The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1905-12-15

From the Deep
llV7TV Observation-Disclosures;
tOriginal,

My dear wife came to me literally
from out the deep. One afternoon the
mate called 10 me from the forecastle
that he saw a boat on the starbOard
quarter. The events that followed in
rapid succession are as fresh in my
mind as on that cventful day. but nev-
er till now have | been completely hap
py, for not since then till now have |
been free from dread.
ordered the vessel put off Il couple
Of points, and as we neared the boat |
could sec that it was an officers boat,
probably the captains gig that had
belonged to 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 wOm-
an. She was brought aboard mcOn-
ScOuS and carried below. | gave up
my room to her and directed that she
| 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 it, 1t 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 Q O'Clock
that night the woman came to herself,
but the stewardeSs said that she was
too weak to he questioned. The next
morning the newcomer had revived
sufficiently to talk, but said that she
could not remember single event in
her past life. | had known a similar
case where a man had been ShipwrcCk
ed and nearly starved. On recovering
consciousness he had, like this woman,
forgotten the past. | directed the stew
RrdeSS to search the wOman's clothing
for some mark, and she found on an
undCrgarmCnt the letter q. This was
all there was in the way of possible
Identification.
In time the woman came on deck
and sat wrapped in blankets, revived
by the fresh air. For the want of
better name we called her Miss Queery.
She was about twenty-five years old,
but whether she had been married OF
not of course we 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. | took her into my
heart, and she has kept her place
there to this day.
We had picked up Miss Queery not
far out of New York on voyage to
the Pacific and Japan. | insisted on
her making the ship her home until
we returned to America, for, in the
first place | loved her, and in the sec
ond common humanity forbade my
leaving her in Il foreign country to
shift for herself. She had no other
course out to accept my hospitality and |
the long voyage with us.
Our return was one persistent plead
ing that she would become my wife. !
She reSOutely declined on the ground |
that she might have husband. In |
vain | argued that the chances were !
that one of her age was not likely to |
have been married. She said she would |
not take that one chance. At th1 same
time she gave every evidence that she
loved me. Indeed, the fact that we
must be separated by an uncertainty
was as great n 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. II it came
out that she had husband living
she could choose between us.
Your past life is blOtted out" Said,
and there is no law to prevent your
mn y ms NHOhl NOu Ilhe. U lulS SHE
'eplied, Suppose after marrying you it
should come to my knowledge that |
lad Il husband, would you consider 1t
ny duty to leave your Certainly
lot" l replied. IF you knew today
'ou had a husband living, a husband
Identified with that past obliterated
ife, and married me, | would not
ilamc you"
This ended the argument, for she
ave her consent, though the marriage
vas to be of the Scotch order, simply
mutual pledges in presence of wit
eSSeS.
Three voyages my wife made with
ne, during which we were both SUI
remely happy. At times l noticed
read cross her brow and knew what
he feared. But l laughed at her fears
nd assured her that on the high seas
othing could part us.
We were stopping at hotel between
ur third and fourth voyages. One !
forming my wife took up morning
aper-She always scanned the papers
'hcn ashOfc-and, suddenly CHANGING i
t her, l saw her SILVER with some in
lnSe emotion. As soon rs she had ckl-
,cted herself she said:
1T has all come back to me-" And, +
anding me the paper, she pointed to /
n item giving an account of the kill /
~ of Richard Quinlan, a seafaring Z
IAN, in a drunken brOl in a sailors 4
oarding house. my husbandw she i
reclaimed. He was drunk when he Z
ut me in the boat. had lived life X
horror with him and was glad when +
sent NE out on 10 the ocean to die" r
SO it was that the name of the man L
lie had once dreaded brought back all q
once an existence that had been u