The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1907-02-07
4 Mystery Of die Sea

/ 4AA nuoNAs EuAA We were ADouN nllL~
way between Cape Town and Australia.
when a maH aloft sang out that be
could desery ships boat abous two
niIes away onthe lee bow. For sigtt-
EN- days we had not sighted a SnR.
We had been as much alone on that
ocean As II ships and men did NOD -
ist
II was driving with wind zR
sea. aud until we. fell OF our eouese-
and passed It within biscuit toss a.
supposed 1t to be empty. As we pnsE-
ed it we saw girl erouchIng in tAs
bottom. and whens we raised sho<z
she stood up and BuppIicated US wiSs
hands and arms to save her.
The bark was brought to the wiuzs
and a boat lowered, and after Iittfae
we had the girl aboard say girl. for
she was not day over sixteen ans
was Of German birth, though sha-
could speak English tolerEbly well III
was only when she WIS safe abOar,n
that we found she had lost her mind
md was Ike a child OF course the
nrst thing was to overhaul the boat
u
Biscuits left. but the water key ,hada
been empty for at least three days
There were no oars. norspRre cloth Ing
NOT the slightest thing 10 give ms mI
esew to the identity 6,the- girl or the
nams'of the craft from which she m usc
have. east OF. She had not suffer ed
greatly IN a physical way, but ask
mentally upset ana looked about / Ter
SO strangely that we wondered II he-
had ever seen a ship before. She " as
given spare staterooms and fen aisle ep.
almost at once and did NOT open her
eyes for sixteen hoursn Bfeanwh ile-
her clothing had been Inspected orr
marks or initials. There were moi le.
While the garments were serviceab e.
they belonged rather 10, aarwealthy irl
than poor one.
1t was hoped that wnenrtte strana er !
awoke her mind would be, clear a I'd
that we should hear hsr story. but In
that we were disappointed. She m Ell
us with smile and asked how She
came aboard. She did not even rec D. I
lect being taken from the boat. / sa ID
she had lost her mind. Perhaps it
wouid be nearer the marksto. say mei n
DRY, though at the same time 1t cou Id
be seen that the handships she hiid
passed through had mare, or less a.f-
fected her mind as we'll We saw how
It was almost at once and did not /.
crowd her. From the hrst, she seemed 4
to feel at home. calling each OF US by 4
a name she had selected herself. and 4
she had not been with. us. i've 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 o. h
ship and that there must have been
cause for her leaving It. She had nc.
recollection of such asthIng: She must Il
have been going from somewhere to.
somewhere. She admitted'ih but could 4.
not name the points. Ifrshe had a ia
Their and mother. sisters and brothersSS
she did not know.
We were rough lot OF men. butt.
that girl had the pity, and sympathy or
every man aboard The, many trickssi
we resorted to to. cali her MEMORY
back would make a. book. The SAILORS
before the mast were, allowed to mako
suggestions, and every day some new
scheme was suggested. She knew tie,
uses OF toe comb brush and glass. agsl
she could sew. Her table manneRs
showed that .she. had been well reared.
She would take..a, book and read I'm
hours. but It was q disputed pont
with Us how much she, understood. WE
mentioned the. mama. Of almost epsrx
town in Germany. bnt all seemed
strange to her. Them we tried Seutf
Africa, and our, esrnsstness made, nssr
laugh merriIy. Nothing was surer- than
that her father aniI mother vera. Ger.
mans, but, wheal q German sailor
aboard sought to. converse with her in
that language she. simply stared at
him. Wherever orr charts showed
dat the. Germans had a eolonr In the
Raciic we .mentiDnsd the name. but 1t
aid no good,
The girl spoke. - Us only h broken
German, and was child In her ways.
She regalne6 her health ana spirits AIT
sr a few days and then wandered
about the. decks asking tie name and
use OF everything she saw. She would
sxlalm In her native language and
sing. songs In German. but she would
not speak Ii. She called the captain
father and me Carl and was content
aot to even ask our destination. By
and By We saw that It was useless and
gave 40 trying. She had her owa
StatecOom. was always ready at meal.
time and one not knowing OF her az
iictisa would not have suspected It
from anything In her actions. It was
'n3y when she began to talk that you.
Eaw her mind was blank She. was.
treated as respectfully as n she. had,
been the captains own daughter. and 1
( was hard task parting with, her at
sydney. She was taken to the German
sxrsursF Nhar. nna ~.