Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-20
THE MYSTERY
ey STEWART EDWARD WHITE AND SAMUEL HOPKINS ADAMS.
y Mcclure &

some sweet and aromatic and spicy az an
incensed cathedral. l have seen the Niger
| boiling beans over n blaze of sandal wood
| fragrant as an eastern shop.
First we scrubbed the Laughing Lass.
! then we painted her. and resizcd and tar
| red her standing rigging, resized and rove
| her running gear, slushed her masis. finally
| careened her and scraped and painted her
| below.
When had quite finished. we had the
! anchor chain dealt out TO US in fathoms.
and scraped, pounded and polished that.
! These were indeed days full of labor.
Being busy from morning until night wa
| knew but little of what was about us. We
| saw the open sea and the waves tumhling
over the reef outside. We the head
lands. and the bow of the bay and the surf
with its watching seals and the curve OF
yellow sands. We saw the sweep of coast
and the downs and the strange huts we had
| built out of departed magnihcence. And
that was all; that constituted our world
In the evening sometimes We lit big
| bonfire, sailor fashion, just at the edge Of
the beach. There we sat at ease and
smoked our pipes in silence, too tired TO
talk. Even Handy Soomons song was still.
Outside the circle of light were mysterious
things-strange wavings of white hands.
bendings of figures. callings of voices, rus
| Ting OF feet We knew them for the surf
and the wind in the grasses; but they were
not the less mysterious for that
Logically Capt. Selover and l should have
passed most OF evenings together. As
a matter of fact we so spent very few.
| rowed himself out TO his beloved schooner.
What he did there do not know. We could
see his light now IN one part of her. now IN
the other. The men claimed he was scrub
bling her teeth. "Old Scrubs they called
| him to his back; never Capt Seloyer.
He has to clean up after his own feet.
he's so dirty" sagely proffered Handy Sol
ONION. And this was true
The seaman's prophecy held good. Seven
| weeks held us at that Internal job-seven
weeks of solid. grinding work The worst
| of it was. that we were kept at 1t so
| breathlessly. as though our very existence
| were to depend on the headlong rush OF
! our labor. And then we had fully half tho
! stores to put away again, ana the other
half to transport painfully over the neck OF
| land from the cove to the beach.
| So accustomed had become to the rou-
| tine in which We We're involved. habit
uated to anticipating the coming day as
| actly like the day that had gone, that the
| completion of our job caught me quite by
| surprise. l had thrown myself down by
| the fire prepared for the same old half hour
of droWsy nicotine, to be followed by the
| accustomed heavy sleep. and the usual
| early rising to toll. The evening was warm;
| half closed my eyes.
| Handy Solomon was coming in last In
| stead of dropping to his place. he stradded
| the fire, stretching his arms over his head.
He let them fall with sharp exhalation.
Lay a al lay lay aIoft' the jolly bosn cried
| Look ahead, look astern, look a-wndward, look
Down on the coast of the high Barbare-ee"
| The effect was electrical We all sprang
to our feet and fell to talking at once:
by :. We're through" cried Pull
| I'D clean forgot it"'
| closer about the fire. All the interests in
| life, so long held in the background, leaped
| forward, eager for recognition We spoke
| of triVialities almost for the first time since
/ our landing fused into a temporary but
complete good fellowship by the relief
| wonder how the old doctor is getting
on?' ventured Thrackles, after a while.
| 1.-The DEVILS preacher! l wonder?' cried
| Handy Solomon.
Lets make 'em a CALL" suggested Puz.
| Don't believe they'd appreciate the COM
pliment." l laughed. Better let them
make first CALL they're the longer estab-
| lished." This lost on them of course.
| But we all felt kindly to one another that
| evening.
/ carried the glow of it with me over I'M
| til next morning and was therefore some
what dashed to meet Capt. Selover, with
| clouded brows and an uncertain manner.
| He quite ignored my greeting.
| by -, Eagen," he squeaked can you
| think Of anything more to be done?"
| l Strengthened my back and laughed.
Haven't you worked us hard enough" /
inquired UNLESS you gild the cabins,
don't see what else there can be to do"
| Capt. Selover stared me over.
"And you a naval man" ne marveled.
| Don't you see that the only thing that
keeps this crew from gettin' restless is
keeping them busy? I've sweat a - sight
more with my brain than you have with
your back thinking up things TO do. l
| can't see anything ahead, and then wen
have - to pay. Oh. they're a sweet lot!'
| 1 whistled and my crest fell. Here was
| new point of view; and also a new Capt.
| Ezra. Where was the confidence in the
might Of his two hands?
He seemed to read my thoughts, and went
on.
| land 1t amt like a deck where man has
| some show. They can scatter. They can
hide. 1t amt right to put man ashore
| alone with such a crew. I'm doing my best.
but it amt goin, to- be tTsr good enough.
He would have maundered on but I
| seized his arm and led him out of possible
| hearing Of the men.
| There's nothing to be scared of. If IL
| comes to a row, there's three of us and
| we've got guns. We could even sail the
schooner at a pinch and leave them here.
! You've stood them off before.
| Not ashore" protested Capt. Selover
| weakly
well. they don't know that. For Gods
| sake don't let them see you've lost your
! nerve this way" He did not even vince at
| the accusation. Put up front"
| He shook his head. The sand had COM
that if he could have felt the heave and
| roll Of the deck beneath him he would have
| faced three times the difficulties he now
| feared. However, could see readily
work.
you can wreck the Golden Horn"
| suggested. Il don't know whether there's
| anything left worth salvage; but it'll be
| something to do
He clapped me on the shoulder.
"Good"' he cried, Il never thought Of
It,"
Another thing" said T. you better give
them a day off a week. That can't hurt
them and it'll waste Just that much more
time"
"All right" agreed Capt. selover.
Another thing yet. You know I'm not
lazy, SO 1t amt that I'm trying to dodge
work. But you'd better lay me off. TN be
so much more for the others"
That's true" said he.
I could not recognize the man for what
knew him to be. He groped. as one In the
dark, or as a sea animal taken out of its
i element and placed on the sands Courage
had given place to fear; decision to waver-
ing; and singleness of purpose to a divided
counsel He who had so thoroughly domi-
mated the entire ship eagerly accepted adj
vice of me-a man without experience.
That evening l sat apart considerably dis
turbed. 1 felt that the ground had dropped
| away beneath my feet To be sure, every
thing trauuuil at but L