Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-07-19
land ONE UNKNOWN"
EY JOHN ALEXANDER.

/
coal bunk one morning, where he had
managed to stow himself away, and
where he had lain cwled up until the
steamer was we'll clean of land.
Back somewhere at one of the South
American ports-Rio, most ikely-he
had sneaked on board at dusk, and crept
rat-like to the security OF the coal bunk.
And now, dragged into the light of day
or, rather, such light as penetrated down
there into the grimy darkness-he stood
and grinned like n detected schooboy at
little knot of firemen who had ferreted
him out of his retreat.
Old Peters, the boatswain, who had
gone below to investigate, pushed his cap
far back on his head, and combed his
griZzled beard with a medtative stroke
,, % the hand as he regarded the stow
away. What should they do with him.
The immortal Mr.. Dick, if he had been
present, would have decided promptly
and emphatically, Wash him!" For he
certainly needed it. The layer of tan
which had spread over his scraggy face
was capped by an additional film of coal
CRIME, and the whites of the fellows
eyes, as he looked around him with an
affected easy, deyilmay care expression,
was the only distin9uishabIe marks in
his features.
"pve 'arf a mind to turn the 'ose on
i'm" said the boatswain, as he regarded
the object of interest that stood mute be-
fore him. But eventually he decided to
take his quarry along to the captain Just
as he had been discovered. lie was dragged
upon deck-no, not dragged exactly,
for there was some indefinable touch
OF distinction about the man, despite his
grotesque appearance, that made itself
felt to his rough captors-and they led
him quietly, almost respectfully, into the
captains presence.
The interview turned principally upon
the unknown's ability to work his pas
sage, now that there was no means of
getting rid of him until they touched
at one of the West Indian ports. On
that point the stowaway, speaking for
the first time and with eagerness, gave
an ample assurance. He knew all about
machinery, he said, and if they wanted
an extra hand in the engine room, why,
he was ready to turn to with oil can or
shovel that instant. His name?
No, that is my own concern--nobody
else's. / am Welshman," he said,
quietly. My people are well known in
Cardiff Perhaps l could tell tale, if
liked. Perhaps / couldn't 1t doesn't
matter to anybody" And he looked at
the captain with eyes that meant he
had said all he intended to say ON these
points.
1t so happened that they were short
handed enough in the engine room that
toi k,
the burly, growing Scotch engineer. who
did not seem to regard him with any
great favor. Taffy, as he was called,
disappeared below and succeeded within
an hour in completely reversing the en-
gineer's opinion. The latter, who stood
by to watch him, could see with half an
eye that the man was quite at home
among the throbbing, pulsing engines,
and turned away with the growing COM
ment, He'll do"
They had lew passengers aboard that
trip, and in the dusk of the evening when
Tatfy stole up for a mouthful of fresh
air, he noticed dainty little childish
figure go skipping along the deck. He
stood there, with his grimy head poked
out into the softly changing twilight,
watching her. Every time she turned
and skipped past him his notable eyes
slowed round and followed her And as
he gazed wistfully after the merry, in
nocent little creature, the apple" in his
bare throat moved as if with gulp.
Aye, perhaps he could have told tale
If he had chosen.
Every evening after that he slipped
away from the engine room at the same
hour, and looked anXiously out along the
deck. The child was nearly always
there. Sometimes she smiled up at the
greasy, watching face as she went past,
and Tally carried that smile below with
him. wrapped up in some odd corner of
his heart.
The steamer had run into St Pierre,
and was lying snugged up close to the
shelving beach. They were to sail again
next day, and it was a busy night
on board Cargo had to be unloaded and
fresh freight shipped from the barges
alongside.
Taify. being an odd man." had been
put on the donkey engine which he
worked steadily throughout the evening.
Many time, while waiting for the word
to "heave,' his eve turned restlesslv to
the distant summit of Mont Pelee, tower
ing high up there in the darkliug heav-
ems The huge mountain was growing
and rumblng ominously. and there was
a strange, hteless hull in the air, like that
which hetokens an approaching thunder
clap.
1t was far into the night before he was
released from his post and tree to turn in
for few hours. Heayy-eyed and weary.
he tumbled into his bunk and was soon
fast asleep.
What was it that woke him? A
strange. moaning sound coming from the
land broke on his ears. He sat up in his
bunk, Something was about to happen.
tte felt the mysterious unknown calami.
" coming.
The air seemed to shiver and then to
stand still \ flash, more vivid and
binding than the lightning, followed.
and then it seemed tc him a. if all the
machinery in the world all that he had
ever seen or haudled-had been collected
in one spot and had exploded at the same
instant
For one breathess second he sat there
in his bunk, staring wild-eycd and omen
mouthed. The next he was ON the foor.