t
The Last Voyage
of me
Donna Isebel
By Randall Parrish
Author of Bob Hampton ot Placer.
Illustrations by Deaborn Melvill
Some more becrgadnsn
n
for you
v
open deck, that cabin revealed a tem
perature so awful in intensity as to
make us recoil before it, our bands to
our faces. A bundred years of win
ter the black eternal winter of the
south pole smote us with icy breath,
seeming fairly to sear the flesh with
its frozen touch. Dade dropped un
der it, and we dragged him aside, sob
bing like a baby. It was several min
utes before we could even draw near
nough to hack away more of the ice
and, with the ax, drive the door far
ther back into its grooves.
. It was intensely dark within, every
window and porthole shrouded, only
the narrow door-opening permitting
the slight glimmer of the moon to
touch the edge of the black interior.
I wrapped my muffler to the very eyes,
and stepped across the threshold, fil
ing as if the icy air grasped me with
actual fingers, yet resolute to learn
all, and confident no other there would
ever venture it. I touched an over
turned bench with my knee; my fin
gers explored the back of a heavy
chair having a carven top, and then
came into contact with a bare table,
lieavily ridged along the edge. Seem
ingly thl stood crossways of the cab
in; and I felt cautiously along it, a
deeper cowardice gripping me with
every hesitating 'step forward in the
dark. Suddenly I touched hair and
the gelid coldness of frozen flesh, and
as instantly leaped backward, mad
with nameless terror. The overturned
liench tripped me, and I fell, grasping
at the door casements, and thus
dragged myself out of that hell-hole by
tny arms.
CHAPTER XXIV.
In Which I Explore the Cabin.
De Nova assisted me to my feet, the
other men crowding about, their faces
tilled with wonderment. "For God's
sake, w'at is it, monsieur?"
"There are dead men in there," I ex
plained, already ashamed of my display
of terror. "I I touched one in the
dark."
iney arew back from the open
door, gazing with new horror into the
blackness of the interior; but my own
courage was rapidly returning, as I
realized that I must lead and control.
"Well, lads, it startled me, all right,
hut we cannot afford to give up this
ship to dead men. De Nova, take
Kelly with you, and try to discover
something on board with which to
make a flare. There ought to be plenty
of dry stuff in the galley. Not a word
to the women about what I found aft."
The rest of ws hacked away, while
they were gonC at the Ice concealing
the front window shutters, and partly
uncovered one. But we could get no
purchase upon it from the outside and
no one, volunteered to tenture within.
I kept them all busy, however, the
lard work and sense of command
combining to restore my own nerves
to a normal condition. The mate de
spairing of doing better, finally
Drought back a table-leg of pitch pine
which we contrived to ignite after
several unsuccessful experiments, the
yellowish-red flames circling the heavy
end like so many colling serpents, and
sending forth a weird reflection
through spirals of black smoke. It
hooked across the "back of the Vhch.
his long, black hair dangling over his
face; the other sat with head bowed
on the table, his features hidden by
his arms, but the gold rings in his
ears plainly Bhowlng. Directly oppo
site these two, sitting bolt upright in
a chair, eyes wide open, staring
straight at me, was a third. My God!
it was De Nova! The same eyes, the
same dark curly hair, the same little
black mustache, the same smile
curling the thin lips. I could have
sworn it was the mate, endeavoring to
frighten and mock me. I even
wheeled about angrily, flashing the
light of my torch over that cluster of
faces in the doorway. No! by heavens,
the creole stood behind, and this, this
counterpart, was a dead man dead
for a hundred years. No words can
ever retell the struggle I made to con
trol myself, the smoking torch sha
king in my hand and casting its mis
erable flicker over that charnel house,
every limb trembling like aspens, my
eyes staring into the shadows. My
very violence of fear angered me;
what had I to be afraid of? How
could these poor frozen bodies injure
me? Nerved to the endeavor I stepped
forward around the end of the table,
throwing the faint glare of the torch
into the after space concealed by the
huge nast-butt. A tall, thin man sat
on the deck, braced against the wall,
his long, gray beard almost concealing
his face; on a wide divan, nearly op
posite, lay a woman, her dark hair
loosened, a large diamond glittering
on the hand which hung rigid over the
edge of the couch. Just below her
fingers, as if dropped there In final
weakness, lay a baby's well-worn
shoe.
I fcarcely comprehend how I ever
conquered the sickly horror that smote
me as I gazed about upon this scene
of death, rendered even more terrible
by the silence and the flickering,
smoking torch that furnished the only
light. Nothing except the sense of
command, the remembrance of those
women waiting outside in the cook'
galley, ever afforded me strength and
courage to remain. The tak muse
be done; by some one it must be ac
complished, and that some one, of ne
cessity, was myself. With clenched
teeth, my face as white as those of the
frozen det.d about me, I advanced from
door to door down one side of that
cabin, und up the other. Out from the
staterooms that had remained closed
there came the same awful breath of
the frigid south, rendering en the
icy air of the main cabin ten times
colder, and causing me to breathe
with difficulty as I peered hastily
within. These staterooms were all of
fair size, the two situated farthest aft
Leing unusually large and comfortably
fitted, flthough in great disorder. In
one only did I discover a body, that
of a child of three or four years, flaxen-haired
and bonny even in death.
Vun the deck at the foot of the roast
I discovered the vessel's log-book ly
ing wide open, a quill pen besfde it,
exactly as It bad been dropped. I did
not take time to decipher the Spanish,
inscribed in a scrawling hand, but my
glance caught the date of that last
entry "September 11, 1753."
The date rang in my head crazlly, as
I stood there staring at them, totally
unable to grasp or apprehend the
was a poor glim enough, yet it would
!!LV!:.an.'! '. U ln8l'h0ldlng.the truth. One hundred and twenty-.lt
years! Merciful God! And all that
torch well before me, the men clus
tering about the door.
The mottled flare cast mingled light
and shadow over the horrors thus
dimly revealed, rendering the ghastly
sight one to chill the blood of any
man. The cabin was a long one, ex
tending aft clear to the stern, the
Immense uutt ot the mlzzen-mast al
most separating it into two apart
ments. About this was arranged a
great arm-rack completely filled with
tine those men had been there at that
table; all through those days and
nights, those months and years, that
frozen image of De Nova had been
smiling, his cold fingers clutching the
glass; all through those decades that
woman had been lying on the couch,
that flaxen-hatred baby In the bunk!
Theie, exactly as we found them,
during a century of Inky blackness,
tosd about by the sea, cradled In the
a variety of weatons. many of them
flashing back the glittering rays of the pitiless Ice. smitten by the awful
torch. At one time that had been breath of eternal Winter, those bodies
rare sea-parlor, but now It was a remained rigid, motionless, even
wreck, the walls and celling dingy the souls left them, for 126 years!
with smoke, the gilt defaced and bat. . 11 unthinkable, Inconceivable,
tered. Overturned furniture was every- miraculous, beyond all my power of
where; plies of clothing, and a perfect Pprehenslon. Blessed Mary! what
riffraff of articles strewed the deck changes the world had witnessed
floor; a violin lay almost at tny feet,1 ,nc tD"e dle(1! What wonder of
... t . . ' A I . . V. - iL 1 1 ...k.
ii dui one siring snapped: and some' '"'i"7i wum iuiu m mim,
sort of an odd music-box rested whl "Idening of human knowledge;
against tho bench over which I had! hkt generations of men and women
fallen. A great square box-stove 'lAa been born, lived, loved, and died
stood Just before the mast-butt, a huge since tht deadly Ice locked these Into
pile of ashes all about. An Immense
lantern, as strange a looking contriv
ance as ever I saw, swung solemnly
from a deck beam, and Just beyond,
suspended by wires, was a gorgeously
colored picture of the "Madonna and
Child."
I beheld all these details at a glance,
although at the time I scarcely realized
any of them, my entire horrified atten
tion being riveted upon the scene of
death revealed. The table, which I
had previously touched, extending
crossways of the cabin, was uncovered
but contained plates, cups, a large
bottle half filled, and some scraps of
frozen food. The bodies of two men,
one with a cloak over his shoulders,
occupied the bench within three feet
of me. The one nearest hod fallen
sideways, and hung there, his arm
this floating tomb!
Not until after I had explored the
last empty room and returned to the
group at the door did I regain my
senses and feel myself main 'a living.
responsible being upon whose strength
of will depmded the future of all on
board. A glance Into those horrified
fares told me instantly that they were
ready for a mad retreat to the boat;
that the slightest exhibition of weak
ness on my part would set them Into
a panic. 1 stiffened Into resistance, all
memory of the past blotted out utter
ly by the demands of the present.
"Men, we've come Into a hard Job
here, but It Is one which must be at
tended to," I said, gravely. "However,
we'll wait until after breakfast before
tackling the worst of It. Day Is be
ginning now, and we will need all the
light It gives us. Dade, get out some
Nothing Except the Remembrance of
the Women Afforded Me Stre-igth
and Courage to Remain.
provisions from the boat, 'start's, fire
In the galley, and prepare a hot meal.
Sanchez, go along and help; you will
probably have to cut away some ice
before the fire will draw. Not a word
to the women about what you have
seen aft, my lads."
The two started forward willingly
enough, and I immediately turned to
the others, marking their uneasy
glances, and fully assured that I must
keep them also busily employed, or
else lose control altogether.
"We have too much to accompllah
here to waste any time while those
fellows are getting a meal ready," I
continued, quickly. "McKnlght, you
tackle these front shutters. Kelly,
climb up on the poop and dig the ice
off the skylight and out ot the funnel.
We've got to have daylight and a Are.
Now, De Nova, I want you and John
son to help me. Come on, men; what
are you two afraid of? These are all
dead."
I fairly drove them to it, but It did
them both good, although the manner
in which they advanced down the
cabin, their faces blanched under the
torch glare, their bodies shaking as
with ague, made me nervous and Irri
table. I put them at the after-ports,
Johnson with tbe cleaver, and De Nova
with his sheath-knlfe, and between
the three of us we Anally succeeded in
wrenching both stern-ports free of
their icy fetters. As we burst them
open, through the wide apertures we
looked forth into the gray dreariness
of the dawn. Satisfied with what hnd
thus been accomplished, we retraced
our steps back through the cabin, ob
serving that Kelly had made some
progress above, the faint daylight al
ready beginning to tinge that grim in
terior. That breakfast was the first warm
meal any of us had enjoyed for five
days, and we ate it together, sitting
about on the galley deck. The men
were unusually silent, even the voluble
Kelly holding his tongue. No doubt
their thoughts were with their perilous
situation and the grewsome task con
fronting them; yet they partook heart
ily of the food, and 1 endeavored by
every means In my power to arouse
their courage and cheerfulness. To
that end I dwelt on the possibility of
the wealth that might be concealed be
tween decks, promising an early search.
But I spoke most to Lady Darlington,
admiring greatly the easy manner in
which she bore herself amid such
rude surroundings and adapted herself
to the necessities ot our situation. All
semblance ot pride and exclusiveness
had vanished, and she was a simple
hearted woman, bearing her trials
with silent fortitude. Only once did
she even refer to our discoveries aft,
and then only to appear perfectly sat
isfied when I explained that the cabin
was In such disorder it would have to
be cleaned before fit for occupancy
Rough as the experience of the previ
ous night had been, her dress soiled,
her hair ruffled, neer had she ap
peared more attractive than when, sit
ting In the midst of us on that galley
deck with the gray daylight streaming
in through the broken roof, the ruddy
flames of the fire flickered across her
face. I saw the men glance toward
her In respectful admiration as they
filed out one by one, and thus left us
for a moment alone. No matter what
words I whispered In the brief time
before I Joined them, but as I glanced
back where she remained standing,
there was a smile upon her lips and
a mist of tears In her eyes. As for
myself, I was prepared tor tbe work
at Jht day. . .
I Beed not dwell upon the unpleas
ant details. The most disagreeable
portion fell to me, although Johnson
took hold like a man after the flrtt
few moments of reluctance. The oth
eri devoted themselves diligently to
scraping off the Ice, gathering up and
casting overboard the accumulation of
litter about the main cabin and the
various staterooms, and assisting us
only as we passed the heavy, rigid
bodies" through Tie stern ports. "We
performed this unpleasant task ot
burial hastily, but with all gentleness;
there was little to do except to wrsp
the stiffened figures as best we might,
weight them, though they were them
selves like stone, and consign them to
the gray sea. Not heartlessly, but with
unspoken prayers upon our lips, we
watched them sink silently Into the
depths they had resisted to long.
Never shall I forget the fsce of the
child, the Isst to be burled, nor the
ilrkenlng feeling with which I sank
bark upon a bench, staring about the
varati cabin when the awful task
wa Anally accomplished; yet the re
alisation that It was over with, the
. A saving of 20, 30 and even 50 per cent on good depend
able merchandise is a clear cut money making proposition for you
and is fast cleaning up our Summer merchandise. Some of the
lines advertised Monday are closed, but we have decided to put
out on the tables the following goods.not heretofore on special sale:
All our 25, 35 and 40c men's fine fancy hose in stripes, checks, -f Q
polka dots and fancy weaves, for cash at - - - - I vC
All single pairs in our 35, 40 and 50c line of men's fine lisle suspenders,
wui genuine icainer enas. iweaium, light ana dark patterns.
Choice for cash - - - -
Here's another s.hirt bargain. All left-overs in a big line of plain and
fancy patters in Cheviot, Madras and Mercerized Sateen shirts. CZAg
with soft collars attached. No old stock new this spring. Cash wfC
A limited line of fine salmon colored lisle underwear two piece full fash
ioned. Satin trimmed, pearl buttons. A regular 75c value. OQ
While they last, for cash only OvC
We still have left a few of sizes 15, 16 and 17 in the sample night gowns,
full size, bell shape. Better come quick if you want some of them at 54c cash
We have sold more than half of the big line of men's 4-in-hand wash ties at
12c. A good many good patterns left, especially in white.
We have added to the line of boy's stockings all the remnants of our Black
Cat 25, 35 and 40c line (sizes only 5 to 8) and put them all in at the low price
of 16c.
Now we cannot tell you in this space of all the other items
where one dollar does the duty of two. Better come in at once
and see them. Bring the ad with you and compare them with the
goods. If they don't agree don't buy, but for the sake of your
pocketbook don't let this sale go by without investigating
No sale goods charged No cash register tickets given
Wescoi's Sonus
"Where Quality Counts."
0
THE HOME OF SATISFACTION!
DC
DC
DO
C
DC
n
0
He Liken Oklahoma.
Dr. George H. Gilmore of Mur
ray was in the city this morning at
tending to business matters. Dr.
Gilmore and wife recently returned
from an extended trip to Tuttle and
Mlnco, Okla., as noted in the Jour
nal, and the doctor Is greatly taken
with that country. He states that
the country around Mlnco and east
of that point is as fine as any he
ever wen and that there is abund
ance of crops of all kinds there this
year. The only drawback which ex
ists In that country is the danger
In titles, as so much of the land is
held by full blood Indians who are
forbidden by the United States gov
ernment to transfer their lands.
Many of the people of the north
who have gone down there with the
intention ot purchasing land have
been unfortunate enough to have
gotten hold of some of this land to
which, no title is attached and In
consequence they have lost much
money. Should the restrictions be
removed by the government, Dr.
Gilmore believes that this country
would rapidly nettle up, and those
getting In would make splendid
sums off their Investment. During
tho time he was there the weather
was good and everything worked
lovely to make him fall In love with
the baby state.
Attention.
Next excursion to Scott IMuff,
August 3. For particulars as to Ir
rigated land, write this office at
once; 2.1 Improved farms near Al
liance at J 15 to $.12 per acre; 10
Improved farms In Dawson county,
near Lexington. No finer opportuni
ties are presented.
windiiam invi:st.mi:nt CO.
Mrs. K. Drew of Omatin, who linn
been vlnltlng with Mrs. J. C. Cum
mins and family, returned to her
home tills morning.
Mr. HeNol Holding Ills Own.
Tbe condition of C. Helsel is re
ported this morning as not ma
terially changed. He Is holding his
own remarkably well and the dis
ease, which is gangrene of the foot,
Is not making very rapid progress.
It is the earnest hope of the gentle
man's many friends in the city that
his improvement continues and that
the turn for the better, which seems
to have ret in, will continue until
he will once more bo able to be
down town and make his customary
visits. That be should hold his
own so well with the disease Is re
markable, and revives hope In his
friends for an ultimate recovery.
Ml Mark's Condition I'm banned.
From the hospital at Omaha
where Miss Hannah Hlack Is being
treated, word comes of no change
in her condition from what It has
been the past few daysv She Is In
quite serious condition and very
little encouragement is held out by
the attending physicians. Owing to
her weakened condition any change
for tho better will necessarily bo
slow. This Is sorrowful news for
the many friends which this young
lady has here and they all unite In
the hope that she will shortly
change for the better and make a
speedy recovery.
Mrs. Jacob-s7VeiT(lell7Mrs. Ger
trude Morgan and her mother, Mrs.
Swift, were all visitors at the home
of William It. Murray at Mynard,
wheer they had an enjoyable day.
One especially fine feature of the
day was a delicious dinner served
only an Mrs. Murray can serve. It
was well worth traveling a long dis
tance to get and tho guests returned
lo Iho city greatly pleased to havo
received so hospitable and pleasant
a reception.
James K. Pollock returned to Om
aha this morning after spending
several days In this city with his
folks.
To Improve Property,
Robert Troop has recently ac
quired the Graves property on the
corner of Ninth and Rock streets,
and will at once proceed to put the
same in the best possible condition,
thoroughly remodeling and Irnprov
ing tho houso and mnklng it a mod
ern and up-to-date residence prop
erty. The house Is to be raised, the
yard graded up, a foundation put
under It, bath room Installed and
steam heat put Into It. This will
make It one of the best and most
comfortable houses In the city and
ono which should bo In good de-innnd.
Notice of Sale.
Notice Is hereby given that the
Hoard of School District No. 2, In
Cass county, Nebraska, will sell at
public auction to the highest bid
der for cash, at 2:30 o'clock p. m.,
of the 21st day of August, A. D.
1909, at the south door of the Court
House, In Plattsmouth, Nebraska.
Sale to remain open one (1) hour,
the school building with foundation,
known as the Goos School House,
and located on the farm of Mrs.
Anna Goos, about one mile south
east of riattsmouth, Nebraska.
Dated this 24th day of July, A.
I). 1909.
HANS KKMP,
Director.
Mtb. It. V. Clement and family,
who have been visiting for a num
ber of months past at Portland and
other points In the northwest, have
returned homo. They had a delight
ful trip and greatly enjoyed them
selves Visiting tho vnrlous points of
Interest In thnt country, Including
tho Seattle exposition.
Harry Kruger, wife and hoy are
spending today In Omaha, coming la
from their homo In the country and
being passengers for that city on
the morning train.
(T" be Continued)