The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-03-01
Miss Jonah.


Ccpyrteht. tscs, by American Press Asso-
cietion.l
There's lots OF things in the good
book" said Captain Tettie, that some
people thinks is nothin' but big yarns
bewadays, but some Of 'em are true
today as they wac then. Take the
Icnah business. There are plenty Of
Ieuahs today. had one Of 'em on the
North Star en- trip from Philadelphia
to the Mediterranean. only IN this case
Isnah was woman. NY supercargo
be came 10 me fust day out and said
10 me: 'Cav'n, thars a woman aboard
rs 10 gcfp' to bring us bad luck. Her
fust names Johanna
"Yeu dsH't mean 10 tell mo- says I,
that you're seim' TO start sapersti-
ton like that On this shipT
SITS started already says he. One
VI the mea heard the wcnan that's
with her ean her Johanna. and he told
svery man IN the focastle
we HADN'T been snt day before
The young woman had bewitehed the
fust and second mate, ana II I hadn't
held on to ngseif mighty tight she'd
a. got away VITA me. As for the men,
ihay had deadly fear Of her. II was
beautffai. balmy day we sailed, but
By night our sails was fiappin' In fog
~ thick as puddin'. Miss Meddercroft
that was JohaRnas other name--she
rome up on deck half an hour before
the ntdwatch come on, laughin' and
Ioiin' 3 II there was somepin funny
In the situation. News had come Just
before we sailed that the Arctic had
been struck by vessel Ia fog on her
way from Liverpool to New York and
that nearly everybody aboard had
been lost. see the watch scowIin' at
Johanna and ordered her below She
Dnly giggied. i couldn't fierce her be-
low. and she stayed as long as she
wanted.
THAT fog never lifted for three
days; then It come on to blow great
guns out Of the no'east. Jist when
was most anxious the ships doctor
rome to me, and he said under his
breath, Cap'a,' says he. I'm afraid we
rot case OF poisenir aboard Great
gansg says /. Whose poisonedT The
woman that's travelin' along with that
Miss MeddeTeroft. Don't bother me
now while we're drivin' inter this
gale. says /. How do you know it's
poisonY 4 took the stuff out with a
stomach pump says he. It's arsenic
Wei Ait away from me while I've got
all ean do to sail the ship. Is she
Eotn' to der She's dead says he.
git away from here ! says, and he
went below.
'aThe men found out woman had
iied aboard and that she was with
Miss Meddercreft. or Miss Jonah, as
they had got to calm her. We tipped
the corpse over as soon as possible
without oeremony-oR account Of the
weather, give out--and ! told one OF /
the men that now 1t was overheard
we q nave DettCT luCh, 81 . nv spiSau
It. He did, but 1t didn't do any good.
Miss Jonah come up on deck lockin'
hind Of wild cut of her eyes and turn
In up her face and putin out her
hand. why. it's snowin',' she said
and. sure enough, lookin' on the deck,
we saw few fine specks In ten min
ates there was the wo'st sncwstorm
svcr seen. You couldn't make a man
d the focastle believe but Miss Jonah
aad drawed that snowstorm down on
is. The temperature went away down,
md the wind was howlln' at a gait OF
afty to seventy knots an hour. Then
what do you suppose happened2 The
'o'mast give way. and we swung
ground into the trough Of the sea.