Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-12-29

coming westward ana WIS StdHCi1e
toward the island of Madeira when the
man in the crows nest Informed the
third mate on duty at the time that
something that looked like wreckagc
had appeared on the port quarter. The
ship was put off her course few
points. and on drawing nearer n ships
| boat was found wedged in between a
! portion of a mast, q spar and some
| cordage Meanwhile the captain had
( come on deck and was looking through
his glasses at the floating objects.
Isn't there some one in that boat,
Mr.. Renshaw?" he asked of the third
mate. who was also using his binocu-
lars.
1T looks that way. sir"
Lower n boat and find out"
The engines were stopped. a boat
was lowered. and the mate was pulled
! to the wreckage. He returned bearing
the body of a young woman.
"Dead?r asked the captain as the
/ boat pulled alongside.
az think not, sir"
The gangway was lowered, and the
woman was carried on deck. The
mate had taken flask with him and
| had given her a swallow of brandy.
The ships surgeon took charge of her
and gave her an additional stimulant,
and soon after taking it she opened her
eyes.
Bring some broth from the galley
as soon as it can be prepared" said the
doctor.
Fortunately the dinner hour was at
hand and the soup was ready. The
RI oil har and had
ly relapsed into Inconsistencies, but
on being given a little of the broth she
opened them again and this time seem
ed to take in the men bending over
her The surgeon directed that she be
taken below and turned over to the
stewardess to be put into a berth.
1t was some time before the cast
away was in condition to be question
ed. Then the surgeon, DIR. Reeves, IN
dertook the task. The examination
was brief, for the girl remembered
nothing back of lying on the ships
deck with a number of men looking |
down upon her.
On the return of the rescue party |
the captain had sent for the third !
mate, who had been in charge of it, |
and asked him if in the wreckage he |
had seen anything to indicate to what |
ship it had belonged. To this Renshaw
replied that he had not There was /
nothing that would have been likely !
TO bear the vessels name except the /
boat in which the girl was found, and
this had been so battered by the sur
rounding wreckage that most of the
paint had been rubbed off. The officer
had looked for name on the boat and
had seen only parts of few remain
ing letters on the starboard stern.
They reSembled G. or @, an A and
an II or an n and were probably the
last letters, of the name of the ship
to which the boat belonged. The cap |
tain had reproved the officer for not
the boat with him, whereupon
the latter excused himself on the
ground that it had been so surrounded
lay the wreckage that to eXtricate it
would have been very difficult
The stewardess, finding the cast
away's hair matted with blood, wash
ed it and found that it had come from
a confusion of the scalp. She intended
to call the doctors attention to it, but
it did not seem to her to be of much
Importance and was healing over, so
She forgot to mention it. There were
other contusOns on the body, but none
that were serious.
Here was a case of a girl of twenty
cut of from relatives, who were also
,ut off from her. If she had come to
earth from another planet she could
not have been a greater stranger The
ship on which she had sailed would
either be reported missing or would
)enings would be likely to give a cew
o the girls identity.
The Albert Corwith was bound for
Boston and was due there about ten
lays after picking up the castaway. i
This did not give much time for de-
ision as to what to do with the cast
way when the ship reached port. In
few days she was sufficiently re
tOred to so on deck and before the
oyage was ended was quite herself I
With the exception of memory. She S
vas still obliviOus tN the past. The I
aptain headed subscription paper I
With Il substantial amount. and it was /
assed through the ship. The amount '
aised was given TO the poor girl who r
must go ashore to an unremembered =
7orld.
Inc girl was much moved when i
be money WIS given her and accepted v
:, hoping that some day she might a
eneft some one TO a like amount
he must have name since her own 81
'aS lost, and she decided to take that 81
the ship whose crew had rescued II
err Size would call herself Alberta 81
orwith. fl
i
Two years before the rescue Of the :,
istaway young man and u cir, Of ;,
ghte2n were standing on an emf :"
ence near Portland. Me. looking cut
sea. On the morrow they were &c -
lrt, for the girl was going to Europe -
study art :
Il don't like TO think. Wipifred" said -
ON Paris which should have landed
r in Genoa II couple of hours before