The Palatka news and advertiser., 1916-05-12
ASuccessful
Clew
By SARAH BAXTER

| -Ai cNS,lii SlIuliltl was SOlIS W DlcCes
Oh the eastern coast of Canada. She
had struck during a storm and too fal
out for line to be shot to her by the
men of the life saving station And
now that the storm was abating and
there was possibility of Il boat reach
ing her it was too late. Persons were
struggling in the water, but few were
reaching the shore. The life savers sue.
ceeded, after number of futile at
tempts, in launching a boat and max
ing a trip toward the wreck and at
last brought back several persons,
among whom was a little boy about
five years old, who had been secured
to an improvised raft.
The child's identity was never dis.
covered. He was adopted by a family
of country people living on the coast,
and when eighteen years old shipped
Oh a steamer as deckhand. But he had
some education, and it was not long
before he was made subordinate Off
Ger. The steamer on which he was
wrecked was called the Alexander
Hamilton, and the boy took this for
his name. He knew nothing Of the
great statesman of that name, there
fore his act was not immodest.
1t was evident from young Hamil
tons personality that he was child Of
aris .ocratic lineage. Those who knew
how he had been picked up from the
wreck wondered why those connected
with him by blood had not found him.
Before going to sea he had been ad-
vised to hunt up his origin, but more
than dozen years had elapsed since
he had been brought ashore, and he
knew not where to begin.
The young mans idea Of going to
sea was that he hoped for an oppor-
tunity to visit points Of interest in
different countries. When he drew his
pay he would invariably use 1t for this
purpose. During a voyage his ship re-
NAMED some time at Tangier, opposite
Gibraltar, unloading and taking In
Arab goods. Hamilton obtained leave
to visit Seville in Spain. Having ar
tistic tastes, he visited gallery con-
tanning some pictures, works Of the
old masters. Stopping before Ma
donna and child by Murillo, he stood
looking at 1t. feeling growing up
within him that he had seen 1t before.
Presently he felt assured that he had
not only seen 1t, but that it had been
very near to him. The face of the
Madonna was associated in his mind
with some loved memory.
at may be-" he said to himself, that
the picture is a key to my childhood"
If this were so it might be possible
for him to find the lock.
An object had come to the young
man. The circumstances attending his
having been taken by shipwreck from
his natural surroundings had cast
gloom over him. Now he frightened
up and resolved that he would follow
the clew on detective principles and
never give up the search so long as
there was a ray Of hope. Sitting on a
bench before the picture, he gave him
self up to a mental investigation. This
was the result: Either his parents had
brought him to Seville, where he had |
seen the picture, or he had somewhere |
seen copy of 1t.
He went to every hotel in the city,
got permission to look at the records
previous to the time Of the shipwreck
and asked every landlord whether he
hearing of any one who
had been at his house being lost on
the steamer from which he had been
saved. But this investigation led to
no result
He next turned his attention to the
matter of any copy that might have
been made of the picture. After much
questioning he found that but one copy
had ever been made and that was for
l bishop of the Roman Catholic church.
Hamilton discovered who the bishop
was and went to the episcopal palace
The bishop was dead, but priest told
he searcher that the copy was intend
ID for a rich Englishman, who as
price for it gave large sum to the
'hurch-.