The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1900-01-11
Copyright, 1895. by
Robert Barr. .

"dispatches relating to what has hap
pened to the ship?"
"One of them did, the other did not"
well, I hope" said the captain, you
have not given an exaggerated account
Of the condition we are in &
1T have given no account at all, simply
because was prevented from sending
the cablegrams." 80" y"
~A'Ah, indeed said the captain, q
look of relief coming over his face in
spite Of his efforts to conceal it, "and
pray, what prevented you from sending
your cablegrams? The mate would
have taken any messages that were
given to him."
81 know that" cried the young
woman; land when was in my room
writing the last of the dispatches,
person who is on board as a passenger
hcre-Miss Longworth-came into my
room and held me prisoner there until
the boat had left the ship
The captain arched his eyebrows in
establishment.
my dear madam" he said, you
make very serious charge. Miss Long
worth has crossed several times with
me, and am bound to say that a moro
well-behaved young lady 1 never had
OF board my ship"
"Extremely well-behaved she isl"
cried the correspondent angrily. "She
stood against my door and prevented
me from going out l screamed for
help, but my screams were drowned in
the cheers of the passengers when the
boat Left
why did you not ring your bell?'
II couldn't ring my bell because she
prevented me. Besides, if had reached
the bell, it is not likely anybody would
have answered it; everybody seemed
to be gawking after the boat that was
| leaving"
"You can hardly blame them for that.
y great deal depends on the safety of
that boat. In fact if you come to
think about it, you will see that what
eyer grievance you may have, it is, after
all, a very trivial one compared to the
burden that weighs on me just now,
and l very much prefer not to have any
thing 70 do with disputes between the
passengers until we are out of our pres
ent predicament."
1.-The predicament has nothing what.
ever to do with it. I tell you a fact. I
tell you that one of your passengers
came and imprisoned me in my state
room. come to you for redress. Now
there must be some law on shipboard
that takes the place of ordinary law on
land. I make this demand officially to
you. If you refuse to hear me, and re-
fuse to redress my wrong, then have a
large republic to which i can appeal
through my paper, and perhaps there
will also be q chance of obtaining just.
ice through the law of the land to which
l am going
MY dear madam" said the captain
calmly, you must not use threats tc
ME. | am not accustomed to be talked
to in the way you have taken upon
yourself to speak. Now tell me what il
is you wish me to do
ut is for you to say what you will
do. | am a passenger on board thi;
ship, and am supposed to be under tn,
protection of it's captain. therefor,
tell you have been forcibly detained i,
my stateroom, and demand that tn,
person who did this shall be punished.
"You say that Miss Longworth wa
the person who did this? ''
: Yes, do.''
. Now do you know you make yer,
serious charge against that young
lady? A charge that I find it very dit
ficult to believe. May ask you wha
I reason she had for doing what you sa
: she has done?''
THAT is a long story. lam quite pre-
pared to show that she tried to brib
= me not to send a dispatch, and, fndin
herself unsuccessful, she forcibly de
tanned me. in my room until too lat
to send the telegram"
: The captain pondered over what ha
been said to him. -
~ Have you any proof of this charge?
- Proof! What do you mean? D
Z you doubt my word?''
~ II mean exactly what I say. Ha,
you anything to prove the very serior
'e charge you bring?
q, Certainly not. have no proof.
there haN been witness there tt
=: thing would not have happened. If
- could have called for help it would n,
H. have happened. How could have mr.
~ proof of such an outrage?"
~ well, do you not see that it is il
80 possible for me to take action on 70,
ILL., unsupported word? Do you not s.
that if you take further steps in tn
'e extraordinary affair, Miss Longwor1
=. will ask you for proof of what W
a. state? If she denies acting as you s;
Ne ne she did, and you fail to- prove your :
IN legation, it seems to me that you W
ve be in rather bad .predicament. II
Ct would be liable to suit for slande
Just think the matter over calmly f
liz the rest of the day before you take al
further action upon it, and I wou
g strongly advise you to mention this
as nobody on board. Then, if to-morrc
IT, you are still in the same frame Of min
III come to me- h
Thus dismissed, the young won