The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1905-12-01

Ny dear ~ ef came 70 kAtl,
from out the deep One AFTERNOON 4Ile
mate called to me from the foreeaetle
that he saw a boat on the starboard
quarter. me events that followed IN
rapid succession are as fresh IN my
mind a. on that eyentful dag. but new
er tn now have been completely hap
p4. for not since then tin now have !
becu free from dread.
1 ordered the vessel put on couple
of points, and as we neared the boat
could see that It was an officers boat,
probably the captains gig that had
belonged 70 some ship could see
something lying In the bottom, and as
we got the boat under our bows It was
plain that the something was a EcTu-
an. She was brought aboard uncor-
seious and carried below. gave uD
nv room to her and directed that size
have every attention. The truth Is
that when / saw her lying on the deck
oblivious to all about her there was
something in her face that drew me
strangely to her.
AS soon as she was provided for
ordered her boat to be hauled on deck,
and examined 1t. It was an old boat.
and It had been so battered that could
not read the name. There was moth
ing about it to identify It. AT O'Clock
that night the woman came to herself,
but the stewardess said that she was
too weak to be questioned. The next
morning the newcomer had revived
sufficiently to talk, but said that she
could not remember a single event II
her past life. 1 had known similar
case where a man had been shipwreck-
ed and nearly starved. On-recoverinG
consciousness he had, like this woman,
forgotten the past. directed the stew
ardess to search the woman's clothing
for some mark, and she found on an
undergarment the letter Q. This was
all there was in the way OF possible
Identification.
and sat wrapped in blankets, revived
by the fresh air For the want of u
better name we called her Miss Quecry.
She was about twenty-five years Old,
but whethes che had been married or
not of course VIZ couldn't tell. Not all
of us considered her pretty, but to me
there was something infinitely more
engaging In her expression than mere
beauty, an expression rejecting some
great past grief. 1 took her into my
heart, and she has kept her place
there to this day.
We had picked up Miss Query not
| far out of New York on a voyage To
the Pacific and Japan. insisted on
her making the ship her home until
we returned to America, for, in the
first place, 1 loved her, and in the sec
ond common humanity forbade my
leaving her in a foreign country to
! shift for herself She had no other
course but to accept my hospitality ano
completed the long voyage with us.
Cur return was one persistent plead.
ing that she would become my wife.
She resolutely declined on the ground
| that she might have n husband. In
vain l argued that the chances were
that one of her nge was not likely to
have been married. She said she wCIld
not take that one chance. At tbs same
time she gave every evidence that she
loved me Indeed. the fact that we
must be separated by an uncertainty
was as great u grievance to her as to
me.
Before sailing on another voyage
| discussed with her what course we
should pursue. proposed that we
| take action to discover her identity.
| Then If she had not been married our
course would be plain. If it came
| out that she had husband living
she could choose between us.
Your past life is bIotted out" said,
land there is no law to prevent your
marrying whom you like" To this she
replied, suppose after marrying you II
should come to my knowledge that
had husband, would you consider 1t
my duty to leave you?" Certainly
not" I replied. "If you knew today
you had a husband living, husband
| identified with that past obliterated
| life, and married me, would not
blame you"
This ended the argument, for she
gave her consent, though the marriage
was to be of tie Scotch order, simply
mutual pledges in presence Of wit
uesses.
Three voyages my wife made with
me, during which we were both sd
| premely happy. At times 1 noticed a
dread cross her brow and knew what
she feared But l laughed at her fears
and assured her that on the high seas
nothing could part u.s.
We were stopping at hotel between
our third and fourth voyages. One
morning my wife took up n morning
paper-she always scanned the papers
when ashore-and, suddenly glancinG
at her, 1 saw her SILVER with some In
tense emotion. AS soon as she had col
lected herself she said:
ut has all come back to me-" And,
handing me the paper, she pointed TO
m item Giving an account of the kill