Graham guardian., 1910-08-19
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
Miss Jonah.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS,

essssssssssess
Copyright 1909, by American Press Asso.
| ciation.l
There's lots of things in the good
book" said Captain Tottle that some
people thinks is nothin' but big yarns
nowadays, but some of 'em are true
today as they was then. Take the
Jonah business. There are plenty Of
Jonahs today bad oue of 'em on tba
North Star on a trip from Philadelphia
to the Mediterranean, Only In this case
Jonah was woman. My Supercargo
he came to me fust day out and said
to me: Cap'n, thar's n woman aboard
as is goin' to bring US bad luck Her
fust names Johanna
you don't mean to tell me- says l.
that you're goin to start a supersti
tion like that on this shipT
"Tt's started already says he. One
of the men heard the woman that's
with her call her Johanna, and lie told
every man in the fo'castle.'
"We hadn't been out day before
the young woman had bewitched the
fust and second mate, and If | hadn't
held on to myself mighty tight she'd
"a got away with me. AS for the men.
they had deadly fear of her. 1t was
beautiful, balmy day we sailed, but
by night our sails was flappin' in fog
| ,,,11 tnb a11
that was Johanna's other name-she
come up on deck half an hour before
the midwatch come on, laughin' and
jokin g If there was somepin funny
In the situation. News had come just
before we sailed that the Arctic had
been struck by vessel in fog on her
way from Liverpool to New York and
that nearly everybody aboard had
been lost see the watch scowlin' at
Johanna and ordered her below. She
only giggled. / couldn't force her be.
low, and she stayed as long as she
wanted.
'That fog never lifted for three
days; then 1t come on to blow great
guns out of the no'east. Jist when
was most anxious the ships doctor
come to me, and he said under hts
breath, 'Cap'n.' says he. I'm afraid we
got q case Of poisonin' aboard. Great
gunsp says l. Whose poisonedT The
woman that's travelin' along with that
Miss Meddercroft' Don't bother me
now while we're drivin' inter this
gale,' says |. How do you know It's
poisonT I took the stuff out with
stomach pump says he. It's arsenic
Well, git away from me while I've got
all can do to sail the ship. Is she
goin' to dieT She's dead says he
Git away from here says. and he
went below.
"The men found out woman had
died aboard and that she was with
Miss Meddercroft. or Miss Jonah, as
they had got to calm her. We tipped
the corpse over as soon as possible
without ceremony-on account Of the
weather, | give out--and | told one Of
the men that now It was overheard
we'd have better luck. so s he'd spread
1t. He did, but 1t didn't do any good
Miss Jonah come up OH deck lookin'
kind Of wild out of her eyes and turn.
In up her face and putin out her
hand why, it's snowfn',' she said,
and, sure enough, loollin' on the deck,
we saw few fine specks. In ten min.
utes there was the wo'st snowstorm
ever seen. You couldn't make man
in the fo'castle believe but Miss Jonah
had drawed that snowstorm down on
us. The temperature went away down,
and the wind was howlin' nt gait OF
fifty to seventy knots an hour. Then
what do you suppose happenedf The
fo'mast give way, and we swung
around into the trough Of the sea.
81 thought we'd roll over sure. hut
we didn't. We got her before the wind
and cut away the mast. When the
wind went down some'at we put her
back In her course.
"Jist as soon as we got the ship
righted the men come aft IN body
and told me they was goin' to pitch
Miss Jonah over. said we was only
two days from the Azores, where we
was goin' to touch, and I'd put her off
there. They grumbled, but agreed to
wait
l:,rha night before we reached the
islands 1t was black as ink. ! was on
deck, thinkip about gettin' rid Of our
Jonah, hopin' there'd be no moro
""1s. snowstorms or howlln
poisonln, NO - The ship
gales, when felt shocA
slowed up for moment. then went
on. leaned over the gunwale ana
saw black mass slippip' by
knowed It was derelict. | called UP
all hands and went below to look Tor
a hole. found one, but not so Dig
but we could get a sail over 1t, and III
this fashion we kept on into Fayal
"What was my surprise to find Miss
Jonah already packed and ready TO go
ashore. was mighty glad OF 1t, as
I'd expected hard time putin her
off. The doctor took her ashore, and
she went, smilin' and wavin' her
handkerchief at us,
"rhe doctor never come back. We
waited and waited, and. hearin' moth
in Of him, ! concluded to leave him.
We went on to Gibraltar for repairs,
with clear skies over us and calm wa
ters under us. Not bit of bad luck
did we have after we got rid Of Miss
Jonah.
"When ! got back to Philadelphia !
met the doctor one day on Chestnut
street. was nightly surprised
when he told me he had married Miss
Jonah She'd started abroad with a
woman she didn't know very well.
who turned out to be luny and poison
ed herself on the voyage. The doctor
got the girls confidence. told her Of