The Republican journal., 1903-10-15

port was remarkable.
OF course he had to 90 to the hospital
again and the vessel sailed before he
recovered, so that when he was dis
charged the first thing he had to do
was to hunt up chance to ship.
He had only been out day or two,
when walking down Atlantic Avenue
one day, he met Fred Lurchin. Fred
told him that he was just joining his
vessel in New York, that his old one
had been sold to firm of brokers who
were buying vessels for the West India
trade, that they were looking for ship
master and that he believed Crandall
could get the chance.
1t is not likely he would have tried to
get it even, so far behind had he left
the old dream, but as they talked, the
Junior member of the new firm was
passing and with Fred to do the talk
ing Crandall was Captain Crandall al
most before he knew it and in twenty
four hours was installed aboard his yes
sci ready to sail for Trinidad to load
pitch for New York.
He left Boston the sixth day of
March: hardly had he cleared Cape Cod,
when southeast gale came up and for
eight days the bark lay hove to and
pounding into an awful sea, under a
goosewinged maintopsail. On the
eighth day the wind shifted to the
northwest and blew harder than before
Running before the gale, he lost his
boats, blew the foresail right out of the
bolt ropes, and his foretopgallant mast
snapped off at the topmast head and
started a leak that kept all hands
pumping day and night.
Perhaps if that had been good trip
it might have made a difference, per-
haps not, for Rum and Debt and the
Devil had CrandaI II playing a four
handed game with them by this time.
BY the time they reached Trinidad,
Crandall had drunk everything in the
medicine chest that was drinkable, the
crew had started to mutiny half dozen
times and the old bark looked as if she
had been in naval battle and had the
worst Of it.
AS soon as the anchor was down,
CrandalI went ashore and took rooms
at hotel Then he reported to his
consignees, drew on the owners for
money to make repairs, cashed the
draft and got drunk. He had a pretty
fair mate with him, a Norwegian
who at once began prepara-
tions for taking in cargo; it it had not
been for him the vessel would be there
yet for Crandall lost interest in her in
all respects save one-she was his bank.
He had never in all his life, really had
any money to spend; he was now where
he could spend what seemed to him an
endless fortune. He could spend his
and the owners and the freight.
With one lying scheme and another he
could get the handling or four or five
thousand dollars, and he did it.
There was girl in Trinidad then, an
girl. There was more than one,
but this one was the only one that any
body bothered to talk about for three
or four years, and they still talk about
her
She was a whole lot different from
the girl that Crandall married one sum-
mer centuries ago down in Penmaquon
She wasn't little, she wasn't round, she
wasn't red-cheeked, she had more i'm
agination than whole flock of ducks
and she had been more than three miles
away from home good many times.
The only thing the two were alike in,
they both had blue eyes and in that
they were different, for this ones blue
eyes didn't shine like stars, sometimes
they didn't shine at all and then they
looked like drops of calm blue water
miles deep and cold and treacherous,
and when they did shine, they shone
like bits of heated steel. She was tall
and slim and graceful. Her face was
pale, with that delicate clear paleness
which the hottest sun that ever shone
cannot change. Her hair was bright
brown and the sun changed it to forty
cOlOrs at once.
They said in Trinidad that she had
ruined dozen men. Perhaps, she had,
but they were awfully willing pref
ty hard to ruin a man who isn't.
Well, about the time Crandall had
made up his mind to get all the money
he could and give himself and Trinidad
one grand and gorgeous blowout, he
met the English girl.
1t took him some time to impress OH
her that broken-down. middle-aged
captain. of a broken-down middle-aged
bark, was in her class, but when she
granted him an audience long enough
sor him to prove to her that he wanted
20 spend four or five thousand dollars
Ind was little worried about just how
to 60 at it, she took him in hand.
In the first place, of course, she made |
lin Duy ClOCneS anu no DeCdmo Cne
leatest and best dressed man on the
sland, then she changed his drink from
'um to Mumm's Extra Dry, which will |
lot kill a man any quicker and costs |
more, and in various ways she educated
lin.
He knew that this was the end and |
le played the game without any limit.
ae sold the spare sails and spare gear |
rom the vessel, the cabin furniture, in
;luding the carpet; the food even, leav-
ng only beef and flour and barely
enough of that to last to New York. By
his means he held out for six weeks
md then he bade the English girl good
,ye and sailed away.
He ought to have committed suicide
hen, or perhaps before. OF course
hat s what he was doing, but mean
luick suicide, but that didn't come in
o his plans and he started back to New
York.
Two days out the bark sprang a leak
gain. The repairs at Trinidad had
,een Improperly done and pitch is ter
IDLY straining. Limited to miserable
are and with the tremendous strain of