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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1899)
i I PHANTOM SHIP —OR— The Flying Dutchman. ^-BY CAPTAIN MARXYAT. ....•••it I. .1. .I..L J.X.L .1. I. L J. .1. .t. .1. .t. • t. +++ TTtTTTTTTTTtttttti CHAPTER XII.-(Continued.) “There are twenty men on (leek to tell the story,” replied the captain, “and the olct Catholic priest, to boot, for he stood by me the whole time I was on deck. The men said that some accident would happen; and in the morning watch, on sounding the well, we found four feet of water. We took to the pumps, but it gained upon us, and we went down, as I have told you. The mate says that the vessel is well known—it is called the Flying Dutch man.” Philip made no remarks at the time, but he was much pleased at what he had heard. "If,” thought he, “the Phantom Ship of my poor father ap pears to others as well as to me, and they are sufferers, my being on board can make no difference. I do but take my chance of falling in with her, and do not risk the lives of those who sail In the same vessel with me. Now my mind is relieved, and I can prosecute my search- with a quiet conscience." The next day Philip took an oppor tunity of making the acquaintance of the Catholic priest, who spoke Dutch and other languages as well as he did Portuguese. He was a venerablo old man, apparently about sixty years of age, with a white flowing beard, mild In his demeanor, and very pleasant in Ills conversation. When Philip kept his watch that night, the old man walked with him, and it was then, after a long conversa tion, that Philip confided to him that he was of the Catholic persuasion. “Indeed, my son, that is unusual in a Hollander." “It is so,” replied Philip; “nor is it, known on board—not that I am ashamed of my religion, but I wish to avoid discussion.” “You are prudent,' my son. Alas! if the reformed religion produces no bet ter fruit than what I have witnessed in the East, it is little better than idola try.” “Toll me, father,” said Philip—“they talk of a mysterious vision—of a ship not manned by mortal men. Did you see it?” “I saw what others saw,” replied the priest; “and certainly, as far as my senses would enable me to Judge, the appearance was most unusual—I may say supernatural; but I had heard or this Phantom Ship before, and more over that its appearance was the pre cursor of disaster.” The Batavia waited a few days at St. Helena, and then continued her voyage. In six weeks Philip again found himself at anchor in the Zuyder Zee, and having the captain's permis sion, he immediately set off for his own home, taking with him the old Portuguese priest Mathias, with whom he had formed a great intimacy, and to whom he had offered his protection for the time he might wish to remain in the Low Countries. Again he was united to his dear Amine. CHAPTER XIII. About three months later Amine anil Philip were seated upon the mossy bank which we have mentioned, and which had become their favorite re aort. Father Mathias had contracted a great intimacy with Father Seysen, and the two priests were almost as inseparable as were Philip and Amine. Having determined to wait a summons previous to Philip’s again entering upon his strange and fearful task, and, happy in the possession of each other, the subject was seldom revived: Philip, who had, on his return, ex pressed his wish to the directors of the company for immediate employment, had, since that period, taken no further steps, nor had any communication with Amsterdam. t All at once Philip felt something touch his shoulder, and a sudden chill ran through his frame. In a moment his ideas reverted to the probable cause; he turned round his head, and. to his amazement, beheld the (sup posed to be drowned) pilot of the Ter Schilling, the one-eyed Schriften. who stood behind him with a letter in his liand. The sudden appearance of this malignant wretch induced Philip to exclaim: •’Merciful Heavens! is It possible?” Amine, who had turned her head round at the exclamation of Philip, covered up her face, and burst into tears. It was not fear that caused this unusual emotion on her part, but the conviction that her husband was never to be at rest but in the grave. ■"Philip Vanderdecken," said Schrif ten, “he! he! I’ve a letter for you; it Is from the company.” “I thought,” said he, “that you were drowned when the ship was wrecked in False Bay. How did you escape?" “How did I escape?" replied Schrif ten. “Allow me to ask how did you escape?” “I was thrown up by the waves,” re plied Philip; “but—" “But,” interrupted Schriften, “he! lie! the waves ought not to have thrown me up.’1 “And why not, pray? I did not say that.” “No! bat I presume you wish it had been so; but, on the contrary, I escaped in the same way that you did— I was thrown up by the wave.s; he! he! but I can’t wait here. I have done my bidding.” "Stop.” replied Philip; ‘‘answer me one question. Do you sail in the same vessel with me this time?” “I'd rather be excused,” replied Sohriften; “I am not looking for the Phantom Ship, Mynheer Vander deckcn;” and with this reply, the lit tle man turned round and went away at a rapid pace. “Is not this a summons, Amine?” said Philip, after a pause, still holding the letter in his hand, with the seal unbroken. “I will not deny It, dearest Philip. It is most surely so; the hateful mes senger appears to have risen from the grave that he might deliver it. For give me, Philip; but I was taken by surprise. I will not again annoy you with a woman’s weakness.” “My poor Amine,” replied Philip, mournfully. “Alas! why did I not per form my pilgrimage alone? It was selfish of me to link you with so much wretchedness, and join you with me in bearing the fardel of never-ending anxiety and suspense.” “And who should bear it with you, my dearest Philip, if it is not the wife of your bosom? You little know my heart if you think I shrink from the duty. No, Philip, it i3 a pleasure, even in its most acute pangs; for I consider that I am, by partaking with, relieving you of a portion of your sorrow, and I feel proud that I am the wife of one who has been selected to be so pe culiarly fried. But, dearest, no more of this. You must road the letter.” Philip did not answer. He broke the seal, and found that the letter in timated to him that he was appointed as first mate to the Vrow Katerina, a vessel which sailed with the next fleet; and requesting he would join as quick ly as possible, as she would soon be ready to receive her cargo. The let ter. which was from the secretary, further informed him that, after this voyage, he might be certain of having the command of a vessel as captain, upon conditions which would be ex plained when he called upon the board. “I thought, Philip, that you had re quested the command of a vessel for this voyage,” observed Amine, mourn fully. “I did,” replied Philip, “but not hav ing followed up my application, it ap pears not to have been attended to. It has been my own fault.” “And now it is too late.” "Yes, dearest, most assuredly so; but it matters not; I would as willingly, perhaps rather, sail this voyage as first mate.” “Philip, I may as well speak now. That I am disappointed, I must con fess: I fully expected that you would have had the command of a vessel, and you may remember that I exacted a promise from you on this ver/ bank upon which we now sit. That promise I shall still exact, and I now tell you what I had Intended to ask. It was, my dear Philip, permission to sail with you. With you I care for nothing. I can be happy under every privation or danger; but to be left alone for so long, brooding over my painful thoughts, de voured by suspense, impatient, restless and incapable of applying to any one thing—that, dear Philip, is the height of misery, and that is what I feel when you are absent. Recollect, I have your promise, Philip. As captain you have the means of receiving your wife on board. I am bitterly disappointed in being left this time; do, therefore, to a certain degree console me by promis ing that I shall sail with you next voy age, if Heaven permit your return.” “I promise it, Amine, since you are so earnest. I can refuse you nothing; but I have a foreboding that yours and my happiness will be wrecked for ever. 1 am not a visionary, but it does appear to me that strangely mixed up as I am, at once with this world and the next, some little portion of futurity is opened to me. I have given my promise. Amine, but from it I would fain be released,” “And if ill do come, Philip, it is our destiny. Who can avert fate?” “Amine, we are free agents, and to a certain extent are permitted to direct our own destinies.” "Ay. so would Father Seysen fain have made me believe; but what he said In support of his assertion was to me incomprehensible. And yet he said that it was part of the Catholic faith. It may be so—I am unable to under stand many other points. I wish your faith were made more simple. As yet the good man—for good he really is— has only led me into doubt.” “Passing through doubt, you will ar rive at conviction. Amine." “Perhaps so," replied Amine; “but it appears to me that I am as yet but on the outset of my journey. But come, Philip, let us return. You must go to Amsterdam, and I will go with you. After your labors of the day, at least until you sail, your Amine’s smiles must still enliven you. Is it not so?” "Yes, dearest, I would have proposed it. I wonder much how Schriften could come here. I did not see his body, it is certain; but his escape is to me miraculous. Why did he not ap pear when saved? where could he have been? What thick you. Amine?” ‘‘What I have long thought, Philip, lie is a ghoul with an evil eye, permit ted for some cause to walk the earth In human form, and is certainly, in some way, connected with your strange destiny. If it requires anything to convince me of the truth of all that has passed, it is his appearance—th: wretched Afrit! Oh, that I had my mother’s powers—but I forget, it dis pleases you, Philip, that I ever talk of such things, and I am silent." Philip replied not; and, absorbed in their own meditations, they walked back in silence to the cottage. Al though Phi”r> had made up his own mind, he immediately sent the Portu guese priest to summon Father Sey sen, that he might communicate with them and take their opinion as to the summons he had received. Having entered into a fresh detail of the sup posed death of Schrlften, and his re appearance as a messenger, he then left the two priests to consult together, and went upstairs to Amine. It was more than two hours before Philip was called down, and Father Seysen ap peared to be in a state of great per plexity. CHAPTER XIV. “My son,” said he, “we are much perplexed. We had hoped that our ideas upon this strange communica tion were correct, and that, allowing ail that you have obtained from your mother and have seen yourself to have been no deception, still that it was the work of the Evil One, and, if so, our prayers and masses would have de stroyed this power. We advised you to wait another summons, and you have received it. The letter itself is of course nothing, but the reappear ance of the bearer of the letter is the question to be considered. Tell me, Philip, what is your opinion on this point? It is possible he might have been saved—why not as well as your self?” “I acknowledged the possibility, father,” replied Philip; “he may have been cast on shore and have wandered in another direction, it is possible, al though anything but probable; but since you ask me my opinion, I must say candidly that I consider he is no earthly messenger; nay, I am sure of it. That he is mysteriously connected with my destiny is certain. But who he is and what lie is, of couse I can not tell.” “Then, my son, we have come to the determination, in this instance, not to advise. You must act now upon your own responsibility and your own judg ment. In what way soever you may decide, we shall not blame you. Our prayers shall be that Heaven may still have you in its holy keeping.” “My decision, holy father, is to obey the summons.” “Bo it so, my son; something may occur which may assist to work out the mystery—a mystery which I ac knowledge to be beyond my compre hension, and of too painful a nature for me to dwell upon.” Philip said no more, for he per ceived that the priest was not at all in clined to converse. Father Mathias took this opportunity of thanking Philip for his hospitality and kindness, and stated his intention of returning to Lisbon by the first opportunity that might offer. (To be continued.) Htmuge Underground Chapel. Prayer meetings are often held in the underground galleries of Great Brit ain's colliery districts, but there is probably only one mine where an apartment has been excavated and set aside exclusively as a place of worship. This strange sanctuary is to be found in the Myndd Newydd Colliery, about three miles out of the town of Swan sea. The underground chapel dates back for more than half a century, and every morning since its inauguration the workers in the colliery have as sembled together in this remarkable and novel edifice to worship God. The chapel is situated close to the bottom of the shaft so that the miners, on de scending the pit, can go to worship before they proceed to their various stations. The apartment is strangely lacking in ornamentation and adorn ment. The pillars and the beams which support the roof are of rough wood, and a disused coal trolley turned on end, does duty as a pulpit. The only light in the sanctuary is given by a Davy safety lamp hung by a rope from the ceiling. The miners sit upon rough wooden forms placed across the chapel from side to side, and the oldest workman at the colliery performs the duties of pastor. He reads a chapter from the Bible, and then offers up a prayer, asking God to be with the men in their daily labors. The service generally concludes with some grand old Welsh hymn, sung heartily by all the worshipers, with out instrumental aid. The Bible, from which the daily portion is read, is kept especially for chapel use. and is place t during the day in a covered box fixed inside the upturned trolley. Moaning: at a Wedding. A mountain wedding took place near Uatesville, Va.. a few days ago. when Miss Estelle Clemmons became Mrs. Ben Luthers. About 100 guests were present. A rejected suitor of Miss Clemmons was among the guests and he wore a broad band of crape on his | arm. During the ceremony the jilted I raan and his sympathizers expressed their sense of bereavement by low, sorrowful moaning. It sometimes happens when a pretty girl poses before the mirror that she believes she can never love another. THE SHARE OF LABOR, PROSPERITY HAS REACHED THE WORKING PEOPLE. Industrial Establishment* Announce In creases or Wages That Will Affect \t< n' 3S0.00U Mechanics and Artisans —Other Advances Sure to Follow. The advance of wages announced in the current issue of the American Economist is a natural development of the conditions of returning pros perity which set in directly upon the inauguration of President McKinley two years ago. Following the enact ment of the Dingley tarifT came a marked revival of business activity, which at the close of 1898 had in many ways passed the high-water mark of 1892, the year in which the benefits of the McKinley tariff were at their zenith. The first quarter of 1899 has witnessed a continuation and in crease of “good times”—Dingley tarifT times—and a new set of the commer cial record^ indicative of exceptional prosperity have been established. Now come3 the wage-earner’s period of prosperity. He has not been with out some share in the bettered condi tion of things, for, even though his wages were not largely increased, he was the gainer by increased and cer tain employment. So long ago as March, 1898, as shown by the indus trial census of the American Protective Tariff league, a vast Increase had taken place In the gross sum of money disbursed among work people, as compared with the month of March, 1895, when the disastrous tariff tinker ing of a free-trade administration had begun its deadly work upon American labor and Industry. It will he recalled that this census, reporting compara tive conditions in nearly 2,500 labor employing establishments, showed for March, 1898, eight months after the passage of the Dingley law, a gain of 31.65 per cent in the number of hands employed, a gain of 44.05 per cent in the gross sum of wages paid and a gain of 11.56 per cent in the average wage rate per capita. These gains, important and signifi cant though they were, had not at that time reached the more populous centers of employment, the large av erage being helped by exceptional in creases in regions of smaller popula tion. For example, phenomenal gains were shown In the states of the Pa cific coast, the far West, the middle West, and the Northwest. Longer time was needed to bring about a general advance in the heavy producing dis tricts of the middle and eastern states. Enormous overstocks of foreign goods brought in just prior to the higher du ties of the Dingley tariff had depressed home production in many important lines, and until these stocks had been absorbed by consumption the “lean” period must perforce continue. The advent of the “fat” period so confidently anticipated as the natural outcome of the policy of protection is obviously at hand. The reports print ed in the current issue of the Amer ican Economist show a general ad vance in earnings of cotton mill op eratives of about 10 per cent, of iron and steel workers generally 10 per cent, in tin plate and sheet workers from 5 to 10 per cent, of coal miners about 10 per cent, and In several other departments of labor fully 10 per cent. The Reports thus far indicate that nearly 250,000 workers have been af fected by the advance in wages. Other establishments which were forced to reduce wages in times of free-trade tariff depression and which are now experiencing the benefits of revived ac tivity are certain to join in the in crease of wages. There is in the situation, as it ex ists today, and as it promises to de velop from this time, a guarantee of good business for the entire country. As is well remarked by Dun’s Review of March 11: “Traders and manufacturers can only sell when wage-earners can buy, and in proportion to their buying pow er. * * * Those who fail to com prehend what such a change may mean have only to consider that a tenth in crease In the wages of all labor would put into the markets a new buying demand, in amount about three-quar ters of the entire value of exports to all countries.” Protection is keeping its word with the American workingman. The Ding ley tariff is carrying out its contract to revive business and increase wages. The “advance agent of prosperity” proves to have been acting with knowl edge and authority. The fulfillment is in a fair way to make good the fore cast, and more, too. WHO WOULD WIN* Will Irm Trader* Dare to Make the Tariff an leane In 1900? .During the last presidential cam paign, when so strong an effort was made by many to make the currency question the test Issue of the cam paign, we pointed out, without enter ing into the merits of the currency question in any way, that the real is sue was still the old question of pro tection or free trade, and we drew at tention to the fact that u«der the Mc Kinley law and under the protective tariff law in force previous to the en actment of that law, our financial pol icy had been the same as that which then existed in conjunction with the free-trade Wilson-Gorman law, yet that the country had enjoyed immeas urable prosperity. The present admin istration has left our financial policy untouched, but it has repealed the odious industry-destroying Wilson Gorman law and substituted in its place the Dingley law, which is based on the American policy of giving pro tection to American industries and to American labor. I Vnder this policy the country has sprung back again to its old unrivaled prosperity. There has been no lack of money In the country ever since Amer ican factories have been reopened and American workmen have been again employed at good wages. There have been no bank failures because of an “unelaetic currency” since American products have supplied the Amer ican market and have gone out to the markets of the world, thus roll ing up a big balance of trade in our favor. Surely it has been proved to the satisfaction of all in the country that a change in our financial system was not a necessary preliminary to the return of prosperity. Whether or not any change in our financial system is desirable, or, if any, what change is desirable, we do not attempt to say; but we do hold that it has been proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that while pros perity Is possible without any change in our financial system, prosperity is impossible without a protective tariff. An Active Propaganda. Referring to the recent bulletin of the Massachusetts bureau of labor sta tistics, which shows a marked advance in the rate of wages for 1898 paid in Boston and in twelve other cities of the United States as compared with the wage rate of 1870, and which draws a contrast between the American affSl British standard of living, the Des Moines Register remarks: “Knowing all of these things, it is strange how an American laborer can be induced to vote for free trade.” And yet the entire fraternity of free trade editors and writers were never more insistent than now upon what they characterize as the evils of pro tection and the blessings of unrestrict ed competition alike in labor, in the products of labor, and in the kind of money that labor shall be paid. If the American laborer shall refuse to re peat the horrible mistake of 1892, it will not be because the lessons of that mistake remain fresh in his mind to the exclusion of the senseless sophis tries of free-trade advocates. It will not be for lack of strenuous efforts on the part of these false guides to lead him into another political pitfall. Two View* of the Same Subject. V ' Free-traders are tickled because they imagine that the abandonment of pro tection was foreshadowed by President McKinley in his Boston speech, when he said: “We have quit discussing the tariff and have turned our attention to getting trade wherever it can be found.” ProtectiSnists are pleased because they know precisely what President McKinley meant when he said in his Boston speech: “It will be a long time before any change can be had or any change desired in our fiscal policy, ex cept to strengthen it. The differences on this question which existed have disappeared. We have turned from academic theories to trade conditions, and are seeking our share of the world's markets.’’ Achievement of Protection. A prominent manufacturer in a re cent speech said: “The United States is no longer in the world’s market—the whole world is now our salesroom.” Every one who has even glanced at the figures of our foreign trade for 1898 and for the first month of 1899, and who has noticed, as every one must have noticed, the comparative extent of our import and our export trade, must feel the truth of this remark. And recog nizing its truth, they must surely ad mit, if not blinded by prejudice, that the protective tariff policy has been justified by its fruits. The remark quoted above puts in a nutshell the achievements of protection. Through it we have secured to the American producer the American market, the best market in the world; we have given employment to American labor; we have developed our home indus tries and have cheapened the cost of production until now we can, in a large and constantly growing number of cases, undersell all competitors and are in a fair way to capture the mar kets of the world. Needs Investigation. Whether the bounty system is the best way to bring about the desirable results of American shipbuilding ex pansion is too deep a question to be answered right off It is a subject that will bear thoughtful investigation.— Wiimineton tDel 1 Harald. SAD AND COMICAL. Woei of Tr#a Trad* ArUtoerata Da* came of the Personal Baggage lam One of the saddest sights ever wit nessed in New England is that of the fallen nether Jaw of the free trader as he reads or listens to the reports of a general raise of wages among the east ern cotton mills, and especially when times under the Dingley tariff are con trasted with the awful depression un der that unalloyed swindle rightly called the Robber Wilson bill, because It robbed at least one million wage earners of their Jobs. The comical side of the picture is when the fallen Jaw begins to oscillate in the attempt to say that, while It is true Dingley protection has brought back the pros perity which the Wilson bill drove away, we should kick out protection which ha3 accomplished this glorious work, and usher in the wage-earner and business man’s enemy, free trade. Again the free trader’s nether Jaw sags pathetically when reminded of the fact that under the Wilson tariff peo ple lost faith in our government’s financial ability, and millions on mil lions of greenbacks were rushed in and gold demanded therefor, while under protection people's confidence in Uncle Sam is complete, and instead of de manding gold, business men and banks petition for greenbacks in lieu of gold. But perhaps the most touching phase of protection is the fact that under the Dingley tariff those men and women of vast wealth who annually spend one hundred million dollars in Europe are compelled to pay duty on the costly fabrics they bring back from abroad, Just as we common people. Including wage-earners, are compelled to pay. And the howls and wails of free trad ers attain great altitudes, ascending as a testimony against the injustice of treating millionaires precisely as we would wage earners. Tariffs, virtually pleads the free trader, should be form ulated to furnish dudes, professors and the fat-salaried with cheap foreign fab rics, regardless of how many mills are shut down or how many wage earners are deprived of Jobs. We are pained to state, however, that the unfortunate free trader receives little sympathy among Americans in 1899. On the contrary, the people lack interest in the revival of the carcass of free trade, preferring its speedy burial. And we fear that the mournful obsequies would generate few tears save from anti-Americans who, like the managers of such papers as the New York Evening Post, oppose American prosperity, which is but another name for work for everybody and everybody at work. T* > British Profits on American Prod acts. Lord Charles Beresford, In the course of an Interview held with him during his recent visit to this country, is represented to have said: “The trade or commerce of England affects the whole world. The extent is very hard to determine, because we trade with and carry not only our own manufactures and the colonies’ prod ucts, but those of other nations. For example, we buy your cotton and carry it in our bottoms to China, where we sell it. Our merchants make the prof its, whereas America counts the sales in her exports of cotton.” While the facts will not bear Lord! Beresford out in his easy assumption that the British shipowners make all the profits on American export sales through their monopoly of the ocean carrying trade, yet it is painfully evi dent that a large proportion of the profits made on American export trade does go to the British shipowner. Lord Beresford’s remark is full of sug gestion to every American. It not only touches upon the humiliating position which this country occupies in being obliged to depend on British ships for its carrying trade, but it also suggests the great financial loss which this en tails. Under the system which was in force in this country in the earlier part of the century, our carrying trade was not done by British ships, and we were possessed of an American merchant marine without calling upon the gov ernment for any outlay for its main tenance. 1 Reads Like an Old 8torjr. Reports received by the New York state factory inspector from his depu ties show that in the course of 9,600 in spections made by them during the months of December, 1898, and Jan uary and1 February, 1899, they found that 373 new firms had gone into busi ness and that 100 old firms which had formerly closed up had resumed busi ness. It was found also that l.ll* firms had Increased the number of their empires. It appears that the total increase in the number of em ployes from all causes is IS,352. The reports show that 27 firms are working overtime and 20 working double time, and that the extra number of hours worked were 11.268. This is pretty good testimony to the labor-supplying qualities of the Ding ley tariff law. The report reads like those to which we grew accustomed when the McKinley law was In force, and it tells of an industrial situation strangely different from that which prevailed during the intervening years of “Tariff Reform” and Clevelandism. Baa Reached the Waga Earners. The reports of advances in wages come from all parts of the country and include all Important branches of trade —cotton mills, iron and steel mills, lumber mills, coal mines, copper mines and skilled workers of all kinds. One of the most gratifying features of the situation is that prosperity has reached the wage earners—Indianapo lis (Ind.) Journal, <