The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1916-11-10


poop. and went below without her no
ticing. l hung In the wind SPELL
and then l made up my mind to speak
to her for fear I'd never get another
chance.
IL stepped right up and touched her
gently on the shoulder and says:
May
"She turned round quick and shot
q terrified glance ut me that went
through me like knife. My little
May. that made mud pies with. went
to school with and shaved three years
! for-was afraid of me. She seemed
! about to faint. | threw caution TO the
| dogs. stepped right up and put my arm
around her. She fought and struggled
with the senseless fear of "a shared
bird
May said |. why didn't you wait
for me? Why did you marry this mani
| know you are not happy with him;
he treats you like dog
"'Mr. Hargreaves. said the OF mans
voice right In my ear, i think the
weather braces will stan little pull.
"He spoke in a low. clear tone that
would have pierced armor plate.
have never been accounted timid
man. Andy. I've been through some
pretty narrow squeaks in my time.
suppose | have faced as big odds on
ships decks-in the night. too, when
you couldn't see what was coming
as most any man in the business, but
| caved then. and l wasn't afraid Of
him, either. Next day at dinner ! no
ticed a slight. reddish lump on her
forehead. l ratified my knife and fork
and gared at him. but he never looked
up. swear to you. Andy Thomas. II
I'd been sure he had hit her I'd have
throttled him across the table.
Neither Of US mentioned the sub
ject, but of course it was knives out
between Us after that She avoided
me more carefully than ever, though
tried to show her that wouldn't
bother her again. Poor little soul, she
had trouble enough without me bother
ing her. He was a cowardly hound
his treatment of his wife showed that
and he was scared to death Of the
almost as inflammable as gunpowder.
The cabin was full of it. He wouldn't
allow any lights below. so we had to
turn In like troopers horses. all stand
ing for there would be no chance to
dress when called out in. hurry. and
he was forever poking his nose in the
galley and warning the cook about the
fire. The longer we were out the more
nervous and fdgety, he got. We kept
the head pump rugged all the time and
the hose stretched along.
"She had two Old boats on the davits.
but they were warped with age and
neglect. so he bought couple of con-
demned metallic lifeboats in Charles.
ton that came out of captured block
ade runner-time O. the war-and hung
'em In davits on each quarter. They
were kept stocked with provisions and
water and the falls faxed down clear
for hurry call. Once he came on
deck in the night. yelling fire. and there
was the devil an all TO pay before the
Souwegian wrynecks got the boats
down. We nearly lost the biggest one
before we got ii hoisted again. and
then he swore he'd perfect them In
boat drill II he had to keep them on
deck night and day for the rest Of the
passage And he did too. He got them
so you could hardly speak to the man
at the wheel even without all hands
dropping everything and making
break for them davit tackle falls.
I'VE raised ST. Michaels. In the west.
eln islands. at bells In the forenoon
watch the day before Christmas. and
before went below to dinner made
n memorandum of it on the slate"
THAT was the famous last entry on
the log slate that was read by the
crew who picked her up. wasn't it, I
interrupted.
Yes. Andy. that was il. We had
the wind from the sou'west. the wealth
err becoming thick and rather squally.
! told the second mate for heavens
sake not To let her shake any Of her
rags off in the puffs. or the oil man
would go crazy. Then | went down to
dinner. We had finished the pea soup.
uhu WdS Sldu W Ut tudt ldT dfOHR,
for we were as GUM as the sole sur
vivors Of II cholera ship. Suddenly
there was a rumpus on deck. as though
all hands had gone crazy. and that
fool Of a second mate stuck his head
down the scuttle and hollered out
Fire.
1T seems the barefooted niger cook
had slipped up on the greasy brick
floor In the galley and capsized buck
ct of slush on the hot stove. or course
il hared up and made lot Of smoke.
but that's all there was to II. The
niger. being to windward of 1t. opened
the weather door 70 get out. and the
draft blew the smoke out the lee gal.
ley door In clouds The Of man hac
got all hands about as badly ratified as
himself, so when the second mate saw
the smoke and the watch below rush.
ing out Of the forecastle to see what
was up he opened bis bazoo. and the
mischief was done.
I'VE few on deck and the OIL man
went plumb crazy at once. He never
thought of the pump nor didn't ask
anybody about the FIRE. He just yelled
at the helmsman to put the wheel
hard down and called all hands to get
-