Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-06-20
The Daily Story

ana, IT Ola. could signal him me.
sage from her? L told her thar - |,
met him I'd send her message s,..
and asked her what I should say J,
I'm. She said I'D better tell I'm a.,
she loved i'm more N hever ana 81,
'ad a million kisses for i'm ayin 5.
come back. l. promised to send n IN
fist as she said It, and she bellev1s
! would. I didn't say anything abom,
'ow the cap'n would larf If asked ~.
to signal such n message. 'Ow could r;
when I got back from the vovse,
wasn't fit for sea work on aceor,,
of the rheumatic comm back On 4.
me, and laid up in the same snug ar
Dor ag'in, with Molly to coddle me. 7
tole her I'd fell in with Jim's ship OF
Rio and sent i'm FER message sbs
wanted to know 'ow 7 done It. and
tole 'er it was by runnin' up little fagz
Somehow I couldn't find it In my hear,
to tell FER the truth.
''Jim come ng'in one day while
was Iayin' up for repairs this second
time, and 1 was mighty pleased to see
| i'm. Even If e 'ad other sweetheart.
in other ports his cart was true r.
Molly, for e admit been back Iona
when the two of 'em went off and sot
spIiced. After that felt easier abou,
MoIly's comfort, for, to tell the truth
mates. / amt got any faith in sailor.
men confnin' themselves to one sweet
heart when they've got a string of 'e-u
all the way round the world MoIIv
asked Jim II ED got the message sig.
nailed I'm at Rio. and when she tos
i'm what ii was he grinDed like
shark When Molly scolded me Ia,
lyin' I tole her I'd sent the message.
but there was fog and Jim 'adnr
seen it
"Howsomever, that's not the fog I'm
comm to.
Jim stayed In port a month thi,
time, then sailed away ag'in, Ieaytn'
his young wife for a years voyage. He
tole me to look out for FER and If n
was necessary to tell FER that e sd
token the ship and put the cap'n In
irons SOS to come to Ter. 1 was to say
1t or any other lie that was needed u
make FER feel comforta Bile about lin.
I promised to do as much inventin' az
my knowledge locker would stand.
This time Jim went BASTARD through
the Mediterranean and the Suez canal
on rs way to India e was gone six
months when e wrote to is wife that
e was goin' to sail for 'ome, and Is
vessel would come straight through
with only few stops.
"Howsomever, Jim made a torable
quick voyage and wrote from Naples,
givin' the time about which he expect
ed to get 'ome. 1 took Molly down
to the mouth Of the river a couple OF
days before e was expected, SOS we
might not miss i'm from is maxim
port ahead O. time. / reckoned is
vessel would go. right up to Lunnon
and we wouldn't see Jim nohow till
the next day. But Molly could see the
ship go by and get back 'ome in
couple O. hours after she'd passed.
I'VE went down to a pint where we
could look out on the channel and the
ocean beyond, reachin' there about
noon. We didn't expect Jim's ship for
several days because we 'ad card Of
bad weather in the Mediterranean.
But the day was bright where we was.
and we walked down on the sands.
while we was walkin' along saw
a fog bank comm up from the south
east. 1t seemed to throw chill over
Molly, and I confess didn't like the
ooks of it myself. We sailors don't
ike fogs, anyway. The bank kept
,omin' up till it covered the sun. Then
when we begun to get the dampness
t parted ont on the water, and there
vas ship with all her sails set COM
n right toward the mouth of the
liver.
The Pelicanv exclaimed Molly.
tapping her hands. The Pelican was
inns ship.
MOLLY, not bein' a sailor, didn't no.
Ice, as 1 did, that there wasn't much
lind and the ship was sailin' dead
gin what there was. Furthermore.
here seemed to be commotion on her
ecks, as If somep'n had happened
We didn't git more'n glimpse of her
efore the fog closed in on her again,
nd we lost her.
MOLLY turned and ran"in the oppo-
te direction to see her when she went
ITO the river. But couldn't keep up
18th her. I felt Uneasy. / didn't like
lie fdee of a ship sailin' plumb agin
e wind with her canvas set TO sail
fore it. Bimeby Molly stopped for
ant O. breath, and caught up with
#. Then the fog lifted agin, and we
oked toward where the ship ought
be.
NO ship was there. and there wasn't
y ship in sight
Molly turned white as a sheet
We stayed there till the next after
on, when news came that the Pel-
n had struck a rock on the African
asst and QOna down with all on
ard"
Fhe speaker paused and relighted his
'e, which had gone out There was
solemn stiffness among his Listeners
awhile. Then the recital seemed
have reminded others Of the party
phantom ships they had seen or
ard of, and other yarns on the same
oject were reeled out.