The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1906-06-27

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and lad painted the portrait of Ruth
Bascomb and fallen in love with her.
Whether she returned his love or not
was the thing he was worrying over.
Harry Stevens was a New York sculp-
tor. and he had desired to bring out Il
had fallen in love with her. As TO
whether she would consent 10 be
"sculped" and marry him was IA mat
Tel that gave him headaches. Both the
artist and the sculptor had sisters that
Nere friendly with Ruth Baseomb. and
this was the general situation for the
playwright 10 build ON
The present situation WAS that Ruth
Bascombs mother. who was fairly
wealthy widow, had become possessed
OF house boat and had determined TO
float around Princess bay and up the
Shrewsbury river for month or 50.
Her guests We're TO be the artist and
his sister and the sculptor and his sis
ter and two or three other persons.
A day Was appointed Il tug engaged
to tow the house boat down New York
bay and leave her ut her first anchor
age. and all was going merrily when
the villain hidden in the thieket show
ed his hand
1t always has been suspected that he
was a villain belonging 10 the same
club as the artist and sculptor. He
became aware of the house boat party,
ana out of pure deviltry and from no
desire 10 see the sculptor get ahead OF
the game he worked his little trick
The day before the boat was to sail
he fixed up telegram calling Harold
Strong To Philadelphia to see about
painting the portrait of a millionaire
The artists return was indefinite
He knew that he was leaving rival
behind him and he knew that the Co
lonial Dame, as the craft was called,
would scarcely have come to anchor IN
the bay and the moon risen above the
waters When that cheeky sculptor
would be talking soft NONSENSE 10 Ruth
Bascomb, but the artistic spirit was
strong within him
He arranged with his sister to Inter
taee Of the occasion Feeling himself
as secure as any man ever can feel
where Il woman is concerned, he de
parted on his mission, and the stately
Colonial Dune also departed on hers
Sometimes millionaire can be found
sitting on his front steps and smoking
fairly good cigar and waiting to be
interviewed Again he Is as elusive as
the midnight mosquito. The one the
artist sought was elusive. 1t took a
whole day TO run him down, and when
he WAS finally brought to bay his reply
Wds:
Young man, don't try any Of your
confidence games ON me II you want
to keep out of Jail. | didn't telegraph
you. | want no painting of any sort.
don't like the look OF you. IL you are
honest then some one has made fool
OF YOU; If YOU are confidence man,
then try the first corner grocery"
Harold Strong had been bunkoed. 1t
was only natural that he should believe
the game had been played by his rival.
He didn't wait to devour even Il sand
wich before catching train for New
York For three hours he sat In
chair ear a. murdered the sculptor.
He killed IL in seven different ways
and WAS planning the eighth when he
arrived at good sized town In Penn
sylyania and was asked by the porter
if lie wished to stop there. He had got
into Il car that had been switched off
at Junction ON to another road while
he was doing the numbering act.
1t was noon when the artist reached
New York II was o'clock before
he began his hunt for some craft to
take him down to Princess bay and lay
him alongside the house boat. The
sculptor had had one moonlight night
in which To weave his net Of romance
around the victim, but he should not
have another. The artist tried to char
ter all sorts OF crafts, from an Albany
day boat 10 sand barge, but the after
noon wore away and night was coming
on before he landed at the foot OF
Thirty ninth street, Brooklyn. and in
teryiewed Captain links of the Merry
Sal
Can you charter me to find house
boat In Princess bay tonighti" repeat
ed Captain links as he bent his head
TO scratch the back of his neck Eyes.
sir, | reckon you can IL you've got d
twenty dollar bill about you. You've
got a schooner right here which Is not
much To look at compared with some
sHhnanara hnt 10 al
land or water that she can't pick up
I'd like to see it, That's her great holt.
young man picking up things. There's
goin' to be fog tonight as sures you
live, but If don't hit that house boat
plumb center before midnight then I'll
never sing gospel hymns off Cape Hat
teras ag'in."
Harold Strong closed with the offer.
The crew OF the Merry Sal consisted
of the captain and lunkhead OF a
young man and a boy of ten who had
run away from home and was trying
life on the pillows. The captain look
ed upon the artist as Il husband pursu-
ing an clipping wife: the lunkhead look
ed upon him as an idiot for giving up
en- $40, and the runaway boy figured
IT out that he was some sort OF CRATER
escaping from the police.
The opinion of the crew did not affect
Mr.. Strong, however He helped to cast
off the schooner and cant her head the
right way and hoist the mainsail. and
presently shn was careerlng down the
bay and avoiding as many statues of
Liberty men-ofwar and Staten Island
docks as she conveniently could. What
she couldn't avoid she crawled over
until she struck deep water on the
other side She struck the fog at Fort
Hamilton, and then the anxious artist
asked:
Captain, isn't this going to make 1t
difficult for us to lind the house boatf"
Not at all, my son-not at all" was
the confident reply. Il told you we
should have a fog. but that 1t would
make no difference. The Merry Sal Is
a-sailin OF herself. She's a. folIeriR OF
her own nose. I've told her that |
want her to hit house boat called the