Evening star., 1921-05-01
~ ODGING in from the rain
swept street. I exchanged a
smile and a glance with Miss

Blank must be something over olAts
now. How time passes.
Miss Blank was good enough to say.
encouragingly:
only Mr.. Jermyn and Mr.. Stonor
in the parlor. with another gentleman
I've never seen before.
moved toward the parlor door.
voice discoursing on the other side
rose so loudly that the concluding
words became quite plain in all their
atrocity.
THAT fellow wilmot fairly dashed
her brains out, and a good job. too:
This inhuman sentiment failed to do
as much as to check the slight yawn
Miss Blank was achieving behind her
hand.
AS opened the parior door the
same voice went on in the same cruel
strain:
Il was glad when l heard she got
the knock from somebody at last.
Sorry enough for poor Wilmot, though
That man and I used to be chums at
one time OF course, that was the
end Of him. A clear case il there
ever was one. No way out OF it
None a, ALL"
The voice belonged to the gentle
fore.
II was glad of it," he repeated EN-
phaticaily. You may be surprised at
it. but then you haven't gone through
the experience I've had of her. OF
course, got of scott free myself-as
you can see. She did her best to
break up my pluck for me. though
She jolly near drove as fine fellow
as ever lived into a madhouse. What
do you say to that-eh?'
Not an eyelid twitched in Mr.. Ston-
or's enormous face. Monumental
The speaker looked straight into my
eyes.
1T used to make me sick to think
OF her going about the world murder
ing people"
i've seen her once" Jermyn de-
clared. with mournful indifference.
she had a house.
THE stranger in tweeds turned to
stare down at him surprised.
"She had three houses he corrected
authoritatively. But Jermyn was not
to be contradicted.
"she had a house. ! say" he repeat
ed with dismal obstinacy. "A great.
big. ugly. white thing. You could see
it from miles away-sticking up"
so you could" assented the other
readily. 1T was old Colchester's no.
tion. though he was always threaten
ing to give her up.
II overheard once young Mr.. Apse
himself say to Mrs. Colchester con-
ndentiaily: I assure you. Mrs. Col
chester. am beginning to feel quite
for herself. Oh says she, with her
deep little hoarse laugh. IL one took
notice Of all the silly talk and she
showed Apse all her ugly false teeth
at once. IT would take more than
that to make me lose my confidence
in her. assure you says she"
II beg your pardon" I interrupted.
exaspsrated. for he seemed to be ad-
dressing himself exclusively to me.
but who on earth have you been talk
i am talking Of ,he Apse Family"
he answered, eourteously. 80
nearly let out a damn at this. But
Just then the respected Miss Blank
put her head in. and said that the cab
was at the door. IL Mr.. Stonor wanted
to catch the 1903 up.
At once the senior pilot arose In his
mighty bulk and began to struggle
into his coat. with awe-inspiring up
heavsls. and squeezed himself through
Are you a sailor?" 1 asked the
stranger. who had gone back to his
position on the rug.
II used to be till a couple of years
this communicative Individual. II
even went to sea first in that very
ship we were speaking Of when you
came in
What ship" asked. I never heard
you mention a ship"
I've just told you her name. my dear
sir" he replied. The Apse Family
Surely you've heard Of the great Arm
OF Apse & Sons. shipowners They
had pretty big neet: There was the
Lury Apse. and the Harold Apse. and
Anne. John. Malcolm. Clara. Juliet,
and 50 on-no end of Apses.
This last one the Apse Family. was
TO be like the others. only she was to
be still stronger, still safer. still more
roomy and comfortable. Everything
or the employ was to command her.
and they planned the accommodation
Tor him like house on shore under a
big tall noop that went nearly to the
mainnast No wonder Mrs Colchester
wouldn't let the old man give her up
why: II was the best home she ever
had in all her married days She had
nerve. that woman
The fuss that was made while that
ship was building. Let's have this a
little stronger. and that a little hesy-
Ter; and hadn't that other thing bet
ter be changed for something 4 little
thicker. There she was growing
into the clumsiest. heaviest ship Of
hsr size right before all their eyes.
without anybody getting aware OF
II somehow. She was to be 1000 tons
register, or a little over: no less on
any account. But when they came to
measure her she turned out 1899 tons
and fraction. General consterna-
tion. And they say old Mr. Apse was
80 annoyed when they told him, that
he took to his bed and died. The old
gentleman had retired from the nrm
twenty-five years before. and was
q a -
death wasn't, perhaps, SO surprising
sthl Ar. Lucian Apse was convinced
. that his father would have lived TO a
hundred So we may put him at the
head of the list. Next comes the poor
devil of a shipwright that brute
,cauSh, and squashed as she went of
the ways. She snapped all her checks
like packthresd. and went for the
tugs in attendance like a fury. Before
anybody could see what she was up
tom. and laid up another for three
months repairs. One OF her cables
parted. and then, suddenly-you
couldn't tell why-she let herself be
brought up with the other as quiet
as lamb.
That's how she was. You could
never be sure what she would be up
TO next She was wicked beast. Or.
perhaps she WAS only just insane.
"Eh. Why not? Why couldn't there
pe something IN Ncf DuilC. IN the
lines corresponding to-whats mad :
ness? Only something just a tiny bit
wrong in the make OF your brain.
Why shouldn't there be a mad ship
] mean mad in ship-like way.
There are ships that steer wildly. and
ships that can't be quite trusted al
ways to stay: others want careful
watching when running in a gale
and again, there may be a ship that
will make heavy weather of it in
every little blow. But then you ex-