The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-05-24
AReturn From
Oblivion
BY WILLIAM CHANDLER

are as apt TO be made now as formerly
for belief in the temperance Of thos,
who have died is not what il wa,
when l was young. Scientists hav,
taken up the matter. but the laity dom
feel much interest in it.
l made one of these agreements wifi
Dick Atherton when we were eiahteer
years old. Dick became a sailor. and
on one of his voyages the vessel ht
sailed in was wrecked, and all OF
board were lost. At any rate, il any
OF them escaped death he was never
heard from. | took to the water. too
but not in the same line as Dick
began on river work and eventually
came to own and run n steamer that
! usually laid up in winter. but ran
as an excursion boat in summer.
One season l had contracted to take
a party of excursionists out of Boston
harbor around Cape Ann. For several
days before our sailing everything
went wrong The government inspec.
tor took it into his head to find fault
with lot of things which he required
me TO improve. and | knew that If
didn't attend to them myself wouldn't
he ready to keep my contract for the
excursion. The consequence was that
got no sleep for two nights and a
day before we left Boston.
| had several hundred persons aboard
ana. rounding Cape Ann. preferred "a
rely on myself rather than on any one
else, | was passing Thatcher's light
when | began TO feel so drowsy that
reared to fall asleep, Notwithstanding
the fact that the lives of so many hu
man beings were dependent on nv
Keeping awake. ! was tired, too. and
when ! had clear course ahead OF me
sat down on the seat behind the
ws'el. reaching forward to take II
whenever required. This should not
have done. \ man may go to sleep ON
his feet. lie is much more liable to do
so while sitting.
Slhmhcr -, me, though. at last
must have slept quite awhile. Sud
denly | awoke, frightened out of my
wits, for knew what 1t was to 20 to
sleep ut the wheel. There was n man
standing between me and 1t, turning il
rapidly. Whether he was really hazy
or not | couldn't say He certainly
looked so through my sleepy eyes
tried TO wake myself enough TO get I'M
and take the wheel from him. but
somehow, considering that he was
there. couldn't do it,
60 to sleep. Tom" he said. You're
not In fit condition for pilot"
whether was not entirely awake,
whether | was dreaming. couldn't
make out, but the voice was certainly
Dick Atherton's. Then dreamed that
! said to him:
"Dick, have you come back to keep
your promise when we were young
stersT
i've come back to keep you from
running full Roadway against Folly
+! point" was the reply.
l have said that | dreamed this. he
cause that's the way 1t seemed to me-
What 1t really was might be another
matter.
| woke up again later, looked ahead
| and saw that there was clear sailing.
Thompson, one of my steersmen, was
at the wheel
Great heavens" l exclaimed. Can
1t be that I've been asleep?"
Reckon you have sir"
"IIow long have you been at the
wheelT
About ten minutes. | happened to
look ahead, and the boat was heading
for Folly point. ! ran up here to see
what was up and found you asleep
and man at the wheel who was
sheering off. He gave me the wheel
and left the pilothouse"
"a mani"
Yes, sir, he was man. Why do
you think he was anything else?'
What did he look llke?"
Il didn't notice him very particular
~. | was too much upset by the mar
row escape. But remember that his
hair was red
Dick Atherton's hair was red. When
he was boy we called him Reddy.
So Mortified was at my narrow es-
cape from sacrificing a boatload Of ex-
curslonists that / had scarcely time to
wonder about Atherton or his ghost.
! asked Thompson If he felt sure he
could attend to the wheel safely, and
when he replied that he could told
him | would go below and rest a bit.
for | was completely knocked out by
what had occurred. Leaving the DiIot
house, ! walked aft through the crowd
of excursionists-they were ignorant
Of the frightful doom they had escaped
and was about to 90 down the stern
cOmpanlonway when | felt hand on
my shoulder Turning. there stood
Dick Atherton. lie was ten years old.
er than when | had last seen him, but
/ recognized him at once. He was
looking mighty serious. Putting a fin
ger TO his lips, he said: Don't get
broken up over 1t, old man. Only |
and the man who relieved me at the
wheel know about it,"
Dick then briefly explained. He had
escaped the wreck of his vessel and
spent a year in the east, mostly japan.
Returning, he had seen an advertise
ment of the excursion on my boat. my
name being mentioned as master. He
had come aboard without making him
self known and had gone up to the
pilothouse to SURPRISE me, but instead
1t was | who had surprised him.