Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1929-06-27
COUNT
LUCK ER.
il II II SEA DEV"
....: s;:v s::.:. c.. ~ by n"ws..

petre destined for French powder
mills, and Il saving of hundreds. per
haps thousands of German lives
One Sunday morning, we sighted
large British haraue and started after
her. Size thought we were playfuly
challenging her to II race, md tried 10
run uwny. don't know whether we
could have caught her In straight
! sailing ship ngansT sailing slip con
test: al any rute. our motor gave Us
the edge.
strnnge feeling came over me as
we gained oh hpI and us her Tines
became mure distinct. Il WIS sense
OF sadness and of vague. dimly dawn
| Ing recollection. Had | seen hui ship
| heforei Was II possible
.Slgnnl and ask her for her name"
! called
Our signal flae went aloft. The re
| ply came hnck
.pnmure"
Ali. my old pnmore, on which
| nAt itfdI1 tfG itIHtSi anu iUpsi mar
rowing voyage OF my life. Memories
| swept over me Of those endless storms
| and Of the disease on board heri-berl
| scurvy. My whole being seemed ca
| leap back 10 the days Of my youth
| inconsistencies seized me- | could moi
say word to Leudemann. who stood
! beside me.
Nc use, the ship must be sunk"
harsh Inner voice told me.
1t was hard for me TO sink any sail
Ing vessel but duubly cruel to have 10
! sink my old ship fell as Though
she were a Kind mother. No sailor
with any Kind Of sailors soul In MIN
will raise hand against his own ship
We took her as we had tnken the
others. When her crew came nbuurd
looked for familiar faces. There
were none. The skipper. Captain Mu
len. came up 10 Inc with humorous.
Seamanly air."
"Wel. Captain. our hard luck is
your good luck"
Lucky | fell like saying. do
you call this lucky?"
He was typical old seaman, afraid
neither OF enemy In war nor storms al
sea. The seven sens had been bis
home. Like The suiling ship the old.
time windjammer captain is vanishing
Captain Mullen was indeed like the
king of vanishing race. He staggered
down below, and saluted our other
shippers with jnvial air. He soon
became the leading figure of the cap
| tains club"
When every one had left the Pin
more, had boat take me over 10
her. | clumbered aboard and sent the
boat and Its crew back. telling them
| would give them d hail when
wanted them again.
why does the Count want TO re
main alone aboard herr heard one
Of them say.
went 70 the fo'c'sIe. There was
| my bunk, the stsme old bunk where !
had slept night after night for months
and had stumbled Out countless times
at the command "aIl hands on deck"
while those endless storms bore down
upon u.s. ] paced the planks on deck
where had stood watch so often.
1t seemed as though / had never
!, seen that deck save in storm. Those
gales had left so deep an imprint on
my memory ttnt 1t gave me q sense
of strangeness 40fo see the sun shining
on the pinHures blanks and slowly
heaying sen around.
remembered cunning little cat /
had once owned on board her. The
captains wife wanted Ii. The steward
got Ii for her. ! told the steward that
II he did not bring II buck to me /
would 20 to the captain. The steward
iaughed at me. | determined to com
plain 10 the captain about the steward
and his wife and demand my cat back
| could see myself as had wrathfully
strobe along the deck 10 the cabin
The sight of the door made me stop
| mustered up my courage and nd
vanced again. yenfured just far
enough 10 peep In al the door, which
was aiar. The skipper was sitting
there reading puper. One glimpse
If the master. and all OF Phelay Lue-
dlges bravery oozed away. He turned
and tiptoed away. never did gel
my cal back, and forever after held
grudge against the steward.
| could still feel the old eninity. II
could have found that steward.
would have let him know how the
end OF rope felt went to the cabin
and half opened the door. II was
| - =. !. ...s.-.. 4