The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1907-02-08

never afterward remembered undress-
ing, so thoroughly tired was he, and
so absurdly happy, Notwithstanding
the awkward situation divulged at the
dinner.
Pyne, left with his uncle, set him
self to divert the other mans thoughts
from the embarrassing topic of Mrs.
Vansittart.
He knew that Brand was not likely
| to leave them in any dubiety as to the
past Discussion now was useless, a
| mere idle guessing at probabilities, so
he boldly plunged into the mystery as
yet surrounding Ends first year of
| existence.
Mr.. Trail, glad enough to discuss a
more congenial subject, marshaled the
| ascertained facts 1t was easy to see
that here at least he stood on firm
ground.
"Your father, as you know, was
noted yachtsman, Charlie" he said.
! Indeed, he was one of the first men
to cross the Atlantic in his own boat
under steam and sail Twenty years
ago in this very month he took my
wife and me, with your mother, you
and our little Edith, then six months
old, on delightful trip along the Flor
ida coast and the gulf of Mexico. 1t
was then arranged that we should pass
the summer among the Norwegian
| fiords, but the two ladies were nervous
about the ocean voyage east in April.
so your father brought the Esmeralda
across. and we followed by mail
steamer. During the last week OF May
and the whole of June we cruised from
Christiania almost to the North cape.
The fine. keen air restored my wife's
somewhat delicate health, and you and
Edith throve amazingly. Do you re-
member the voyage?"
1T is a dim memory, helped q good
deal, 1 imagine, by what l have heard
since"
"Well, on the Fourth of July, putting
into H:rdanger to celebrate the day
with some fellow cOuntrymen, l re-
ceived cable which rendered my
presence in New York absolutely i'm
perative. There was big develop
ment scheme just being engineered in
connection with our property. In fact,
the event which had such tragic Sc
quel practically quadrupled your for
tune and mine. BY that time the Ia
dies were so enthusiastic about the
seagoing qualities Of the yacht that
they would have sailed round the world
in her, and poor Pyne had no difficulty
in persuading them to take the leisure
~ way home, while l raced off via
Newcastle and Liverpool to the 9th n
side. / received my last cable from
them dated Southampton, July 20, and
they were due in New York somewhere
about Aug. or 6, allowing for ord:-
nary winds and weather.
During the night Of July 81 when
midway between the Scilly isles and
the Fastnet they ran into dense fog.
Within five minutes, without the least
warning, the Esmeralda was struck
amidships by big Nova Scotian bark.
The little vessel sank almost like
stone. Nevertheless your father, back
ed by his skipper and splendid crew,
lowered two boats, and all hands were
saved for the moment. 1t was Pyne's
boast that his boats were always stored
with food and water against any kind
Of emergency; but Of course, they
made every effort to reach the ship
which had sunk them rather than en-
deavor to sail back to this coast. AS
the Esmeralda was under steam at the
time, her boilers exploded as she went
down, and this undoubtedly caused the
second catastrophe. The captain no
ticed that the strange ship went off
close hauled to the wind, which blew
steadily from the west. 81 he, in the
leading boat, with your father and mo-
Their, you and my wife and child, fol
lowed in that direction. He shouted to
four men in the second boat to keep
close, as the fog was terrific. The
bark, the John S., hearing the noise Of
the bursting boilers, promptly swung
around, and in the effort to render as
sistance caused the second and far
more serious catastrophe. The cap
tain's boat encountered her just as the
two crafts were getting way on them.
Some one In the boat shouted, they
heard an answering hail and instantly
CTdSueu lutO tut DdTk y DOWs. Lie Sui
became entangled In the martingale Of
the bowsprit, the boat was driven I'M
der and filed, and the second boat
crashed int her. All the occupants Of
the captains boat were thrown into the
sea. You were grasped by negro, a
powerful swimmer. He, with yourself
and two sailors, were rescued, and that.
was all. Your father was a strong
man, and he could swim well. He
must have been stunned or injured In
some way. The two sailors jumped
from the second boat and chung to the
bark's bobstays. The whole thing,was
over In q few seconds"
Mr. Traill rose and paced slowly to
the window. Pyne stared into the fire.
There was no need for either Of them
to- conjure up the heartrending scene
as the sharp prov Of the sailing ship
cleft through the seas and spurned the
despairing hands clutchlng at her black
walls.
Too often had the older man pictured
that horrific vision. 1t had darkened
many hours, blurred many a forgetful
uoment Of Measure with quick rush