El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-10

as his natural enepy, as he does the
| board of trade, Still l don't think |
personally have deserved that. .
| Il am as l have been made, sir. and.
[ suppose. L cant help it. -
lyon are d man with some wonder
! fully developed weaknesses. However,
as to going back, I'm not going to
stultify myself by doing that now.
Well see the thing through now what
Eer happens.
Martin Carnforth nodded CURLY and
got up and walked the deck. He was
conscious of fine sense of disappoint-
ment and establishment. He had
started off on this expedition filled with
a warm glow of romance. He had been
grubbing along at distasteful business
pursuits for the larger part of his life,
and adventure, as looked at from the
outside, had always lured him strong
~. Once in Kettles company he had
tasted of the realities of adventure
among Cuban revolutionists had got
back safely and settled down to bust
ness again for time, and then once
more had grown restless. But he had
the visus of adventure in his blood,
and he was beginning to learn that 1T
was a cumulative poison. So, once
more he had started off, but this time
he was being chilled from the outside.
Properly treated, the prospects of the
trip would have been rosy enough.
Handled by Captain Owen Kettle, the
whole affair was made to assume the
aspect of commercial speculation of
more than dou btful sanity, and as he
walked he cursed Kettle from his in
most heart for bringing him to earth
and keeping him there among sordid
considerations.
The little mariner himself was seated
in deck chair under an awning turn
ing in the frayeG sleeve of a white drill
jacket. His sewing tackle stood in
pictured tin biscuit box on the deck
beside him. He ripped the old
stitches with pocketknife and renew
ed the sleeve with exquisite accuracy
and neatness. His fierce eyes were in
tent on the work. To look a. his MIN BILE
fingers one would think that they lad
never held anything more deadly than
the ordinary utensils of tailoring
Carnforth broke off his walk and stood
for a moment beside him.
skipper. he said, you're a queer
mixture. You've lived one of the most
exciting lives any mans ever gone
through, and yet you seem to turn yOur
more peaceful moments TO tailoring
poetry indifferently and enjoy them
with gusto.'
.'Mr Carnforth, said the litsla
sailor, II guess we're all disconnected
animals. We always like most what
we get least of.
''WelI, l suppose that's intended to
sum up my character as well as your
own" said Carnforth, and sat down
and watched the sewing.
The mate. on the yachts upper
bridge, picked up the reef with his
glasses that evening couple of hours
after SHUTDOWN. The night was velvet
black, with only few stars showing
A sullen ground swell rolled the seas
into oily hills and valleys, and the reefs
ahead showed themselves in blaze OF
phosphOrescence where the swell broke
into thunderOus surf. 1t seemed aS
though the yacht was steaning toward
the glow and din of some distant
marine volcano The watch below were
all on deck, drawn there by curiosity
and along one bulwark the watch on
duty We're handing the deep sea lead
At intervals came the report, trolled in
a minor key. of mo bottom,''
The engines were running half speed |
ahead, and presently they stopped, and |
the order was given for the yacht To
lay to where she was till daybreak y !
light breeze had sprung up. bringing |
with it a queer, slender faint into the !
sweet sea air.
For long time Carnforth had been |
snuffiing diligently. I'm sure l smell !
he said at last.
''It's there, said Kettle. Have
you ever been in a north country Nor
wegian port. sir -
by Jove, yes, skipperI It's just the
same. Decaying fish"
There's no other stencil like it on
this earth. You know what it means
here? p
Il suppose some other fellows are i'll
the lagoon before Us, and they re rot
ting ont shell.
"That's it," said Kettle, land we're
going to have our work cut out to get