Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-10-30

enthusiastic and was even for diving
up the pharmacy ct encs and sailing
with me.
he. had been lltting out the store.
room Of sailing yacht with drugs, he
informed me. and doing II under the
personal direction Of the owners wife.
I've made hit. with her." be con.
fided. "Since she's learned I'm grad.
uate M. D. she's letting me do the
whole thing. i've made up some. 10.
lions to prevent sunburn and that sea.
sick prescription Of old Larimer's. and
she thinks I'm the whole cheese. I'll
suggest you as ships doctor" 81,
"How many men In the crew.
Eight. l think. or ten. lt's q small
boat and carries small crew"
"Then they don't want ships doc
tor. IL 60 ri 60 40 sailor" l said
firmly. "And I want your word. Mac.
not word about me. except that Am
honest"
'You'n have to wash decks proba.
bly,"
II am nlled with wild longing to
wash decks" asserted. smiling at hiS
disturbed face. II should probably
also have to polish brass. There's z
great deal Of brass on the boat"
"How do you know that?'
When told him he was much ex.
cited. and. although 1t was dark and
the Ella consisted Of three lights. he
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 q 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 q
man."
Soon after that he took his departure,
and the following day he telephoned
to say that II the sea was still calling
me he could get 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 seafaring ancestor: my
illness. not cause. but q result: Nc
Whittier. filing prescriptions behind
the glass screen Of pharmacy, and 6t'
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. IL. when hell seemed loose on
painted sea.
The Ella had been 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 sailing
ships and the substitution OF steamers
in the coasting trade. left the Ella.
with others, out Of commission. She
was still seaworthy. rather fast, a.
such vessels 60. and steady. Marshall
Turner. the oldest son Of old Elias
Turner. the founder Of the business,
bought It In at . nominal sum. with
the intention Of using It a. a private
yacht. and. since 1t was 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 tho 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 a wealthy man,
but he equipped his new pleasure boat
very modestly. Az 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
precaution 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 its old po-
sition behind the after house. the
steersman standing on raised iron
grating above the wash Of the deck