The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-08-15

ley was absent at lodge picnic; and
John, coming out Of hiding, dramat-
fcally repented of his misdeeds on the
night that he learned of her marriage.
On his knees before her, he promised
never to touch liquor again. But, bar
barian-ltke, in the same breath, he re-
newed his vow of eternal hatred for
her husband.
You don't love him, Jane" he la
mented, land he won't treat you right.
hope he may die, and then I'll get
you
Strangely, when two months later
his vessel returned to San Pedro, he
learned that his evil wish had been
granted. Storkley had resumed his
job on the breakwater and had been
killed by a topping stone of many tons.
Not being of the fiber that holds deli.
cate views about such things, John
wasted no thought on the CHASTITY coin
cidence OF his wish and its fulfilment.
He fastened to Jane, overwhelmed her
with his masterful personality, and be-
fore his ship sailed again he had
known q week OF marital happiness.
At Mare Island Navy Yard he was
drafted to service on torpedo boat
cruising to Alaska, and about six
months later he found himself at the
home station of the torpedo fleet In
San Diego Harbor. He obtained leave
and hurried to visit his wife He
found her in bed, pale and hollow
eyed, with her mother in attendance.
AS he bent over and kissed her sad
mouth he heard a sound like the suueal
OF rat, and looked about inquiringly.
AS be looked at Jane again she turned
away from him, but not before he de-
tected terror In her hollow eyes. The
rat squeaked again. His heart ham,
mered resoundingly and blight came
into Ills own eyes as he reached over
the crumpled form of his wife and
lifted the coverlid beyond her. A tiny
pink ball, that under his misted stare
resolved itself into the caricature Of q
human face. lay inert on James arm
and blinked up at him. He at once
saw that 1t was the face of Jim Stork-
ley; for even In that seemingly shape
less little lump of humanity he dis
cerned distinctly the square forehead.
the thin lips and the protruding chin
OF his ancient enemy
He stood up. "Mother!" he called
childishly.
Mrs. Whylie, who had been watching
him through a crack of the kitchen
door, came out, wiping her eyes on her
apron. He appeared not to have
wanted her, for he took up his hat
and stumbled toward the door without
looking at her. The old lady ran and
grabbed him. "John." che wept.
He turned and took her In his arms,
kissed her passionately, showed her vio-
lently from him and went out. They
did not hear Of him again for years,
He had deserted the half Of his life
that was love for the half that was
hate. unable to bring himself to father
the babe Of his dead but unforgiven
enemy.
Something over two years after John
deserted his wife and home. the tor.
pedo boat Busy. on her way from
Seattle to San Francisco, was cauti-
ously steaming through dense day fog
on the northern coast of California
sounding her shrill whistle at thirty
second intervals. The little vessel that
often travelled at twenty knots an hour
was barely making eight. The quar-
termaster at the wheel and Lieutenant
Wicker, commanding, on the bridge
simultaneously exclaimed at hearing
the long blast Of siren close upon
them ahead.
Hard a-port." directed the lieuten.
ant calmly
Somebody on the other ship blum
dered. The exact location of sound In
Jog Is hard to determine AS the little
Busy swung swiftly to the right, the
high white wall Of steamers hull.
OF the color of the fog, doomed up d.
rectly in her path and scarcely a hun
dred feet distant. The quartermaster.
OF his own initiative, was reversing
the helm as the captain gave the order.
twfrling the wheel rapidly to star
board, but the vancouver was too late.
The hull of torpedo boat Is but q
thin shell of steel. The sharp bow of
the Busy, ramming the bow of the
fast-swinging passenger boat, crumpled
up like crushed box of cardboard. II
was inevitable that the Busy should go
down under any circumstances. but
ordinarily all hands might have been
saved and the other vessel damaged
but slightly. But torpedo boats usually
carry In their forward hold certain
potentialities of destruction that must
be guarded like invalids in a bleak
CLINE. Under the forecastle of the
Busy were five "warheads," such az in
time OF war are kept inserted In the
noses of torpedoes, and which are ex-
ploded by concussion when they strike
the enemy's ship. AS the forward COM
partment crushed in, these detonated.
Theoretically, one of them would dis
able battleship. The forward half
OF the Busy was blown into fragments.
and the mangled stern sank like a
stone anchor. Nevertheless. sixteen
out Of the forty-two men aboard man.
aged to gain the water, not including
the commander, who on the bridge
over the forecastle was torn Into
atoms. With the aid of ropes, buoys
and life-preservers thrown to them. the
swimmers reached the deck of the
larger vessel.
The passenger boat was In distress,
Fortunately. the elevated position of
the warheads. coupled with the inter.
vention of the caved-in plates and
packed-in ships gear. reduced the de-
structiveness of the explosion to min.
imum. The upper part of the bow of
the Solcito-that was the name Of the
passenger steamer-was rent away but
in still waters the hull would have
shown intact over the water-line. In
the swell of the open sea, however. she
-