Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-06-30

and quietly His words came deep and
low like the smothered oar OF the
surf on the shore. Man. 1t was liza
the great sea rolling over an outlying
reef, bursting, gathering again and
then rushing wltn that mighty power
70 the end When he stopped she was
choking. gasping for breath. Man. IL
seemed like her heart would break. I
couldn't help listening. hearing her
pay for what she'd done. But Jimmy
never blamed her, no. not he.
| Jimmy stood there waiting for hla
answer.
Go col Go aud forget. She was
| chokinr. but it came plain aud dis
tinct. There was a long silence. and
looked hard into the gloom. She had
| gone ] mmy was standing there sway
ing in the night like an unstayed mast
and | led him forrads. his head hang
ing down anu sagging like he was
asleep.
THE next day IL came on heavy
from the northwest. Jimmy was sent
aloft to put an extra gasket around
| the bunt OF the Gro Jack where II had
been blown out by the gale. Some.
thing went wrong with the foot-rope.
Looked like a clear case of cutting.
| Tor II was an right when we furIed the
| sail a few hours before.
Jimmy fell with the dull WALTON
that generally means death, and he
landed right across the cabin skylight.
1t was a long fall and he was STILL
/ AFNrRaIl xsyan xxrafatx,,Xn Hta .Nl.. .ax
saw the fall. He started for Jimmy.
| Just then the woman below rushed ON
| deck and flung herself upon the poor
| fellow. | reached his head and start
| ed 70 raise him The woman was Sob
bling and calling for him to speak just
nee more to her; and. man, IL was
| terrible to hear her what she said.
"Morrell stood looking on. and then
| burst into a laugh.
So that's him, is It? Hol no! hot
SO that's the fellow?' And he went ca
| the dying man.
she was upon him before he knew
| 1t, striking him a blow that sent him
| Keeling. Then he went mad and had
his pistol out firing and cnrsing like q
maniac. 1t was all over in a minute"
Here Chips stopped awhile and cut
some fresh plug for his pipe.
Before the morning watch had
talked Heligoland over, and he talked
to q Dutchman named Langter, An
derson finally Joined, but Jacques was
afraid to go without his watch behind
him There were just -four of us start
ed aft out of that crew of 20 men.
"Heligoland took the "starboard side
and took the port, both getting into
the mizzen channels when the watch
was called. The rest were to rush
when they heard firing.
The second mate bawled for his
watch to clew ND the mizzen lower
topsail, as 1t was now snoring away
worse than ever and the short seas
were coming aboard us. This was our
| signal.
We crawled along the deck strake
outside the rail. holding on like death
with our finger tips. Morrell was near
est to me. When we were heal enough
TO get behind our men, Iieligoland
gave a cry and jumped over. | fol-
lowed. The next second / had broken
my knife short off In the btackest-
hearted captain that ever cursed a
ships deck. He jumped back and ran
forward. | after him, trying to close
before he could get out his pistol. He
lodged about the mizzen and fired as
he swung. The shot hit me there on
the arm and split It to the elbow. Then
something flung out OF the darkness 10
leeward and there was a dun smash.
That was all. Heligoland stood leaning
upon his handspike while | picked up
the pistol.
The day dawned upon a storm-torn
ocean, all grey-white, and a hoye-to
ship staggering off to the southwark
with her lower topsails streaming In
ribbons from her jackstays. As the
blow wore down toward evening we
could hear the piteous cries OF a dying
woman calling for her husband"
Chips waited for q few minutes and
pulled hard at his pipe. Then he went
on in a low voice | could hardly hear:
"We buried Jimmy and his wife the
next day. Old Jacobs sewed them up
together and weighted them. All
hands uncovered as they went to lee
ward. | didn't know any service, and
there wasn't any such thing as a Bible
aboard. 'Good-by, Jimmy | said-and
let him GO
There was a long silence. Gantlfne
stood up and then sat dow again. He
seemed TO want to ask a question, but
would not. Chips watched him.
Eyes" he went on, I'VE got five
years apiece for that. Five long years
behind the bars. where the memory
Of the blue water and the hope I
would get out again kept me from GO
Ing mad. Is 1t likely I'd forget the
Morning Lisht?"
Lost One Day in "a Years.
That she missed only one day OF