The Springdale news. [volume] (Springdale, Ark.) 1887-1990, 1909-02-03

]
/ Great Queensland which set out with
/ 500 souls aboard. bound by a route
unknown to a tragic end; Of the Ma
ronic. with her silent and empty life
! boats alone left, drifting about the
! open sea. TO hint at the story of her
| fate: of the Huronian, which ten years
| later, Oh the same day and date and
| hailing from the same port as the Ma
ronic went out into the void, leaving
no trace; of Newfoundland captains
who sailed, roaring with drink, under
the arches of cathedral bergs. only to
he prisoned. buried and embalmed In
the one icy embrace; OF craft assailed
by the terrible one stroke lightning
clouds of the Indian ocean, found days
after, stone blind, with their crews
madly hauling at useless sheets, while
shrieked: of burnings and piracies, of
pest ships and slave ships and ships
mad for want of water, of whelming
earthquake waves and mysterious sue
tions, drawing irresistibly against
wind and steam power upon unknown
currents; of stout huks deserted in
panic, although sound and seaworthy,
and Of others SO swiftly dragged down
that there was no time for any to save
himself, and of hundred other
strange, stirring and pitiful ventures
such as make up the inevitable peril
and incorrigible romance of the ocean.
In pause Billy Edwards said musing
":
We'll, there was the Laughing
Lass"
How did you happen to hit on herr
asked Barnett quickly.
why not, sir? 1t naturally came
into my head She was last seen
somewhere about this part of the
world, wasn't she?'' After a moments
hesitation he added, From something
| heard ashore l judge we've com
mission to keep watch out for her
as well as to destroy dereliets.'
What about the Laughing Lass
asked Mcclure, the paymaster, New
Englander, who had been in the serv-
ice but a short time.
Good Lord, don't you remember the
Laughing Lass mystery and the dis
appearance of DIR. Schermerhorn"
Karl Augustus Schermerhorn, the
man whose experiments TO identify
teiepathy with the Marconi wireless
waves made such furore in the pa
pers?''
"Oh, that was only a byproduct of
his mind He was an original inves-
tigator in every line of physics and
chemistry. besides most of the natural
Sciences" said Barnett THE govern
ment is particularly interested in him
because of his contributions TO aerial
photography
And he was lost with the Laughing
Lass
Nobody Knows said Edwards "IIe
left San Francisco two Years ago on
hundred foot schooner with an assist
ant. big brass bound chest and
ragamuffin crew. newspaper man
named Slade, who dropped out of the
world about the same time, is sup
posed TO have gone along too. Their
schooner was last sighted about 400
miles northeast of Oahu in good shape
and bound westward. That's all the
record OF her that there is"
WAS that Ralph SladeT' asked Bar
nett
and artist
Il knew him we'll" said Barnett.
HE was in our mess in the Philippine
campaign on the North Dakota. War
correspondent then. It's strange that
never Identified him before with the
Slade of the Laughing Lass
What was the object of the voy
ageF' asked Ives.
''rhey We're supposed to be after
buried treasure said Barnett
I've always thought it more likely
that Dr. Schermerhorn was on sci
entifie expedition" said Edwards. 81
knew the old boy, and he wasn't the
sort 10 care for treasure, buried or I'M
buried"
Every time a ship sets out from
San Francisco without publishing to
all the world just what her business
Is all the world thinks it's one of
those wild goose hunts" Observed Ives.
Yes agreed Barnett .Flora and
fauna Of some unknown island would
be much more in the Sehermerhorn
line of traffic. Not unlikely that some
of the festive natives collected the IN
/ fortunate professor.
Various theories We're advanced. with
drawn. refuted. defended. and the dis
eussion carried them through the swift
twilight into the darkness which had
been FASTENED by high spreading
canopy of storm clouds. Abruptly
from the crows nest came startling
news for those desolate seas: Light
no, Two points on the port bow"
The lookout had given extra voice to
IT, 1t was plainly heard throughout
the ship.
The group of officers stared In the
direction indicated. but could see moth
ting. Presently Ives and Edwards
who we're the keenest sighted. made
out faint, suffused radiance. At the
! same time came a second hail from the
crows nest.
"On deck, SIR