Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1908-12-11
A STEAMER SMOKING
ROOM STORY.
[Original.l

the life Of the ship. He was especial,
a favOrite with the ladies, though b,
seemed to prefer the society Of men
spending lot Of time in the smokin:
room
There was middle aged passenge
aboard, with wife twenty years hi
Junior. We hadn't been out three day
before the young wife was daft abou
Trevor and the husband green will
jealousy. Then there was an old mait
who would sit moping on deck til
Trevor appeared, when she would Ian
guish till he joined her and look mex
pressibly happy if he did so for ever
a few minutes. And so I could go OF
mentioning various women, all O.
whom were more or less affected
Trevor singled me out for his principa
companion, and we used to sit in hi
stateroom by the hour chatting an(
smoking. On one occasion I rallied
him on the preference shown him b,
the young married woman.
zone morning after the breakfas
ing room. At noon a steward came tt
me as Trevor's most intimate asso
ciate and told me that my friend
room was locked and no amount O.
knocking could elicit reply. Th'
ships carpenter was called. wen
with him, and he forced the door.
The room was empty.
''There could have been no means O
egress for the occupant except the port
holes. 1t 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 f5ivel
abnormal strength by insanity, though
some thought Trevor had crawled on
in his sleep
1--WE were dull company for tn,
rest Of the voyage. The young wifi
didn't attempt to conceal her emotion
and her husband looked as if he would
have liked to help Trevor make wa!
with himself Some of the men ever
limited that the husband had something
to do with Trevors disappearance, bu
this superstition Gid not gain favo
with the rest. Indeed. it was absurd
on its face
I'VE reached New York without tn,
temperance of the favorite or a solu
ton of the problem. The purser brok'
open Treyor's trunk in the hope O
learning more of his identity than hi
mere name. but the information wal
not forthcoming So the case was Sc
down as one Of those mysterious disap
pearances that are never to be ex
planned.
"Now comes one of the stranges
happenings of all my life. Talk Of co
medicines, I never have heard or reat
of anything to beat what I'm going t.
tell you. Three years later l went from
my home in Connecticut to the Pacif1
coast partly on business and partly t
attend the wedding Of niece of mine
reached her home several days befor
the wedding and when introduced t,
the groom expectant stood paralyze;
with establishment.
"He was Trevor.
HE turned red and white and wa
evidently at first bent on denying hi
identity. Then he laughed and said:
Yes; we've met before. There's al
explanation-not much to my credit
confess, but it might have been NOR
to my discredit if l hadn't done wha
I did, though to tell the truth l chos
a method that was rather acceptable t
young scapegrace than an older man
Do you remember the young married
woman who
"'Set her husband wild by goin;
wild herself about you? Yes; go on
"She was wild true enough-s
wild 1 couldn't control her. She wa
bent on running three persons, he
husband, herself and me. l made
conf1dant Of the captain and propose,
to make stowaway Of myself for tn
rest of the voyage to get out of he
way. He offered to stow me in hi
cabin instead, and I accepted the Offer
Mighty good man, the captain, an,
first class at keeping a secret. 1 al
ranged the disappearance and, to pre-
vent the news reaching home before
could cable, removed anything tina
would point to my address. But
heavens, how did l come to get en-
gagged to your niece?
"fWhy didn't you confide IN meT
asked.
"'Captain said confde in no one o
he would have nothing to do with tn
matter
ITO all this the bride expectan
listened with eyes and ears wide oper
We'll, declared she said at the finish
If had heard that story without tn
name Of the principal, 1 would hav
known it was you. Uncle, do yo
think I'm safe in marrying such
manT Then to her fiance, VIII
haven't you confessed this to me wit
other thingsT
"'How would it lock for me to tel
you that l had to disappear to &c
away from a womanT
Right you are said l. No trul
modest man could have done it.
II found that my niece's father On
sisters husband had been furnishe
all the evidence required to prove tina
Trevor was younger son of a BIRTHS
coleman. He had been ranchina
since coming to america and woU
not go back to England on any az
count"
"Nextr' cried one Of the listener.
''That was a good one if it. was mad
out Of wbcie cloth"
EUGENE HOLMES BURT.