The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-01-13
THE MAN WHO DISAPPEARED

The special Providence that some peo-
pie designate chance led to Othello
breaking her cervical vertebrae on the
very day she was destined to sail for
Sydney from Perth. Being sick of the
place, and being, moreover, able to find
an antidote for that sickness, | engaged
passage in the Prometheus, and car
ried my effects aboard in the falling
dusk of summers night.
On the morning of the third day, |
found my normal self, and staggered up
stairway that rose up in lumpy projec-
tions, and smote me violently all over
my anatomy. Once on deck the scene
was grand in the extreme. The tramp
had run bow on into a screaming south
erlv buster. and was making such ire
mendously heavy weather of it that my
heart paused in it's beating.
Something of interest was happening
on the foredeck. One of the lifeboats
had been struck by a great sea, and was
fast breaking adrift from it's lashings.
If once the few temporary lasbings gave
wav. the boat would be hurled against
the lee bulwarks, and with the velocity
she would have gathered, would neces-
sarily have effected clean breach in the
iron plating.
Half a dozen men were clustered I'M
der the break of the forecastle, and one
who appeared to hold a little authority
was haranguing them in tones which
reached my ears even above the scream
ing of the gale in the scant rigging. The
men refused to 90 to the rescue of the
doomed boat, and while I was meditating
on the size of the hole that would be
made in the bulwarks, I saw very
plucl1y deed performed. The big oilskin-
clad figure forward took a coil of rope
across his shoulder, wae:.ic'i his claDce
and ran 10 the boat. He was caught by
wave and dashed with stunning force
against the batch comoings, but he rose
again. and succeeded in rea ching his OBJ
iective, and then, with quick, sailorly
movements, he passed turn after turn of
the stout rope he carried round the boat
and her checks.
The work was done, and he crawled
YEARLY to the ladder where was stand
ing. His sou'wester had vanished and
I recognized the long, square jawed face
with the remarkable black eyes and the
tawny hair.
''Hello, Collins!" I said in wonderment
He looked at me in amazement for a
long second, and then his tongue passed
over his salt-cracked lips. Then he said:
eco to the deuce! My names Jones'
James Jones, boatswain of this ship"
''Then you're the nearest like Arthur
Esmond Collins, second son of Lord Col
Inns, of any man I ever met" I retorted.
'In fact, you are Arthur Collins
''You can go to the mischief with your
suspicions!''
We had finished meal and was sit
ting reading, when sailor knocked at
my door, and, on opening:
''Beg pardon, sir, but the bo's'n wants
to know if you'd mind going to his room
for bit"
"Came to my destination in an alley
way where the smell of engines battled
with the odors of greasy cookery. There
I found Collins.
81 beg your pardon" he said, "for
telling you to 60 to the deuce. What
shall you do?"
I'm what way?"
''Well, now you've found me, I sup
pose you'll go and tell all the old set
that you've seen me acting as bo's'n
of a beastly old tramp, and hiding in
the uttermost parts of the earth.'
81 shall tell no one," 1 retorted with
equal spleen; "it's no business of mine,
after all. Butch, Collins, Collins, why
did you do it?"
ooh, stow that!" he said impatiently;
but 1 saw the apple in his throat move
hurriedly up and down. what about
Standish?"
"He's dead,' said simply. ''He made
clean breast of it before he went out,
and your names as clean as ever it was.
By Jove! Collins, but it was handsome
of you! Why did you do it, old chap"
He laughed grimly.
Listen; I'll tell you the whole yarn.
But. first of all, how's Ethel Standish?"
''She's looking well enough-or she
was when I saw her last. She's married
to Wycroft-but you'd know that, of
course
We'll, I suppose it's only natural.
You seem surprised that I didn't know
was dead and Ethel married.