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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 10, 1913)
SEMI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE IN SIX BELLS andALLS WELL HEART STAKES ANDA SLIPPERY DECK mm r By Morgan Robertson U tTTCTT!ll1ffrT..l!1l!i!l'rrrrin Illustrations byAROrr jj I Ti rv- : iT SOME TIMK in my boyhood I had rend where, or by whom written, I never could remember nn 'article containing the assertion tbat at two o'clock in the morning every living tiling 'human, brute, insect, fish, fowl or reptile awakened, or partly awnkened, if only, as in the case of a sleeping person, to roll over on the other side. The article offered testimony from cowboys on the range, who had seen cattle stand up and lie down again at this hour; from policemen, guards and sentries in charge of sleeping prisoners, who had beard them mutter incoherently and drop off to sleep; from doctors and nurses caring for the sick, who had no ticed the uneasiness of patients at this hour; from flare-light fishermen, who bad waited until two o'clock for the fish to waken and bite in short, from night workers of all kind, whoso powers of observation had enabled them to cognizo the fact that sleeping creatures awoke, moved, muttered, or showed some return to consciousness at two hours past midnight. I was in the formative stage, not having reached the critical and skeptical. I believed all that I read or listened to. Soon, I found myself waking nt two in tho morning; but, believing it duo to a natural law, thought little of it, and would immediately go to sleep again. I bad never been troubled with in somnia, but this trick becamo a habit, as much a part of my mental state as any congenital attribute. I had it proved to my own satisfaction by several incidents of my boyhood. Onco I awoke at two in tho morning just in time to save my mother's canary from a stray cot that had entered the house. It did not occur to mo that the bird might have got abroad first and aroused mo by its fluttering. Again, I sat up just as a masked faco peered into tho opened window, and my movement frightened tho burglar away. On another occasion I awoke, smelled smoke, He gathered hlmielf (or a (print, I aimed for bit face, pinning him in a half-crouched potition and put out a threatening fire. Still again I turned oil' n half-opened gas jet, and possibly saved myself, as well as others of tho family, from asphyxiation. Thus conditioned, and half educated, I went to sea at twenty, and legularly awoke in time to hear four bells struck in tho middle watch, not knowing for years that all sailors, from habit of mind, even when on shore, will awaken at twelve and four when the watches are changed at sea, and often nt ten, two and six o'clock, when the wheel is relieved. My mental alarm clock was adjusted for two in the morning, and the moro I proved it to myself the moro fixed became the adjust ment. TT was old Bill Hay ward, his second mate and his daughter who re-adjusted me, and also themselves not to their advantage, perhaps, but certainly to my own; and that is what this story is about. Ilayward was skipper of the first ship in which I signed first mate, and a bigger blackguard never bullied tho man-at-the-wheel. Yet I noticed be fore many days that his billingsgate ceased whenever his daughter appeared on deck. I could easily understand that ho respected and stood in awe of her, as well as loved her as his child; but I could not understand how the Fates had given such a daughter to such a father. She had a soft, musical voice, soft brown eyes, soft brown hair, and emanated a faint fragrance as I sensed while passing to leeward of her either from her hair, breath or clothing, like that of a flower-garden after tho rain. But, after our first introductory greetings, she ignored my presenco on board as com pletely as she did tbat of tho pig on tho fore hatch, and I as cribed it to tho fact that, though I was young, healthy, clean built and clean-featured, I had never been a favorito with the other sex. Yet, though I out did her father in tho matter of nicety of speech, and sup pressed all profanity from the second mate an d crew, whether she wos on deck or below, I grew to dislike this fine girl. For even a good dog becomes savage un less occasionally noticed. I was, noticed, of course, by tho second mate and crew, in the way I demanded; and by tho skipper in the way of criticism which possibly I deserved but never a glance or a word did I receive from Florence Ilayward. On tho whole I was not happy, though my youth, health, cleanliness of life and instinctive admiration for and devotion to beauty and goodness in women scorned to justify some response jl and happiness. So, I disliked a gin i admired, ami never ad dressed myself to her, until the time came when it was mutual, in tuitive, and necessary. It happened after we had crossed the Lino and wero creep ing on through cnlm and catspaw toward the trade-winds; after I had silenced tho captain's criticism by strict attention to duty; and after I had noticed the growing friendship between Miss Florence and Mr. Taynter, tho second mate. He devoted every minute he could spare from work and sleep to her society; and she would smile gra ciously on him, call to him from window or com panion, and sit up late into the night when he had the first watch on deck. "God love you, little girl," 1 laid, at 1 killed the fading color back to her cheek JEALOUS? No. For having received noth ing I missed nothing. Nor was I surprised in the least at her liking him; for he was as superior to me as she was to him, or I to her piggish old father. What did surpriso me, however, was that he should allow a high-strung, nervous, sensi tive and impressionable girl of twenty to flirt and frolic until midnight with a man equally impres sionable, but neither nervous, high-strung nor sensi tive. Taynter was about twenty-eight (two years older than myself) ; also he was taller, broader, heavier and stronger. Added thereto ho was better educated, belter and more widely informed, and had sailed several voyages as first mate his reversion to second mate being duo to tho fact that he was out of money and that 1 had secured the only first ;nate's berth in port. Had he appeared with me before Captain Ilayward be surely would have been chosen as chief officer, while I would, perforce, have signed on as second. As it was, Taynter, well-versed in the etiquette of the sea, dropped into his place as though fitted for nothing higher; be took my orders and suggestions without comment, occasionally offered reasonable suggestions of his own, and even assisted me in suppressing pro- (Continued on Page 8)