Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-05-20
CHAPTER I.

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There was a mysterious affair last
night, signore."
oh" l exclaimed. Anything that
interests us?"
Yes, ~signore,' replied the tall, thin
Italian consular clerk. speaking with
a strong accent. "An English steam
yacht ran aground on the Meloria
about ten miles out, and was discov-
cred by a fishing boat that brought
the news to harbor. The admiral sent
out two torpedo boats, which managed
after a lot of difficulty to bring in the
yacht safely. but the captain Of the
port has a suspicion that the crew
were trying to make away with the
vessel"
ITO lose her, you mean?"
francesca nodded.
Sounds curious" l remarked.
Since the consul went away on leave
things seem to have been humming-
two stabbing ARRAYS, eight drunken
=seamen locked up, a mutiny on a
tramp steamer, and o a yacht being
cast away-a fairly decent list! And
yet some stay-at-home people COM
plain that British consuls are only
paid to be ornamental! They should
spend a week here, at Leghorn, and
they'd soon alter their opinion"
Yes, they would, signore," respond
ed the thin-lipped old fellow with a
grin, as he twisted his fierce gray mus
tache. Franceso Carducci was a we'll
known character in Leghorn. An
honest, good-hearted, easy-going fell
low, who for twenty years had occu-
pied the same position under half a
dozen different consuls.
My old friend, Frank Hutcheson, his
Britannia majesty's vice-consul at the
port of Leghorn, was away on leave
in England, his duties being relegated
to young Bertram ~Cavendish, the pro-
consul. The latter, however, had gone
down with a bad touch of malaria, and
/, the only other Englishman in Leg
horn, had been asked by the consul
general in Florence to act as pro-con-
sui until Hutcheson's return.
1t was mid-July, and the weather
was blazing in the glaring sun
blanched Mediterranean town. If you
know Leghorn, you probably know
the consulate, a large, handsome suite
of huge, airy offices facing the cathe-
dral. The legend painted upon the
door. Office hours, 10 to g." gives
'one the idea of an easy appointment,
but such is certainly not the case, for
a consul's life at a port of discharge
must necessarily be a very active one.
Carducei had left me to the CORE
spondence for a half an hour or so,
when he re-entered, saying:
There is an English signore wait
ing to see you"
who is he?r
Il don't know him. He will give no
name, but wants to see the signore
console"
All right, show him in" | said lazi-
ly. and a few moments later a tall,
smartly-dressed. middle-aged English
man entered, and bowling, inquired
whether | was the British consul.
When he had seated himself | ex-
planned my position, whereupon he
said: 4 couldn't make much out of
your clerk. He speaks so brokenly,
and | don't know a word Of Italian.
But perhaps | ought to first introduce
myself. My name is Philip Horribly
and he handed me a card bearing the
name with the addresses "Woodcroft
Park, Somerset - Brooks" Then
he added: Il am cruising on board
my yacht, the Lola, and last night we
unfortunately went aground on the
Meloria. Very fortunately for us q
tishing-boat saw u plight and gave
the alarm at port. The admiral sent
out two torpedo-boats and a tug, anC
after about three hours they managed
to get us off"
And you are now in harbor?"
Yes. But the reason I've called i.
" DON yOu W w Lu6 d ldNOT anu WITH
me a letter Of thanks in Italian to thu
admiral. and one to the captain Of tn,
port-polite letters that | a cop,
and send to them. You know the KIM
of thing"
Certainly" | replied, the more in
terested In him on account Of the Gu
rious suspicion that the port author
ties seemed to entertain. He was evi
IDENTIFY a gentleman, and after | ha
been with him ten minutes | scoute
the idea that he had ~endeavored :
cast away the Lola.
! scrubbed the drafts OF two letters
Fortunately, | left my wife in Ems
land, or she would have been tel
ribly frightened" he remarked pre-,
emily. There was a nasty wind blow
ing all night. and the fool of a cal