The Washington times., 1904-04-24

4 - HE coarse cutting Of the air by
NM switch engine whistle awakened Weakened
4 WI Sammy. He stretched himself
out as fully as the piles of mer-
chandise around him would per-
I nit. and listened drowsily TO Seattle be-
4 ginning her morning tasks.
At his back was huge warehouse. on
the other side of which were the rail-
way tracks of the transcontinental lines,
and beyond them Seattle. vigorous
noisy. and thoroughly Western.
Before him lay the waters of Puget
Sound. stretching across 10 the point
crowned by West Seattle. beyond to
Port Blakeley, Port Townsend. and on
out 10 the Pacific.
20 the left. the coal bunl,ers doomed
u2 black in the white tissue of fog. and
close By. or his right. rolled the Ia
coma, soon 70 leave for Nome.
Sammy had returned from Alaska the
cay before. and was thoroughly broke"
The IZIcndike. which had been his Mecca
a few months before. had proved to be
his Waterloo as well, and as he walked
over The plank with a herd of unkempt
men burdened. like himself. with great
canvas bags containing all their posses
sions on this earth. he had wondersi
Idly where he would sleep that night.
Being utterly careless. he had chosen
the Columbia Street dock, and slowed
himself away among the bales, bags
barrels. and boxes which covered the
pianking.
Sammy was not new to Seattle. In
the past he had packed" his belong
ings TO various mining and logging
camps. but he always returned to Seattle
when his luck failed him.
He liked the noise and the rush along
Second avenue: he liked the sight and
smell Of FISH and fruit on Western ave-
nue. among the commission houses; he
liked to sit on the dock. feel the plank
moving under him with the wash of the
waves. watch the Cinnamon fishing
from ocean steamers. and dream of that
glorious time when he would be rich
and own a house on Queen Anne Hill.
That it would come to that he had no
doubt. He was fun of the miners faith
that things were bound to turn his way.
Therefore Sammy felt quite at home
this morning, surrounded by the roar
in the streets at his back. and with the
noise from the Sound before him.
He was a little hungry, but that
wasn't a matter worth fretting over
as long as Arizona Charleys place
nestled among it's squalid neighbors up
there toward the tide flats. Many a
time Charley had ''staked'' him for his
meals. and he would do It again
Neither did Sammy worry about
work. There was always plenty to do.
He could get a job in a logging camp.
or a salmon cannery, or out in the
mines. There were a hundred things
he could do. having done at least that
many In his shifting career.
There was no hurry about it, anyway.
He wanted to rest for a day or two
among the old familiar sights and
sounds and smells. and after that
WELL he was strong and sound, and in
Seattle.
Just 10 be back in Seattle's streets
again was sufficient unto the day"
He came out from his resting place
behind the boxes and sat down on the
edge OF the dock TO gloat over the
Olympic mountain peaks just begin
ming to push through the froth Of
clouds It seemed like a tonic-this
beautiful. mountain distilled morning.
with its fresh air and bright colors
A Chinaman leaned out through his
customary slot in the big vessel and
with a deft finger sent a fish line I'M
coiling out among the piling. He sue
ceeded In pulling two or three small.
fiat fish from the milky looking water
A newspaper came rolling toward
Sammy and lodged against him. Sam
my clutched 1t eagerly.
Here's luck" he said. Yesterdays,
too. Now won't your uncle fill up on
him since he left civilization six months
ago? Rather"
He began TO read eagerly, as a man
long deprived OF food seizes upon and
devours voraciously the first edibles set
before him,
He read steadily down the columns in
! order, without the casual, preliminary
glance at the headlines which mark
the man surfeited with news At length
he sound an article which interested him
greatly.
Searching for Son." IL was headed.
and continued as follows:
\ gentleman was in the city yester-
day who has been In search of his son,
who was stolen from him when but four
ycars of age, for sixteen years. Mr.
Griggs has hunted over nearly the en-
tire continent in his search for the boy
VIE ggas, but who IS now, IL alive, a
young man.
He is possessed Of considerable wealth,
which he says ne VIII spend during the
remaining years Of his life in this
search. The boy was his only child
and only relative. and he has nothing
else to live for.
Mr.. Griggs came 10 Seattle to remain
until he is satisfied that the object OF
his search is not here. The task is one
almost impossible OF accomplishment,
as the father has no clues, and the son
is Of course. practically unrecognlza bic
by this time. Mr.. Griggs is at the
Grand Hotel
Sammy read the article carefully. re-
read It, took an old pipe from his dingy
coat and put the paper In his pocket.
Here's a thing that needs refiectIn'