within reach.
The tide was strong and held him away
| from the ladder. The water was icy cold,
and his teeth chartered. Uttering an an
! cry curse he pulled himself up-high and