Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1914-11-05
"You'll have to wash decks proba.

you'll nave to wash decks prOOa-
bly,"
Il am filled with u wild longing to
wash decks" l asserted. smiling ut his
disturbed face. Il should probably
also have to polish brass. There's a
great deal of brass on the boat"
How do you know that?"
When l told him he was much ex-
cited. and. although it was dark and
the Ella consisted OF three lights, be
insisted on the opera glasses and was
persuaded he saw her. Finally he put
down the glasses and came over to me.
Perhaps you are right Leslie" he
said soberly. You don't want charity
any more than they want a ships doc
tor. Wherever you go and whatever
you do. whether you're swabbing decks
in your bare feet or polishing brass
ratings with an old sock. you're a
man"
Soon after that he took his departure,
and the following day he telephoned
to say that if the sea was still calling
me he could get a note to the captain
recommending me. asked him to get
the note.
Good old Mac! The sea was calling
me, true enough. but only dire necessity
was driving me to ship before the mast
necessity and perhaps what, for
want Of q better name, we call destiny,
for what is fate but inevitable law, in
evitable consequence.
The stirring of my blood, generations
removed from a seafaring ancestor; my
illness, not a cause. but a result; Nc
Whittier. filling prescriptions behind
the glass screen Of a pharmacy. and fit
ting out. in porcelain jars. the medicine
closet Of the Ella; Turner and his wife,
Schwartz, the mulatto Tom, Singleton
and Elsa Lee: all thrown together, q
hodgepodge Of characters. motives,
passions and hereditary tendencies
through an inevitable law working to,
| gether toward that terrible night OF
Aug. II, when hell seemed loose on a
| painted sea.
The Ella had been a coasting vessel
in the South American trade. The firm
| of Turner & Sons owned the line OF
! which the Ella was one of the smallest
| vessels.
The gradual elimination of Saline
ships and the substitution Of steamers
In the coasting trade, left the Ella
with others. out Of commission. She
was still seaworthy. rather fast, as
such vessels go, and steady. Marshall
Turner. the oldest son Of old Elias
Turner, the founder of the business,
bought 1t in at a nominal sum. with
the intention Of using it as a private
yacht, and. since 1t was a superstition
Of the house never to change the name
Of one Of its vessels, the schooner Ella.
| odorous of fresh lumber or raw rubber,
as the case might be. dingy gray in col,
or, with slovenly decks on which lines
Of seamen's clothing were generally
hanging to dry, remained. in her meta.
morphosis, still the Ella.
Marshall Turner was q wealthy man,
but be equipped his new pleasure boat
very modestly. AS few changes as
were possible were made. He increased
the size Of the forward house, adding
| quarters for the captain and the two
mates, and thus kept the after house
for himself and his friends. He fumi.
gated the hold and the forecastle-a
preraution that kept all the crew
coughing for two days. and drove them
out Of the odor of formaldehyde to the
deck to sleep.
The wheel. replaced by a new one,
white and gilt. remained In it's old po-
sition behind the after house. the
steersman standing on a raised iron
grating above the wash Of the deck