Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-07-30
A STEAMER SMOKING
ROOM STORY.
TOriginal.1

them by an elderly American gentle
man:
81 was crossing from Southampton
ito New York. We had among the pas
'sengers a jolly devil may care young
IEnglisnman named Trevor, who was
the life of the ship. He was especially
IA favorite with the ladies, though he
seemed to prefer the society of men,
spending a lot of time in the smoking
room.
"There was a middle aged passenger
faboard, with wife twenty years his
Junior. We hadn't been out three days
before the young wife was daft about
Trevor and the husband green with
jealousy Then there was an old maid
who would sit moping on deck till
Trevor appeared, when she would lam
guish till he joined her and look mex
pressibly happy if he did SO for even
"a few minutes. And so L could go on
mentioning various women, all Of
whom We're more or less affected.
Trevor singled me out for his principal
Icompanion, and we used to sit In his
Istateroom by the hour chatting and
smoking. On one occasion 1 rallied
him ON the preference shown him by
the young married woman.
zone morning after the breakfast
hour we missed Trevor in the smok-
ling room. At noon a steward came to
me as Trevor's most intimate asso-
lciate and told me that my friends
room was locked and no amount of
knocking could elicit a reply. The
ships carpenter was called. | went
with him, and he forced the door.
The room was empty.
There could have been no means Of
Iegress for the occupant except the port
holes It seemed to me that he would
have had difficulty in getting through
one of them, but there is no knowing
what one may accomplish in crawling
through small space especially if given
abnormal strength by insanity, though
some thought Trevor had crawled OFT
in his sleep.
1--WE were a dull company for the
rest Of the voyage. The young wife
jdidn't attempt to conceal her emotion,
and her husband looked as if he would
have liked to help Trevor make way
with himself. Some Of the men even
limited that the husband had something
to do with Trevor's disappearance, but
this supposition did not gain favor
with the rest. Indeed, 1t was absurd
on its face.
I'VE reached New York without the
temperance of the favorite or solu-
ton Of the problem. The purser broke
open Trevor's trunk in the hope of
learning more of his identity than his
mere name, but the information was
mot forthcoming So the case was set
down as one of those mysterious disap-
pearanceS that are, never to be ex-
planned.
| "Now comes one of the StrangeSt
happenings of all my life. Talk of CO.
medicines, I never have heard or read
of anything to beat what I'm going to
tell you. Three years later 1 went from
my home in Connecticut to the Pacific
coast partly on business and partly to
attend the wedding Of a niece Of mine.
reached her home several days before
the wedding and when introduced to
the groom expectant stood paralyzed
with establishment
HE was Trevor.
"He turned red and white and was
evidently at first bent on denying his
identity. Then he laughed and said:
Eyes; we've met before. There's an
explanation-not much to my credit I
confess, but 1t might have been more
to my discredit If 1 hadn't done what
did, though to tell the truth I chose
asmethod that was rather acceptable to
a young scapegrace than an older man.
Do you remember the young married
woman who
"'Set her husband wild by going
wild herself about you? Yes; go on
''She was wild true enough-so
wild 1 couldn't control her. She was
bent on running three persons, her
husband, herself and me. I made a
COMPLIANT of the captain and proposed
to make a ~stowaway of myself for the
rest Of the voyage to get out Of her
|way. He offered to stow me in his
cabin instead, and accepted the offer.
Mighty good man, the captain, and
first class at keeping a secret. l ar
ranged the disappearance and, to pre-
vent the news reaching home before
could cable, removed anything that
would point to my address. But,
heavens, how did I come to get en-
gagged to your niece?
why didn't you confide in meP
asked.
Captain said confide in no one or
he would have nothing to do with the
matter
ITO all this the bride expectant
listened with eyes and ears wide open.
well, I declared she said at the finish.
IF I had heard that story without the
name of the principal, l would have
known 1t was you. Uncle, do you
think I'm safe in marrying such
man. Then to her fiance, Why
haven't you confessed this to me with
other thingsT
"'How would it look for me to tell
you that I had to disappear to get
away from a woman%
Right you are said I. No truly
modest man could have done it
II found that my niece's father (my
sisters husband) had been furnished
all the evidence required to prove that
Trevor was younger son of a British
Inobleman. He had been a ranchman
since coming to America and would
mot go back to England on any ac-
count"