The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-13
AReturn From
Oblivion
BY WILLIAM CHANDLER

~ 10 nOt al an(OL1hApn ONNaAAChNC
for two youngsters who are chums to
agree that If possible the one who dies
first will appear In the spirit to the
other. l don't think such agreements
are as apt to be made now as formerly.
for belief in the temperance Of those
who have died is not what It was
when l was young. Scientists have
taken up the matter. but the laity don't
feel much interest In it.
made one OF these agreements with
Dick Anterior when we were eighteen
years old Dick became a sailor. and
on one Of his voyages the vessel he
sailed in was wrecked. and all on
board were lost. At any rate, II any
Of them escaped death he was never
heard from. took to the water, too,
but not In the same line as Dick. I
began on river work and eventually
came to own and run steamer that
usually laid up in winter. -but ran
as an excursion boat In summer.
One season had contracted to take
party of excursionists out of Boston
harbor around Cape Ann. For several
days before our sailing everything
went wrong. The government lnspec-
tor took 1t into his head to find fault
with lot Of things which he required
/, me to improve, and knew that II /
didn't attend TO them myself wouldn't
be ready to keep my contract for the
1 hot
got no sleep for two nights and a
day before we left Boston.
had several hundred persons aboard
, and, rounding Cape Ann, preferred to
rely on myself rather than on any one
i. else. | was passing Thatcher's light
, when began to feel so drowsy that
feared to fall asleep, notwithstanding
the fact that the lives of so many hui
: man beings were dependent on my
! keeping awake. l was tired, too, and
: when had clear course ahead Of me
: l sat down on the seat behind the
! weeel, reaching forward to take II
: whenever required. This should moi
! have done. A man may go to sleep on
:. his feet. He is much more liable to dc
- so Wn1le sitting.
Slumber got me, though. at last.
y. I must have slept quite awhile. Sud
denly awoke, frightened out OF my
:. wits, for knew what 1t was to go t
sleep at the wheel. There was a mar
" standing between me and It, turning 1
rapidly. Whether he was really haz,
= or not couldn't say. He certainly
!. looked 80 through my sleepy eyes.
tried to wake myself enough to get vi
!. and take the wheel from him. Blu
!. somehow. considering that he wa
y, !, there. couldn't do 1t.
" go to sleep. Tom" he said. Your
not in at condition for a pilot"
!. Whether | was not entirely awake
W whether / was dreaming, couldn
make out, but the voice was certainl
Dick Atherton's. Then dreamed ths
- said to him:
'i' "Dick, have you come back to kee
80 your promise when we were younl
"a sters?"
:" "I've come back to keep you frol
running full Roadway against Foil
= point" was the reply.
10 l have said that dreamed this, b.
" cause that's the way 1t seemed to m
ls What II really was might be anoth'
matter
woke up again later, looked ahea
No and saw that there was clear sailin
~. Thompson. one of my steersmen, Wi
nu at the wheel.
Great heavens!' l exclaimed. "Cs
It be that I've been asleepf"
Reckon you have. SIR"
Oh "How long have you been at Il
nK wheelf"
no about ten minutes. happened
Ieo look ahead. and the boat was headiI
ria for Folly point. | ran up here to s.
len what was up and found you asle'
oil, and a man at the wheel who W
es, sheefing of. He gave me the whe
lid and left the pilothouse"
I'M "a manT"
las Eyes, sir, he was a man. Why
ms you think he was anything elseT"
boz "What did he look likeT'
ain 81 didn't notice him very particuls
ed, ~. was too much upset by the nj
is row escape. But | remember that
lay hair was red
as Dick Atherton's hair was red. VIII
Vic he was boy we called him Reddy.
the So Mortified was | at my narrow I
Ter cape from sacrificing boatload Of {
oda curslonists that had scarcely time
the wonder about Atherton or his gho
hat I asked Thompson II he felt sure
could attend to the wheel safely, a
when he replied that he could | Il
him | would go below and rest
.op. for was completely knocked out
mn. what had occurred. Leaving the pill
mi. house, l walked aft through the cro'
usa of excursionists-they were ignore
-. of the frightful doom they had escap
-. and was about to go down the ste
~. companionway when felt a hand
IT, my shoulder. Turning. there ste
Dick Atherton. He was ten years o
- err than when had last seen him.
recognized him at once. He y
looking mighty serious. Putting a
ger to his lips, he said: Don't
broken up over 1t, old man. ONLY
and the man who relieved me at
wheel know about It"
sn Dick then briefly explained. He
ma escaped the wreck OF his vessel 6
'aru spent a year in the east. mostly Jap
Returning. he had seen an advert
" ment OF the excursion ON my boat,
name being mentioned as masters
Ior had come aboard without making b
!. - self known and had gone up to