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About The Plattsmouth journal. (Plattsmouth, Nebraska) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 1909)
The Last Voyage of 15he Donna Isabel By Randall Parrish , - Author of Bob Hampton ot Piacer. Illustrations by Deaborn Melvil 2e long boat Is Built to hoi 25 peoples, an' we only ten. Zen w'y not take re gol'? It "at not'lng, It drink not'lng, an If It weight too much, ren we t'row It overboard. But w'y not try carry It, ae hundred t'ousand dollar?" There was no good reason why we shouldn't; besides, the very possibil ity of preserving even that share of the treasure would prove an inspir ation to the men. I looked about Into their anxious faces, feeling myself eorae measure of their excitement. "That will be all right, lads," I said gladly. "You've earned It fair enough, and we'll start with It anyhow. Take the stuff out of the chest and tie It up In blankets. Then we can Btow It away venly so as to keep the boat bal anced. But," I added, as the memory of what Doris had said came to me, "I think It only fair to tell you that I'm sure there Is bad luck In every peso of It." The men gave my croaking prophecy to Becond thought, but went trotting :aft, chattering together like a parcel it boys. CHAPTER XXVIII. In Which the Donna Isabel Goes Down The following night and day passed quietly enough, the weather holding clear, but with a mist slowly gather ing in the south that seemed to threat en change. I observed Just before sun set that this" fog had so thickened and spread as to obscure nearly a third ot the sky, and yet there was no veering of the wind or noticeable increase in the roll of the sea. The hulk was .sinking, yet so slowly that we were only certain of the fact through con stant measurements and the sight ot water seeping in through the numer ous cracks revealed by the disap pearing Ice. It was a situation to get upon the nerves, yet I do not remem "ber that it occasioned any great change in the routine of our life on 'board. The negro Cole acted as though he tiad lost his mind, entirely, and after studying him awhile I concluded to let him do as he pleased. He ate "breakfast with the rest of us, but with out speaking, and afterward, when we left the table, picked up the cleaver and made directly for the lazarette. I called to him, but he merely rolled his yes up at me from the blackness be low and disappeared, the icy water slushing underfoot We soon heard blm vigorously slashing away at the tee, muttering constantly to himself. X went part way down the ladder, with a "(indie In my hand, whence I could see him tolling away at the end ot the bole, the men bad excavated in the ice, though he paid no attention to my call. The water was fully six inches deep over the lazarette deck, splash ing back and forth as the vessel rolled, and I could see drops of sea water squeezing in through the sides of her and dripping steadily down. There was nothing to do but leave the fellow alone, so after telling Dade to look down the ladder once in a while and keep an eye on him I joined the others on deck. "Gone clear nutty," commented Mc Knight, tapping his head. "The very eight o' them yellow boys was too much for him." "I only hope it wasn't my blow," I said soberly. "Blow hell! Why, that crack never hurt his skull, Mr. Stephens. The fellow was plumb crazy as Boon as the box was open. He never thought there was so much money In the world. Why. you ouht to 'a heard him tell of the Jtir.k he was gotn' to buy when l.e got hid share back to the States. Oh. he'll come out of his dream all right If we only let him alone for a day or so." So we left him down there alone, pegging away in the dark. He came up, however, at the call for dinner, eating away heartily without uttering a word and going back to his solitary labor, paying not the slightest heed to any of us. When night came I com pelled him to remove his Icy trousers and boo and lie down In one of the bunks. When I looked in a few min utes later he was sound asleep. That the wreck was slowly settling down under us was beyond doubt and laden with Ice as she was the sodden tull would probably drop at last like a atone. The thickening sky to the south ward made me exceedingly anxious; and just before dark we talked the conditions over together, each man having his sty. The decision was to remain on board, all alike believing the Donna Isabel would keep afloat everal days yet unless the weather became serious. Everything was made ready, however, for a hasty escape, and a deck watch set. Doris paused the greater part of my watch on deck with me, and as Kelly was on the poop we were the nearest to being alono together wo had ever been. It was an exceedingly dark tilht, but still an awful senxe of lone liness brooding over the black waters, the canvas forward flapping mourn fully, the hiiK rudder continually creaking to the slap of the wares, and a faint gurgle ot water sounding from below. The dreariness of it affected us both, In spite of an effort at cheer fulness; besides, we had little to talk about except our perilous situation. Yet there was an acute pleasure In thus being together, and so she lin gered on beside me, her eyes wander ing from my face out into the gloom, much of the time silent, yet content Finally, after urging her to go in out of the chill, I took a turn forward, even clambering up the Ice hummock to the fore peak, and testing the rise of water with a measuring rod. As I returned aft, where Kelly was slap ping hiniBelf to keep warm, a light flaky snow began falling and soon powdered the decks. I did not undress, but flung myself on the couch in the main cabin after replenishing the fire, and lay there some time, staring up at the smoky deck-beams, listening to the slush ot water in the lazarette, half-frightened by the soddenness of the hulk's roll ing. Yet my conviction that she would keep afloat for hours yet finally lulled me to sleep. De Nova woke me with a fierce grip on the shoulder, and I started up, no ting the gray dawn on the front win' dows. and reading the truth la his face before he uttered a word. "Is she going?" "Oul. Oul; by gar, she sink quick!" "Call all hands; get the boat clear and ready to swing. I'll bring the women." The men were tumbling out as I pounded on the after state-room door. A glance through the stern-ports brought my heart Into my throat, the crests of the pursuing waves were so close. Knowing that both women would be fully dressed, I flung open the door and began hastily gathering up their belongings. Within a brief minute we were outside on the deck. A single glance told us there was no time to waste. The sea ran somewhat heavier, yet with a regular swell, the Donna Isabel reeling and staggering like a drunken man. The vessel had sunk so deeply that her main-chains dipped, while her list permitted the wa ter free entrance through the gap in the port bulwarks, and flooded the deck. There was a desperation to ber mad wallowing which mado me think each plunge would prove her last. I swung Doris into the stern of the long boat, bidding her hold tight. "Now jump, men lively, or she'll go down under us! De Nova. John son, tumble in and handle the' ropes; bancnez, rena on, and nave an oat ready. Now, then, tall on the rest of you, and let her go easy, there, easy! Slide down the line everybody, and cast off oars, men, .oars, or she'll swamp us." The dip of the chains missed us by the barest Inch; then we swung clear, tossed high on the creamy crest of a huge roller, which enabled us to look straight down on the sloping deck. "Is every one here?" I asked. "All but Jera Cole, sir." "Cole, where Is he?" It was Johnson who answered. "Well, all I know about It is, I hauled him out o' the bunk, and shook him wide awake. Then I left him to go out and rout out Kelly. That's the last I saw of him. sir. but It a a sure thing he ain't here De Nova had hold of the tiller, ?nd I spraiig . forward, pushing past San- i). "We cau't leave Cole behind to drown." It was a bit of a ticklish Job the way the sea was running, and that lumping wreck sagging undor, but the mate knew his trado, and, as the boat rose high on the swell, I leaped and hung on, my feet dangling In the froth. As the sodden hull swung reeling over I clambered up, and dropped to the deck. The missing negro was nowhere in sight I leaned ever, staring down at the bobbing boat being hurled back by the rebound ot the surge, yet see ing only the white face of Doris up turned appeallngly toward me. "Pull out, boys; strong, now! Give her plenty of room so she won't suck jou down when she drops. I've got to try the cabin." I got aft that far. I even got fair ly within the door, and nr rt caught the dull, muffled sounds of blows be tween decks. My Ood! the fellow had actually gone back into that icy hold to dig for gold! As I stood there, trenv bllng, wondering if I could dare the passage, I felt a sudden quiver of the deck, heard a sharp, ripping sound forward, a yell ot mingled vok.es. and turned and ran for the rail. With all my strength I flung myself forth straight out into the gray sea. I went down, down, down, feeling as If the very life was being sucked out of nm, every muscle paralyzed by the ley coldness ot the water. As I camo up, gasping, struggling, scarce able to move a cramped limb, the suction caught me, dragging me back and down again. I battled against It like a madman, every instant an agony; REASONS FOR GOOD ROADS Farmers Arc the Ones Mostly Interested in the Subject The subject of good roads is grad- ally Increasing in importance in the mind of the farmer. He is begin ning to And out as he pulls his heavy load along the bad roads that he Is wasting a mighty Bight of valuable time, and naturally takes to think ing how he can improve his trans portation problem and bring it down to a point of efficiency as compared with the present method of harvest ing grain over the much slower pro cesses of a few years ago. All his machinery has been improved won derfully, and the work of the farm been greatly lessened thereby, but it takes him just as long to get to market with his grain at a time of year when he wants to market at high prices, as it did ten or fifteen years ago. The Interstate Com merce commission has been giving some attention to the question of bad roads, and it has found that the aver age haul from farm to market is nine and a fraction miles. Put the cost from hauling at say $2.00 a ton for the nlno miles, and estimate on the basis of what the railroads haul In the way of produce annually, which the commission says is 265,- 000,000 tons annually, and you will And the cost of hauling the produce from farm o market is a routd half billion dollars yearly. Half that cost is absolute waste, and solely owing to bad roads. Think of It! Two hun dred and fifty million dollars a year wasted on bad roads, which the farmer and the consumer Jointly pay. Are you Interested? The American farmer pays 23 cents a ton for hauling over his orads, l'uid Into the State Treasury. Secretary of State Junkln has turned over to Deputy State Treas urer Brian, $70,000 in fees received from the reorganized Missouri Paci fic Railway company in payment of the charges for filing articles of in corporation on a capital stock of $240,000,000. As the company had years ago paid a fee on $100,000,000 of capital stock in this state, the secretary allowed the company to de duct the fee for that amount and ac cepted payment on $140,000,000. Yet the company Is not satisfied and it attempted to pay $31,405 of the $70,000 under protest. As the money is now in the state treasury, the company may "protest" all it cares to. The money cannot be re funded except by an act of the legis lature appropriating the money to the Missouri raclfic. The secretary of state kindly allowed the com pany the privilege of bringing suit to recover any money It feels that it has parted with illegally. He gave this permission In a receipt given to the officers of the company. Under the constitution, the state can be sued and can buo under provisions made by the legislature. The legis lature has provided that the state may sue and be Bued in the district courts in the matter of claims against the state which have pre viously been presented to the state auditor and disallowed; in the mat ter of claims that may be by either house of the legislature referred to the courts In the matter of all set offs, counter claims, claims for dam ages, liquidater or unliquidated, on the part of the state, against any person making a claim against the state, or against the person in whose favor such claims arose. A peculiarity in connection with the payment of the fee by the Mis souri Pacific Is the fact that at least one member of the railway commis sion that authorized the Missouri Pacific to Issue $83,000,000 ot capi tal stock believed the total capital stock of the company was being re duced to that amount, when as a matter of fact, the articles ot Incor poratlon filed with the secretary of state shows that the total capital stock of the consolidated companies making the Missouri Pacific com pany Is $240,000,000. State Jour nal. There I Xo Front . "The warm weather of the last few days has pulled all the frost out of the ground in our section of the country," said Charles Rlchey of LouIhvIJIp, Neb., who was In Omaha Friday. "Wo have been somewhat worried about It for some time, but I guess there Is no doubt now that the frost Is all out nf the ground. "Louisville has become nulto rendevnus for Omaha people since the bridge across tin? Platte whs completed. We have recently done some further work and It I all In good Khape. Automoblllsta hove while the European farmer, pays on ly 7 to 9 cents. It costs 3.3 cents per bushel to haul wheat from New York to Liverpool. The cost of haul ing a bushel of wheat from farm to market, 94 miles, is 5.1 1 cents. Do good roads concern you? It is estimated conservatively that the American farmers have an ex pense bill annually of a billion dol lars a year against bad roads, and figuring on a basis ot 80,000,000 population, this a tax of $12.50 a year on which every man, woman and child pays for bad roads. That year ly waste of money would build 00,000 miles of macadam roads every year. Think of what might b done In 10 years If we appropriated this waste toward the building of fine roadways. Not only is there a saving in money values on produce of the farm, but the building of good roads Increase farm land9 in value, for v.henever good roads have been built, land has Increased from $2 to $9 an acre. In Jackson county, Alabama, a bond is sue of $250,000 built 125 miles of macadam road. The selling price of the land was $6 to $15 before the roads were built, and on completion the values went up from $15 to $25. No one is so much Interested in the road proposition as the farmer. He Is losing money which the bad roads cause. It is for the farmer to study this question seriously and take up the fight for good roads vigorously if he wants to add to his cash balance, besides the peace and comfort and happiness which fine road ways would bring to him and his family. learned that the bridge makes a sav Ing of many miles on a trip to Lin coin or any other part of that coun try and are making good use of It." Omaha Bee. Still a Boosting. Another party of boosters for the Merchants' Carnival started out this morning, loaded to the muzzle with printing matter. Everyone of the pnrty Is a booster within himself, and It the carnival is not a grand success, It will be no fault of the party that was out yesterday nor the one that left here this morning The party yesterday started in the morning at 8 o'clock, making the towns of Mynard, Murray, Union, Nehawka, Avora, Weeping WMer, Mauley, Louisville and Cedur Creek and returned about 3 o'clock In the afternoon, well pleased with the re ception they received nt all these points. Two outos conveyed the pnrty this morning, were engineered by Chna. Warner and Ed. Barker. The Warn er car contained he following gen tlemen: E. H. Wescott, John Ne- metz, J. P. Falter and B. A. Mc Elwaln. The Parmele car the fol lowing: Chas. Grimes, H. A. Schnei der and F. E. Schlater. The follow ing towns will be mnde: Murdock, Greenwood, Havelock, Alvo, Eagle, Elmwood and Wabash. The trip Is a more lengthy one thnn that of yes terday, and it will probably bo night ere their return. This manner of boosting but simply llcmonstrates the enthusiasm that exists among our people In their efforts to mnke the Merchants' Carnival one of the grandest and most successful In the history of Cass county. A Belated Item. Hie following item has escaped previous mention. Will Sltzman, who Uvea south of town, brought his family in Sunday afternoon to take the afternoon train for Omaha. He was driving a single horse, and as he was returning home on Lincoln ave nue, the animal got the line under Its tall, and Will reached over the dashboard to relieve It, when the horse blazed away and let him have one In the forehead, an another one on hli arm. Will got unbalanced and fell out of the vehicle, and the horse made for home without further damage. Will looks a little dlsflg ured but still survives the accident, the Journal Is pleased to note. Captain G. W. Morrison and wife of the Salvation Army, who hove been holding meetings In this city for a week post, departed this morn Ing for Ashland, where Mis. Morri son takes charge nf the children's home of the Biiny for a short time She had the misfortune to he III since last Wednesday and wok un able to take part in th meetings here. PAY DAY IPE1AL For the remainder of the week we will offer the fol lowing Clearance Prices which should be examined by every shopper: HANDKERCHIEFS-White, wide hem-stitched, full size 5c SHIRTS-Two shades of Tan, Negligee, cuffs attached, full size! ! 69c SHIRTS-Black and white stripe, blue check cheviot, and lighter colors 39,. SOX Brown, white heel and toe, automatic top 08s PANTS-Two lots-to close-all pants $1.75 to $2.50. . . . ' $1 39 all pants $2.00 to $1.00 '.'.'.'.'.'.$1.99 CHILDREN'S HOSE-A few pairs of medium sizes only, "worth 25 to 35 cents BOYS SUITS-Sizes 12 to 15, worth up to $6.50; go at V.'.V $V 99-2 48 M EN'S SUITS Remaining ones put into 4 lots, $7.90 9.90-11.90-13. w All Good Goods; Good and Cheap . EL Uoscott's ons THE HOME OF SATISFACTION Local Evenls. William R. Murray, the well known citizen of Mynard, is looking after business matters in the city today, coming in this morning. Ex-Treasurer W. D. Wheeler was detained In the city over night on account of some business matters he was compelled to look after. John Campbell of Union spent a few hours In the city this morning, coming up on the early train and re turning on the morning M. P. train. Philip H. Melslnger, the well known and popular Eight Mile Grove precinct farmer, Is In the city today looking after business mat ters. Mark White of Rock Bluff Is at tending to business today in the city and will be a passenger for Om aha this afternoon on a like mis sion. Mark Furlong, one ot the good farmers from Rock Bluff, Is looking after business matters in the city, to day, coming up from his home this morning. A. F. Hedengren, master carpen ter of the Burlington, spent the night In the city after looking over some of the company work In pro' gress near here. Adam Kaffenberger, a well known and popular farmer from west of the city, is attending to business mat ters in this city today, driving In from his farm this morning. Colonel J. H. Thrasher was a pas senger for Omaha on the morning train, having a deal Involving vast Interests on hand to look after there today. A. Ibsen, roudniaster of the Bur lington, Is among those who spent last evening In the city after looking over the Burlington's track work In this vicinity. Miss Josephine Clifford, who lias been spending a day making a visit In the city with her mother and brother, returned to Omaha this morning on the early train. I). W. Foster came up last even ing from his home at Union for an over night's visit with his daughter and this morning was nn Omnhn- bound pnssenger on the Burlington ATTENTION FAR Let us show you our line of Hay Tools. We are sole agents for Star, Louden and Ney Hay Tools and can compete with anybody, no matter where located, on prices- Let us show you the London Hay Fork Returner and snatch pully, which saves you almost Lalf 'the time and labor necessary in unloading hay in a barn at an expense of less then $5 00. Once used it will never be discarded. Also mower sickley and sections of all standard makes. ' J Plnttsmouth, : I Mrs. Val Burkel is attending to business matters in Omaha today, going there this morning on the early train. Mrs. A. L. Anderson was a pas senger for Omaha thla morning on the early train, going up to visit with her folks. Mrs. Pat Egan Is among those spending today In Omaha, having gone to that city this morning on the early train. Virgil M. Mullls, daughter Amy and son Horold are spending the day In Omaha, being passengers on the morning train for that city. Mrs. Martha Baumelster is visit ing In Lincoln today, being a pas senger for that city this morning on the early train. Mrs. P. A. McCrary and family are spending the day in Omaha, be ing passengers on the early train for that city thin morning. Mrs. Davlsson and family departed this morning for Sterling:. Neb.. where she will make a visit with her parents for several days. William Hogabone, mayor of La Platte, who has been 111 for some time suffering from the effects of a bad fall from the Platte river bridge, Is In the city tocjay attending to bus iness matters. J. J. O'Neill and wife of Denver, Colo., who have been visiting In the city with the parents of the former, departed this morning for their home. ' They spent a very pleasant 'week in the city and greatly enjoyed their visit. Mrs. Charles Renner and Mrs. Jacob Renner and family of near Nehawka were passengers for Om aha this morning, where they wllf spend the day. Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Rentier came up from their home this morning to make this trip to the metropolis. George P. Melslnger, Democratic candldute for county commissioner, and one of the best citizens ot Cass county, is attending to business to day In the city and meeting his many. friends. Reports from every part of the county indicate that Mr. Melslnger Is going to make a splen did race for commissioner and win handily, as he should. ISMJUEES 9 : : Nebraska. (To la Continued)