Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-06-27

the floor, a thin pencil of flame ex'
tending above and below the hole II
the gas fixture. And by this illumina
tion-for It was dark Without saw
that the rotten door had been blowr
outward, and that the cat, its upper
side denuded of fur, lay dead in the
berth. Why I was not killed by that
explosion Of gas in a closed room
can only explain by the fact that my
body received the pressure on al
sides at once, and why my eyes were
not burned from my head, by the
wonderful involuntary quickness with
which eyelids will close. AS boy
had shut my eyes against an ex.
plosion Of powder six inches before
my face.
First extinguishing few shoulder
ing sparks on the edge of my bed
ding, I went on deck. where the cold
wind cut me like million red-hot
knives. It was black darkness, but
could see that the boat was gone, and
that green seas were washing across
the deserted deck. But the crashing
Of timbers had ended. and satisfied
that the old hulk would not break up
Immediately, I went back and swathed
my face, neck and hands with cloths
drenched in paint oil. Then gave
poor Tom a sea burial, and put in the
rest of the night thinking-for sleep
was impossible.
Whether or not Edwards had
planned an insurance job at the be-
ginning could not determine, but he
must have squared away for the
beach soon after had turned IN;
for the vessel could not have drifted
so far before dark. And whether or
not he had purposely encouraged my
drinking to my own destruction was
beyond me; yet he certainly had
taken advantage of my condition to
remove my gas cock and lock me in to
die of asphyxiation, trusting that the
wreck would break up in that terrific
sea before the locked door or the tink-
erred gas burner could be discovered.
He had possibly placed the cat In with
me to die as well and his previous
kindness to the animal. his civility to
me, and bis laxity about drinking
were part Of the general plan. ]
could only guess at these things; but
what knew for a fact was that, IL he
had reached the beach and saved his
own life, he was impoverished. For
ne had lost his schooner and the in
surance had expired. Yet what
could not even guess at was what had
caused the explosion. Edwards could
not have set it of from without, and
I had struck no matches.
1t was in the hospital at Yokohama
where was taken by fishermen who
rescued me next day, that this last
puzzle was solved. The American
consul, a white-bearded, we'll pre-
served and well-spoken man, visited
me for my disposition. And as he
talked, and as looked at him through
my swollen eyelids, fieeting memories
half formed and intangible-came
to! me. had heard his voice some
where. I had seen that face and that
beard.
We've got him in JAIL" he was say
ing, as I crippled with these elusive
pictures Of the mind, "and he is put
ting up great protest about a drunk
en- mate and a falsified log book. But
Lloyd's will prosecute him for at
tempted barratry, and I'll help-not
so much on your account, for there's
no doubt you were drunk, but on ac-
count Of that cat. It's the meanness
Of it. A man who will illtreat a
dumb animal is simply mean-mean
enough to steal the cross Off donkey's
back. That cat saved your life. I've
puzzled It out. You must have struck
a spark from its back"