Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-02-06
DAILY. STORY
A MYSTERY OF THE SEA.


from Liverpool to Sydney, calling at
Cape Town, and the days observation
had shown that we were about half
way between Cape Town and Australia.
when a man aloft sang out that he
could descry a ships boat about two
miles away on the lee bow. For eight
cen days we had not sighted sail.
We had been as much alone on that
ocean as if ships and men did not ex-
ist.
1t was driving with wind and
sea, and until we fell off our course
and passed it within biscuit toss we
supposed it TO be empty. AS we pass
ed it we saw girl crouching i'll the
bottom, and when we raised shout |
she stood up and duplicated us with
hands and arms to save her.
The bark was brought 10 the wind
and Il boat lowered, and after Il little
we had the girl aboard. l say girl. for
she was not a day over sixteen and
was of German birth, though she
could speak English tolerably well. 1t
was only when she was safe aboard
that we found she had lost her mind
Il
first thing was to overhaul the boat.
She had no name. There We're few
biscuits left. but the water key had
been empty for at least three days.
There were 10 oars, no spare clothing
not the slightest thing to give us a
Clew to the Identity Of the girl or the
name of the craft from which she must
have cast off She had not suffered
greatly in physical way, but was
mentally upset and looked about her
SO strangely that we wondered if she
had ever seen Il ship before. She wa5
given Il spare StateroOm and fell asleep
| almost at once and did not open her
| eyes for sixteen hours. Meanwhile
| her clothing had been inspected for
| marks or initials. There We're none.
| While the garments were SerViCeable.
! they belonged rather to wealthy girl
| than Il poor one.
1t was hoped that when the stranger
| awoke her mind would he clear anG
| that we should hear her story. but in
that we were disappointed. She met
| lis with Il smile and asked how she
came aboard She did not even recol-
lect being taken from the boat. l said
| she had lost her mind. Perhaps it
| would be nearer the mark 10 say mem
! DRY. though at the same time it could
| he seen that the hardShipS she had
| passed through had more or less af-
| fected her mind as well. We saw how
it was almost at once and did not
crowd her From the first she seemed
| to feel ut home, calling each of us by
/ 4 name she had selected herself and
she had not been with us five days
before the captain sat down to draw
| her out. There was nothing to draw.
| In other words she remembered moth
ing previous TO waking up in the state
| room after her long sleep. She Was
told that she must have been on q
| ship and that there must have been
cause for her leavin,s it, She had no
recollection of such It thing. She must
have been going from somewhere to
somewhere. She admitted it, but could
not name the points. If she had 4 IA
Their and mother. sisters and brothers,
she did not know.
We We're a rough lot of men. but
that girl had the pity and sympathy of
every man aboard. The many tricks
we resorted to to call her memory
back would make book. The sailors
before the mast were allowed to make
suggestions. and every day some new
scheme was suggested. She knew the
uses of the comb brush and glass. and
she could sew. Her table manners
showed that she had been well reared
She would take book and read fol
hours. but it was a disputed point
with us how much she understood. We
mentioned the name of almost every
town in Germany. bat all seemed
strange to her Then we tried SOutl
Africa. and our earnestnesS made hel
laugh merriy. Nothing was surer thar
that her father and mother were Ger
mans, but when a German sailor
aboard sought to converse with her il
that language she simply stared a
him Wherever our charts showed
that the Germans had a colony in th'
Pacific we mentioned the name, but i
did no good.
The girl spoke to us only in broke
German and was child in her ways
She regaiued her health and spirits aft
er a few days and then wandered
about the decks asking the name ant
use of everything she saw. She would
exclaim in her native language ant
sing songs in German, but she woull
not speak it. She called the captain
father and me Carl and was conten
not to even ask our destination. By
and by we saw that it was useless ant
gave up trying. She had her owl
stateroom, was always ready at meal
time, and one not knowing of her If
Fiction would not have suspected
from anything in her actions. 1t wa
only when she began to talk that yol
saw her mind was blank. She wa
treated as respectfully as if she ha,
been the captains own daughter, ant
1t was hard task parting with her a
Sydney She was taken TO the German
pnncul thara and no at nuca hastif-rpI