The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1911-12-02
HOME FROM A
VOYAGE
Bv VIII Ton c. BROOKS
copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

n cruise that some Teller mas steppeu
in and carried her off, but Nance was
as much set on me as l was on her.
and every time l locked on nome
comm she was standin' at the door
Of her fathers cottage wavin' to me-
After we was married and we got
into our own house around the point
where the light stands. whenever
rounded it to make the harbor. there
was Nance a.wavin' to me. But one
time comm id from cruise when
rounded the point Nance wasn't there
10 wave to me. My heart sank down
into my boots, for she could a seen
me- miles out, and she knew the cut
Of my jib and the lurch OF my snip as
well as she knew her own mother.
Nance and l had been married nve
wears without gettin' a kid. 1t was
the only disappointment We nad'
Nance said and ! knew that II sne
had little one to keep her company
when was at sea she wouldn't be 30
lonesome. But the kid didn't come.
and we began to feel that We was
doomed to he one o them couples that
20 through life maxim baby out OF
dog or a cat or some other animal.
But the day l got back and Nance
wasn't at the door to wave to me
wasn't thinkin' about what couldn't
cit. but what feared I'd lost. The
moment we touched the dock turned
the ship over to the first mate and
steered a direct course to my house.
When got there ! found the door
unlocked. This relieved me some
what, for II my wife had died while
WINS mt sea the house would a been
closed up. | went in, my heart beat
in with a hope o SEEM Mace either
in the Twin room SEWN or In the
kitchen or somewhere downstairs.
But she was not there. and I made
n dash upstairs for her bedroom. Tho
door to that l found locked. ! knock
ed. but got no answer. could hear
voices inside talkin' low, but nobody
said anything to me. hollered out:
II want to know II my wife Is dead
or alive"
Then a woman's voice, strange to
me, said: "She's very much alive. but
hasn't bccn we'll for few days.
She's all right. She saw the snip
come in from her window"
"well. why the dickens can't como
in and give her hug"
ut wouldn't do for you to come In
lust now. can't explain why. but
when we're ready for you we'll let
you know"
"All right. I'm wanted ut the ship
I'll 20 there and come back In cou-
pie o. hours"
| As was goin' down the stairs
heard the funniest sound comm from
tie room I ever heard. At first 1t re-
minded me Of n distant foghorn. SC
Tar away that a man would have tt
strain his ears to hear 1t. Then
thought II wasn't like foghorn mel
Their. It was more like some one try
in to talk with sore throat. didn'
like the idea O leavin' everything Il
my mate on Just gcttin' into port. 81
Il didn't stop to make any more In
quiries. Just went on across tn
point toward the dock.
Reachin' q high bit Of land, I turne'
to take a look at the house I had left
: kind a wonderin'. and II I didn't se
! a man comm out O the front doc
I'll be fingered! What did 1t mean
/. Here was I kept out o my wife's bed
). room and man in the house. A ho'
rible suspicion took possession Of M
But with q gasp I got back my conf
y dence in Nance. and then l remember
8 ed that the voice In the room with he
; was womans So just went rigf
on to the ship.
I found that she had been docke
without any accident. but there wa
a lot of things to do that can only /
done by the master Of ship that
iust come in from cruise, and l didn
! git away from the ship till the da
l. was about over. Then started bac
+ home, beginnin' again to wonder VIII
was the meanin' Of all the strant
things that had happened. Somep
must a-gcne wrong durin' my absenc
and they was fixin' things up to bre'
II to me-
al When walked into the house
heard some one in the kitchen an
y goin' there. saw young woman in
{ striped dress cookin' bird. Nan
wasn't the kind to spend money (
such delicacies. and marveled sor
more.
"See here" I said to the gal, "son
min gone wrong since I been ava
" A trouble has come into this hou!
T. and l want to know right OF wha
the matter"
BY jing. she burst out alarm.
IL reckon you'll find 1t some trouble
: she said. 'before you git through vi
It. Such Happenings always turn
house upside down. It's never I
same place 1t was before. But "
y. minute till put this bird on n
~ and well 60 upstairs"
of Purity soon she started. folleri
On the way heerd that hoarse talk