Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

lewis m. grist, proprietor. | %X[ (Independent Jamil!) fteu'spaper: Jbr the |romotion of the folitieat, ^oeial, ^droitural and (fommcrrial Interests of the ^outh. |TERMS?$3.00 A YEAR IN ADYANCE. VOL. 35 YOEKVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, JTJNE 5, 1889. NO. 23. . m | ^ |_i Jljwwl jM?g. amm FBOM THE DUET OP IH8PE0T0E BYBHE8. BY JULIAN HAWTHORNE, Author of "The Great Bank Bobbery," "An American Penman," Etc. Copyright by O. M. Danhara, sod published through I special arrangement by the American Press I Association with Cornell A Co., New York and London. CHAPTER XL AT SEA. I-1 ARTIN came JVA ba6k about 7 ^ o'clock. He had ffiP*) bills at the tradesVX|J men's and at his and from the latJUlU^S^^ the young man's sions, which were fortunately not numerous, and consisted chiefly of suits of clothes and underwear. ThenMnenf to a quiet restaurant and had dimRBtpd then returned to Martin's, and the rest of the evening in packing nPjpb effects. ^PeaKyd nothing to his friend about ^J^pPsjpiexpected and hurried visit that evenmg,fnot on account of any predeterminecLpurpoee, but because the interview kpf affected him too deeply to make it an etsy topio of conversation; because, knowing Martin's feeling towards ber^-he was uncertain whether it would be expedient to mentiou her at present; and, further, because he doubted whether Martin would approve of his course in admitting Pauline to a knowledge of their plans. In revealing the secret to her, Percy had acted on the spur of the moment; but he felt that the impulse was a wise one, and subsequent reflection had not caused him to re- k gretit They went to bed at midnight thoroughly tired out; but were up again by 8 in the morning, and had 6ome coffee and eggs brought to them by the janitor. "The chances are," observed Martin, as he cracked his egg in the English style, and put some salt in it, "that the authorities, who are pretty wide awake in this country, may have conceived the idea that you contemplate giving them the slip. When I went out yesterday afternoon, I noticed a man smoking a pipe on the opposite corner of the street; and when I returned in the evening I passed the same man under the gas lamp just below. That may have been a coincidence; but then it may have been" "A detective?" said Percy. "Something of that sort. At all events, it is well to be on the safe side. Now what I propose is this. We aro of the same height and build, and look not unlike. If we were dressed alike, the chief point of distinction between us, to one who did not know us well, would be the fact that you wear a mustache and I whiskers. What do you say to a bit of a disguise? You will find a razor in the dressing case; shave off your mustache and then put on these." As he spoke, he produced from his pocket a small pair of false whisk era "All you have to do is heat this inside surface at the gas jet, and they will cling to you as if they had TKrvn t\nf r\rt mtr non onH ATron. ^iv/nu? &MVU yuv VU 44*^ UUM V ? V* coat, and our detective will be a clever fellow if he recognizes you." "But what will you do?' "I shall remain what I am. You will start an hour before I do; and, by the way, you had better turn up town when you leave here, so as to give the impression that you are bound anywhere rather than to the United States and Brazil Steamship company's wharf. Afterwards you can cross over to Sixth avenue and take the elevated down. I will meet you on board the steamer; the trunks will go by express in my name." "All right," said Percy, "with a sigh, for he was a good looking fellow, and his mustache was not wholly indifferent to him. "And when we are safe at sea we can resume our natural selves." "As soon as you like," returned Martin, "though perhaps it would do no harm if we exchanged names for a while longer. There is no telling what may happen, or where some .spy may turn up who might find it for his interest or amusement to gossip about us in the wrong quarter." Breakfast being over, nothing remained but to label the trunks, which Martin did by writing his name and that of the steamer on tags, and attaching them to the handles; an expressman was then called and the trunks were removed. Percy sacrificed his mustache and.affixed the whiskers, and finally, attired in his friend's outer garments, left the house without interference and strolled up to the Thirty-third street elevated station. From there it was a twenty minutes' ride to his destination, and then all he had to do was to go on board and wait for Martin. The latter arrived in due course, and at 2 o'clock the steamer moved out i into the river and pointed her nose toward < the Narrows, much to the relief of two at least of her passengers. And yet both < of them were leaving behind what was dearer than anything they could expect i to encounter. But those thoughts lay deep; the more trifling ones only ap- j peared on the surface. i There were but few other passengers < on the steamer, and those not being peo- : rtlfl whoso sooifitv WAS osnooinlW nM-roo- < r? ???* wrw?v i i tive, Percy and Valentine passed the 1 greater part of the timo in each other's 1 company. Valentino had an almost in- ; exhaustible fund of anecdotes concern- i ing his past life and adventures on hand, 1 and many hours were spent in narrating ] those experiences to Percy, until the ; American had become almost as con- j versant with the Englishman's past career < as if it had been his own. The episode i of his marriage interested him more than < anything else. j Valentine had met the girl upon the 1 outward bound steamer from England to ' New Zealand. He had previously known nothing of her, nor heard her name; but ' it afterwards transpired that she was < well acquainted with his family history, j a cousin of hers, with whom she corre- < sponded,having been engaged as compan- j ion to Lady Martin during several years, 1 She had thus learned a fact that was f supposed to be known by few or none i outside the family circle?that Valentine's elder brother, who inherited the 1 estate, was subject to a species of fits, J which, though not always incompatible with long life, might bring his career to 1 a close at any moment. In such an event, the property would descend to Valentine. Meanwhile, Valentine's Londone xtravagances were not suspected by the girl, and she believed him to be possessed of a comfortable fortune of something like twenty thousand pounds?a gum not much in excess, to be sure, of what he would have had, had he invested his money to advantage and lived within his income. She was a handsome girl, of about the same age as Valentine, and with a manner and temperament exceedingly alluring to a young fellow whoso blood flows warmly in his veins, and who finds the interminable leisure of a voyage to the antipodes hang very heavy on his hands, ghe permitted him to acquire the conviction that ho was anything but indifferent to her; in fact, to use the colloquial phrase, she set her cap at him; and Valentine, who spoke of liimself without re- ' serve as a poor man, and who was not 1 aware that she disbelieved all his asser- ] tions on that head, and interpreted them 1 aapolitic attempts to conceal his real ] wealth and prospects?Valentine was completely fascinated by the cliarm of her person and conversation, and so far committed himself with her, that by the time the voyage woe; ended he felt that he could not do less than offer her marriage. She consented, and the ceremony was performed on their reaching New Zealand. But she stipulated that the marriage was to remain for the time being a secret; for she had come on to visit some relatives of hers and was unwilling, for reasons satisfactory to herself, that they should know anything of the hope she privately entertained of becoming Lady Martin. Valentine, on his side, offered no objection, to this arrangement; ho had his place to make jp the colony, and the necessity of providing a suitable home for his wife at the outset would have seriously hampered She went to her relatives in Napier, and he, as has t 1 j l-A-J t. I? M. lrtf DQttU ttlxeituy jrciaivu., uub jlu *v? his friend Brown, and visited her in town whenever opportunity served. Now that she was his wife, however, she no longer felt any necessity of con<y?nlinff from him her real belief as to the extent of his means; she proceeded from veiled intimations to plain speech, and he became a ware, for the first time that she had married him, not for himself, but for something that he did not "possess. Her plain speech led to explanations on his part equally plain, and thus they speedily arrived at a perfectly clear understanding of their mutual attitude. The consequence was a bitter quarrel and recriminations. The woman appeared in her true colors, which were not engaging; she called him a variety of hard names, and if he had refrained from retorting in kind it was not because there was any lack of suitable expressions waiting behind his lips. But they were still husband and wife, and the bond between them could not be severed. As their marriage was a secret, however, there was no difficulty about a separation; and Valentino agreed to whatever pecuniary conditions she chose to dictate. In case of his brother's death she would come in for her share of the inheritance; but here ho stipulated that she should receive the money only on condition that she forbore to assume the title, or allow her relation to him to be known. She at first demurred to this; but on his offering to hand over everything except the real estate and lan^s? an offer extremely advantageous to her from a pecuniary point of view?she finally consented, probably reflecting that it would be difficult or impossible to make such a contract legally binding,and that when the time came?if it ever should come?she would be able to repudiate it with impunity. This affair produced a bad effect on Valentine; ho became, reckless and indifferent to his business interests, and ill fortuno attended him. He welcomed the Maori revolt as an opportunity of ridding himself of his troubles by stopping a bullet; but though he stopped the bullet, the bullet failed to stop him, and the legacy that he received changed considerably the complexion of affairs. He placed half the stun in the bank at Napier for the benefit of his wife, and sailed for San Francisco with the rest. He had had no settled plan in leaving New Zealand, except to appease his restless desire for change and excitement The future could hold nothing good for him, because, however good in itself it might be, it would be defiled by the chronic and inevitable necessity of sharing it with that wife of his?for what is the greatest blessing, stimulus and joy, to aman happily married, is the dreariest of miseries to the man mismated. One misfortune, however, he did not look for; one danger he did not fear; one emotion of all others he was confident ho could not feeL And yet this emotion; this danger, this misfortune were precisely those to which he was destined to fall a victim. He could not foresee the meeting with Pauline Nolen, nor the effect that she would produce on him. Up to that time his unhappiness had been chiefly negative?the ordinary disappointment and disillusion; now ho had to deal with a positive pain ?the .impossibility of being united to the only woman he had ever loved. It was like tantalizing a prisoner for life with scenes of freedom and felicity. "I am talking a lot about mvself." he remarked ono day to Percy, as they were sitting smoking together on the deck, "butit isn't entirely egotism either. I have a motive init, connected with you." ""What have I to do with it?" "You and Brown are about the only friends I have in the world. I want you to know what my life has been and what my situation is in order that you may be able to act intelligently in case anything happens to me." "Come, Val, "you're not contemplating a premature end, are you?" "Oh, my health is good, and I am in good shape generally?never better. I am speaking of accidents, which are liable to happen to the best regulated gentlemen. In case of my 6udden taking off occurring while I am in your company, I want you to be competent to act as my agent, representative or executor; I want to give you my unrestricted power of attorney, in short. And to that end," he added, taking a wallet frouwhis pocket, "I have written out a paper which empowers you to use the>requisite authority, and also indicates what I would like to have done in case certain other things happened. Here's the document; put it in your pocket, and don't bother yourself to look at it unless circumstances should make it necessary." "If I had anything to leave or to manage," said Percy, taking the paperwhich Valentino handed him, "I would retaliate by appointing('you my sole legatee and executor; but-all I possess are my clothes and the receipted bills you paid for me. However, if I die, you must say those whom it may concern that I main- J tained to the last that I did not steal Mrs. | runstall's money. Send my love to my i m<3tker and Pauline, and, if I die on j shore, get me buried if possible. I can't j be serious about it," he went on, with a I laugh, "and yet I have had a presenti- I ment ever since wo started that I shall aever see tho end of this voyage. Of course, presentiments are all nonsense, ind I don't in the least believe in this rae; but it is there oil the some. So, if it comes out true, I shall say, T told you so!' At least, ydu will know I would havo said it if I could!" Til remember," replied Valentine. "As for presentiments, I.believe they dp >ome out true, though my theory of existence assures me they must bo coincilences. I havo no presentiment regarding myself, only a business like solicitude that, when I am gone, my dregs shall not occasion, any avoidable inconvenience.'' Just then tho second officer sauntered ip.and nodded to windward. "Lqpks sretfcy nasty up there!" said he. 'Shouldn't wonder if wo had a blow before night." CHAPTER XH. THE SHADOW OP DEATH. MARTIN and Percy looked in the ! direction indicat- ; ed by tho officer, i It was then about I 5 o'clock in tho ' imbv aftornoon, tho w- sky clear overhead, tho sea calm, tho sun sinking red toj JA ward tho west, over Cuba and wero below the ?horizon, some i Ahundreds of miles away. The tem* ' peraturo during. tho last few days had been growing warmer and warmer, and they were now sear tho twentieth parallel of north latitude, aud about on tho sixty-sixth meridian west from Greenwich. Since passing between Hatteras and the Bermudas they had had fair weather, with light airs between the south and east. But today there had been no breeze whatever, and the heat had been oj>pressive. The surface of the sea looked oily, and lay quite flat, without any porceptible heave or swelL Masses of drift weed were passed occasionally, strung out in long lengths, as if drawn by invisible currents. Sometimes a cocoanut or an orange would float past, silent heralds of the islands near at hand. Tho course the steamer was steering was taking her toward tho group of little islands between the greater and lesser Antilles, of which St Thomas is ono. It was there that they were to make their first landing. The officer had pointed toward the southwest, or a few points off the starboard bow. Percy could see nothing remarkable there; hut Valentine, who was familiar with the sea, at once fixed his eyes upon a small dark cloud, low down on the water, the peculiarity of which was that it changed its shape with great rapidity, and without any apparent cause. One moment it looked like a nana, wica too angers exienaea;inen it was like a hat, the crown of which grew larger and larger until it presented the aspect of a pointed foolscap. Then the cap suddenly inverted itself, and stood on its apex; then the foolscap divided down the center, and took the form of a huge bird with wings pointed upwards. "That is rather odd," muttered Valentine, intently watching the protean little cloud. "I have seen a hurricano begin that way. f hope it will give us a wide berth. This is a bad place to be caught by a tornado, with that string of islands right ahead of us." ."It must be a couple of hundred miles to the nearest of them," said Percy. "Wo are safe enough. This steamer can stand anything." "There comes the captain," obsen ed Valentine, without noticing Percy's remark. In fact the captain emerged from his cabin and mounted the bridge; he cast a stance at the cloud and then gave some orders in a low tone. They wero followed by an immediate activity on the part of the watch on deck. The sailors moved rapidly about, and seemed to be occupied in stowing under hatches or otherwise mn.ln'n^ fast various barrels, cases and other loose objects that had hitherto been kept on deck Meanwhile the captain had jrot out a telescope and was contemplating the cloud through it with great earnestness. Presently ho passed the glass to the officer who stood by him on the bridge, and who also took a careful observation; then they conversed together in an undertone and occasionally issued a new order to the crew. There were no sails set on the Steamer; but the sheets and halliards were hauled taut and securely belayed, and everything was made fast and battened down in such a way that nothing short of a hurricane could dislodge it. "The old man understands his business," remarked Valentino, and I fancy he thinks that it,may need all he knows to, pull us through. Look at the cloud nowl" Valentine again turnedihis eyes toward the southwest. The small cloud had suddenly become very much larger, and was now seen to be connected with u mass of dark vapor that was rapidly crowding upon thateection of tho horizon, and of which it was tho pioneer. This vapor was of an extraordinary darkness, or rather blackness; it had not the blue shade that is often!seen in storm clouds, but was<6f the hue of the densest factory smoke, with, yellow and greenish 6treaks upon it hore-and there. The rim or upper margin of the oncoming blackness continued to advance with such astonishing rapidity that after only a few moments it had "blotted itself upon all that quarter of the horizon, and now seemed to have embodied the forerunning cloud, or to-have incorporated itself with it Looking more closely at it, its edges and surface appeared wildly commoted, flakes and-shreds of vapor, like black fleece, being torn off from the general mass, and whirled around, or snatched in various-directiorts, so swiftly that the eye could.scarcely follow their movements. The green and yellow streaks were multiplied and other colors were represented until the inky surface assumed an aspect ofhldeous iridescence. Meanwhile the northern and eastern portions of the sky and sea remained unchanged in thehreultry calm, except that, the light of tne setting sun being cut off, their aspect htad a strangp feverish ghastliness, unlike the tints of nature. A hot, faint air drew past the vessel in the direction of tl 10 black canopy, as if it were sucked thither by somo malign attraction. Presently the ears of tho observers began to be- conscious of a singular minor sound, somewhat resembling that produced "by the wind on a telegraph wire, only infinitely more hollow, deep and reverberating. It resounded all over the level surfacotof the pallid sea. and appeared to be echoed oack from the horiaon and the vault above, as if the heavens were a metallic inclosing dome. It sang and resounded and roared, but still with.an inner sound, as if that which uttered it wero still afar, or walled off by some obstacle that it had not yet overcome. Everything else was deathly still; the plash of the foam against the vessel's bows and under her stern was the only -other sound, but that seemed abnormally loud. The captain's voice on the bridge broke out with startling distinctness, though ho spoke not above lias customary pitch, j Ho gave the order to put the vessel about. Immediately she-began to swing ' round on her course, describing a semi- J circular sweep with ber stern; and in a j| few minutes sho lay with the cloud at her j back, and her bows pointed towards tho !' unclouded regions of tho northeast. Her I propeller still moved, but slowly; she was like a champion awaiting the onset of an enemy and gathering himself up for the struggle. Tho enemy was now at hand. By this time tho central advanco had thrown out two long black arms that crept along tho , horizon to the right and .left, inclosing tho vessel in a deadly embrace. Dark- .! ness fell over them as from an eclipse; J tho unshadowed cast, cro it vanished altogether from, sight, looked liko a scene j viewed through a tunnel. Tho moment was one of awful suspense; no human creature could long havo endured it without giving way to somo outbreak of j intolerable emotion. Tho blood flowed thick in tho veins; tho brain throbbed j confusedly; tho breath came in difficult . sighs. With a sudden but majestic up- j ward gradation, tho minor roar swelled j to deafening shrieks of noise; there was a vision of a whito fury of waters astern; a blast as cobl as winter swept from tho taffrail to tho bowsprit; tho darkness shut down and became absolute, so that tho observer seemed plunged intoo iinpalpc&lo pitch; and then with a parjdyzing sliock tho hurricano smoto tho 'vessel, hearting her down into tho sea as by tho sheer weight of a giant hand. Tho next instant, with a shudder ana a sprin .g, sno icapea iorwara, staggered, audi leaped again. Fragments of boiling siBi'go hurtled along her decks, striking \u hat they encountered with the of grapostaot. Tho mizzen mast broke off witban, a yard of the deck, and, lashing forward, struck tho main mast and brought; it down in ruin, though the noise of.' the crash wc.s inaudible in the yell of tho frenzied galo. Tho 6teamcr was rushing on wand at headlong speed, yet si 10 seemed to 60 standing still, so fast d Id wind and sea ily past her. She reeled j, staggered, leaped, was buried and rose t igain, again to be?overwhelmed. It seem ed another woiidr another age, compare* 1 with tho simligbfeand calm of a few mini ates previous. Blind, whirling, welterii ig chaos had engulfed all tilings; not! ling could be seen, nothing heard, not'king dono nor directed; only awful plu ngings aud strainings could bo felt, an d thunderous blows and shocks. Only theso iSigns. could it. bo known that tho vessel was still above the water, still being swept onward. Whither, and to what fate, none could foretell. The sea was at first beaten flat by tho wind, though great pieces of water were stripped from the surface and dashed through the air; by and by, however, waves began to form, but irregularly, some rolling low, some reaching aloft and stalking gigantic. One of these, hurrying through the blackness, mounted the steamer's stern and traversed her deck to tho bows, carrying with it the funnel, the remaining mast and every thing on board that offered resistance. That wave struck the forecastle with a report like tho bursting of a siege gun, stove through the oaken planks, and dashed a hundred tons of water through the opening. All therein were drowned . and A/1 4-A AA/lf AM/1 uuu V4 UOliCU IV pwv-vo, OUU bUU UVU1C9 Wt several wero whirled out again and carried like rags off into the waste of tho tornado. Heavily tho ship rose from tho blow; it seemed as if sho could never rise again. But up sho came, and tho weight of water went booming aft, breaking down partitions and deluging cabins and state rooms. More than fifty men were killed or disabled by thatnin- " gle buffet, and tho survivors believed that tho end of all of them could be not many- minutes distant But it so happened that no catastrophe of equal terror followed. The ship drove on, sometimes threatening to broach to, yet maintaining her steerage way beyond all expectation, on tho whole; and when somo timo had passed?how long, no ono ever knew?tho hurricane fell faint, and in a breath or two, as it seemed, died quito away. Tho darkness lightened, and straight overhead appeared a patch of sky half veiled by wheeling shreds of mist. They wero in tho center of the tornado; and now tho waves leaped up with a rebound so breakneck and astounding that all senso of vertical and horizontal was lost, and tho vessel reared and pitched liked a maddened bronco. This phase of tho battle between ship and storm, bade fair to be more dangerous than the opening experience; but, however that might be, it did not last long. The inky cloud shut down again; again rose the shriek of rushing winds, coming now from the opposite point of tho compass, and once more tho dismantled and bruised hulk sprang forward on her fearful race, galvanized, as it were, into preternatural activity by a force not her own. Stripped bare as she was, ,and weighted by the water sho had taken on board, sho moved moro steadily than at first Nor could the nerves of those who still manned her continue to respond as before to tho call of horror, Tho worst was past for them, even should death itself be in store. None know at that timo who wero living and who wero dead; each held on to what ever support was nearest him and waited in' darkness and uncertainty for what might come. The engine fires had been put out, and all tho men available were taking turns at the wheel, in a desperate and unequal struggle to keep her before tho wind. Some felt that it would be a relief if the ship would founder and go down. But 6ho swept on, outstripping death itself. Suddenly onoof thepassengere, who had been alternately praying and blaspheming in the cabin, broke out in a yell of mad laughter, and rushed up the companion way and out on the deck. Tho hurricane caught him ana hurled him forward; ho was jammed between tho stump of tho mainmast and tho shaft of one of tho anchors, which had somehow been carried there; the wind turned his coat over his head and whipped it Into ribbons In a moment; in another moment he was naked to tho waist; then he was twisted and beaten and lashed about until ho was a shapeless mass of bloody flesh and shattered bones. At length a sudden pitch of the vessel loosened the anchor, and it and the corpse went overboard together, and the ship swept on. It was perhaps an hour after this, and long after tho most sanguine had yielded dumbly to despair, that the steamer rose on a monstrous wave, which mounted and mounted beneath her until it seemed as it it would end Dy carrying ner inrougn the sky; then, with a last furious effort, flung her forward, and slipped back under her keel. The great vessel was carried on by the impetus of the onset, and fell with an appalling crash, not on the sea again, but on tho solid earth. Her voyage was over, and she was in port at last. Her iron ribs were crushed by the fall, but her frame still held together, and all motion ceased. Tho wind still shrieked and tho sea bellowed and thundered, but no waves struck the ship. She seemed to have been lifted beyond their reach; but where they were no one knew, nor could have guessed within a hundred miles. After an interval, tho quartermaster, who had been tho last man at the wheel, crept to tho companionway, and, securing himself by a rope passed round his waist and made fast to tho railing below, looked out. At first he could distinguish nothing, and the rush of tho wind stifled him; he dragged himself back and waited. He had not waited long before it appeared to him that the noiso of tho hurricane was abating, and tho darkness was less intense. At length ho ventured forth again. Moment by moment tho wind was decreasing; tho change was not so sudden as it had been ndien tho center of the tornado passed over them, and occasionally there was a return of rage and fury. But theso becamo less and loss frequent, and thero were great cleavages upwards through tho clouds, revealing tho remote sparkle of stars, for tho sun had gone down long sinco. Ono by one those of tho ship's company and passengers who remained came on deck and stared about them. Were they on a desert island? A number of squaro objects, curiously symmetrical in shape, and distributed with an appcaranco of regularity, became visible in tho immediate neighborhood of tho steamer. They wero all of nearly tho same height, though in their other dimensions they varied considerably; their sides were whitish, tho tops rlnvl.-nv Tn frrmf nf tlio vnecnl na fiVin lay, tho land roso upwards in a gontlo slope, and theso rectangular objects showed themselves thickly in that direction. "They don't look unliko houses," remarked tho quartermaster, peering earnestly through tho gloom. "I don't kno\V any coast hereabouts that has rocks liko that." "If they wero houses," said tho second officer, who stood near, with his arm broken, "wo should bo in tho midst of a town, and no small town either." "Dark! what's that?" All listened. Tliero was tho sound.of a halloo, clearly repeated, and in a moment it was answered from a further distance. Then in several directions, near and far, wero heard calls, crios and lamentations. Tho listeners uttered murmurs of surprise and perplexity. t...1 x 1 ja.,,1 .v JUbl* tliCii ^iuib.iiiaoo vi cavuu 111 tuu cast broko away, and tko full moon shono forth with surpassing brilliance, shedding over tlio scene a light which, in comparison with tho previous darkness. seemed as bright as day. It revealed an extraordinary spectacle. Beyond the stem of tho steamer extended tho tossing waters of a largo bay, strewn with wreckngo and an indescribablo medley of floating objects. In front and on either sido wero tho streets and I houses of a half destroyed town. Tho j steamer had been carried over tho sea ! wall and lay beyond tho wharves, be! tween tho ruins of a hotel and a largo ; warehouse. A littlo way off was what had j been a public pleasure garden or casino; it looked as if a gigantic roller had been passed over it. In a terraco higher up a heavy iron gun stack out liko a half driven bolt; it had been whipped out of a vessel in tho bay and borno nearly half a mile, passing completely through a house on the way. Nearly every houso left standing was unroofed; many wero torn from their foundations and thrown topsy turvy. The Iron shaft of a street lamp was bent over apd twisted like a corkscrew. In tho center of a Rmnll fort to tho west of tho town was a brig, with one mast still standing. A floating wharf just outside the sea wall was sunk; a steamer was on top ofi it, and on top of the steamer, lyiflg crosswise, were the remains of a three masted merchant ship. A largo provision store had been blown to pieces and tho stores whirled about in all directiops over the town and adjacent lands. In the bay, now rapidly becoming calmer,* appeared the masts of a score of sunken vessels, ptiVlHng up like reeds in a swamp. Among them floated casks, blocks, spars, boxes, quantities of oranges and cocoanuts, fragments of trees, the rafters and beams of houses; and bobbing about everywhere were the drowned and mutilated corpses of hundreds of men and women. But these were not to remain long visible. Ever and anon there would be a swirl in the water, a jerk and i i _i i. 2 i ? ii i a spiasu, ana a snara wouia guae away with a human arm or leg in his jaws. The banquet was an unusually rich one, and the banqueters wore assembling in thousands. f ~ "Well," said the quartermaster, as his eyes rapidly traversed the scene, 'Tve heard of miracles, but this is the nearest to one that ever I saw. Of all the things that might have happened, this is the unlikeliest; we get caught in a hurricane, and blown north and south, we don't know where, nor whether we were under water or above it; and here at last we find ourselves high and dry, in the port we were bound for, and within a dozen rods of the very wharf we should have lain up tol This is a queer world!" What place do you say this is?" inquired one of the passengers, drawing near. "This is St. Thomas, sir?what tlioro is left of it?and no other place in the world. Oh, is that you, Mr. Martin? I'm glad to see you safe and sound: 1 exDect a eood half of us will never speak again. Where is your friend, sir?" "I don't know," replied the other; "I have been looking for him. I haven't seen him since the wind first stopped blowing out at sea," "It was that big wave that came aboard us, most likely," said the quartermaster, gloomily. "That carried off the captain and many a good man with him. You may sail the seas till you're an old man, sir, and never see the like of that storm again." But his interlocutor had moved away, and was beginning a search through the ship in the forlorn hope of finding at least tho body of his friend. CHAPTER XIII. TO AWAIT CONFIRMATION. In W") HE day appointed for P r c y' s If * trial was a week I after ho left Now 0^ ? York. During Cp] this period liis JTa mother and sister and Judge KeHp**"'1 // fnlln trnrn fliA nn office, with a newspaper in his hand and a very grave face. "I want to call something to your recollection, inspector," said ho; "something'of importance to mo, though you may have forgotten it." ""Oh, you mean young" Percy Nolen's case, don't you?" returned the chief of detectives. "1 remember; ho was accused of a robbery in a jewelry store and you went bail for him in fifteen hundred dollars. Yes, the trial comes on today." "You have a good memory. Well, you are perhaps not aware that Percy left New York on tho day following the examination and never returned." "Yes. iudee. I haoDen to be aware of that, tool You 6ee, wo anticipated there might be somo difficulty of the kind, and so wo put a man on to watch him. Mr. Nolen spent that night at Mr. Martin's rooms on Fifth avenue. Tho nest morning, somo one whom our man took to bo Martin walked out and went up town. An hour or two later, Martin himself camo out. Instead of following him our man made tho mistake of going up stairs to seo whether Nolen was in tho rooms. In that way thoy both got off. We did everything in our power to stop them, but it was too late. I sincerely hoped he would think better of it, and como back. I am sorry for you, but thero it is!" "As regards myself, I'm not a loser. I don't mind telling you that, a few hours after his escape, I received by letter tho amount of tho bail; it came, I havo reason to believe, from Martin. All Percy's outstanding bills wero also paid, probably by tho samo hand. Of course, Percy should havo stood his trial, and had 1 had any inkling of what ho intended I should havo used every means to prevent his departure. But at any rate he left no debts behind him." "Ho made tho mistako of his life," said tho inspector, emphatically. "As the reason why will bo known in a few hours, I may as well tell you now. In tho first placo tho evidence against him was not conclusive, and, taking everything into consideration, tho chances are that he would havo been acquitted. His looks and manner and his previous record and social standing wero in his favor, though it is truo that ho had been making a fool of himself hero and there, as boys sometimes will. But a fellow liko that is not likely to steal a lady!s nnnl'Af lv\Alr In fnAA AP O Vicr\111 fo AOr. UVfU 1U 4.UVU \JJL 1/iiW UUOViUVV VVM tainty of being suspected of it. The gamo wasn't worth the candle." "I quite agree with you," replied tho judge; ''still there was a possibility that tho verdict might go against him; and you can understand that a conviction would bo as good as death to him." I "Even then, if wo .were innocent, tho guilty party would bo suro to turn up sooner or later and ho would bo vindicated. I could mako a guess, even now, as to who the thief really is; but ho has not committed himself yet, and as tho money 6tolcn was in bank notes of course it is ruoro difficult to traco than jewels or any kind of personal property would be. But that is not tho point I was going to mako. If he had appeared in court today ho would have been a freo man over after." "How can you know that?" "In tliis way. You have heard all about that affair of his with tho wife of tho plaintiff. No actual harm had been done, but sho was compromised and her husband had heard of it; they had had some words about it probably; and when ho found Nolen in such an awkward predicament, ho naturally was not going to loso tho opportunity of jumping on him CJy*. Imy* nttAooAil 4-Via aV>ny*rrn fia trrn anrrr UU UU VUV VMW*^Vf IW WW DUTTI But his wife did what ho had not anticipated?she joined him in the accusation, and thereby ranged herself definitely on his side. Of course that took tho wind out of his 6ails; it proved that 6ho hated Percy as much as ho did, and therefore removed his own chief reason for hating him." "I understand; but" "Very well Having no longer any especial reason for revenging himseif upon Percy, and probably not believing, on sober second thought, that ho had committed tho crime, he would begin to ask himself how tho publio trial would affect his wife and himself. And the first thing ho would seo would bo that it would involve letting out tho whole story of the flirtation. Now, if his wife had persisted in lior folly, instead of act-, ing the part of a virtuous cur, as she did,; he might have been willing to have her shown up; but as it was, lie would desire to hush it up as securely as possible. There was only ono way to do that, and that was" "Ah! I sec.' Tho plaintiff would decline to prosecute?" "Exactly, and that (as I have tho best reason for knowing) is just what ho has done. His counsel are instructed to withdraw the charge; and of course, under the circumstances, the judge would allow him to do so. But when they see that the prisoner is not on hand, it may cause them to modify this course. They might profess themselves ready to go on with the caso, and as the prisoner is absent judgment would issue against him." "It is that result that I hoped to avoid. It would bo a sad thing for an honorable family t& bo dragged through the dust in this way for a crime for which the accused is not responsible." "He should have had tho manliness to face his accusers," repeated tho inspector. "No one knows better than you, judge, tnat m cms wona a man must uw fend himself. He cannot expect other people to find excuses for him. But, as I say, he may live it down; he is a young fellow yet, and" "Have you seen this morning's paper?" interposed the judge. "I have looked through It. Is there anything particular?" The judge held out the paper, with his finger on a certain paragraph. The inpector took it and read as follows: "A terrible hurricane is reported as having occurred in the neighborhood of St., Thomas, W. L, on tho 13th ult. It is described as the severest ever known in*hose latitudes. It was preceded in the morning by a dead calm and excessive heat Early in the afternoon weathcrwise persons predicted a heavy blow. Tho prophecy was soon verified. "Clouds were observed collecting in tho southwest; they rapidly increasd in size and darkness, and advanced toward the northeast, from which quarter a gentle breeze was blowing. The storm burst with terrific fury. Tho harbor of St Thomas is a large basin, tho entrance to which is a comparatively narrow passage between two headlands. Tho harbor was at tho time filled with shipping, including several steamers and largo vessels. One of the steamers was at tho time taking on passengers; the captain gave orders that this should be stopped, and steamed out of tho harbor in the hope of weathering the gale. The steamer has not since been heard of, but fragments of it have been picked up at sea, and there is no doubt that she perished with all on board. The storm was accompanied by intense darkness, greater than that of ordinary midnight without moon or stars. The wind's velocity was estimated to reach no less than two hundred miles an hour, and the destruction it .caused was terrible. "After blowing for a couple of hours from the southwest it hauled about and blew with equal violence from the northeast. All the shipping in the harbor was destroyed, and several vessels were lifted out of the water and carried inland. Ono large merchant ship was taken up bodily and planted in the midst of a warehouse near the shore. The houses of the town were unroofed and in most cases annihilated. Upwards of four hundred lives were reported lost, and the harbor was full of corpses, which were devoured by the sharks. Ono of tho most remarkable episodes of this disastrous storm was that of tho U. S. and B. Co.'s steamship Amazon. Sho was due at St. Thomas on tho day after that on which tho hurricano occurred. She had cleared from New York with sis passengers and a full cargo. Sho had fair weather up to within two hundred miles of St Thomas, and was somewhat ahead of her schedule time. According to tho narration of tho survivors, she met the hurricane about ? o'clock on tho afternoon of tho 13th. Sho was put about so as to run beforo tho gale. The wind and waves almost immediately dismasted her, and it was found impossible to do more than keep her beforo the wind, even this taxing all tho powers of those on board. At ono time sho was pooped by a heavy sea which broke ih^o theforecastloand swept many overboard, "When the wind veered about the steamer became virtually unmanageable; she drove before the gale, and it was expected that she must founder. But after several hours sho was suddenly beached; and on the storm breaking it was discovered that she was lying in the main street of St. Thomas, close to her own dock. In tho darkness she must have been driven through the narrqw entrance of the harbor, and 60 across to tho town, avoiding by a miracle numberless obstacles. She is, however, a complete wreck, and half her ship's company were swept overboard and drowned, while many of the others have received severe injuries. Of tho six passengers who were on board the following are killed: Alfred Harper, went insano and wushed overboard; Charles Tupper, neck broken; James Blair, washed overboard; Percy Nolen, washed overboard. Tho surviving passengers are Herbert Simpson and Valentino Martin. Mr. Martin occupied tho same stato room with Mr. Nolan, and is much affected by his death. He says ho saw him shortly before the time when the steamer was pooped; he was on his way to tho forecastle, under the impression, it is supposed, that there was greater security thero than in the stern. "Mr. Martin left for Vera Cruz yesterday. It is liis intention to return by way of Aspinwall to his sheep farm in New Zealand, near Napier." Having read thus far, tho inspector laid down tho paper, and stroised his chin awhile with a meditativo air. "So tho young man is drowned, is he?" he 6aid, at length. "Tho account seems to look that way." "Do you mean there can be any doubt about it?" exclaimed the judge. "I don't say there is; and as a matter of course, judge, I recognize the sincerity of your attitude. Still, if 1 were interested in tho boy, I should think twice before I accepted this news as conclusive. Havo you heard anything personally?' "Nothing. This is all wo know, so far." "Well, you are aware that people reported drowned at sea sometimes have a way of coming to life again. The sea is a big place, and it's difficult to bo sure what becomes of a man in a heavy storm when everything's as black as pitch. Then again, young Nolen, you must admit, might find it convenient to havo it supposed ho was permanently out of tho way. He could start in under a now name, with very little fear of ever being interfered with, When this affair has blown over or been cleared up, ho might como back and all would bo right again. I don't say that is what has happened; I only say it might be so. And, considering that Mr. Martin was a friend of the family, it seems a littlo odd that ho shouldn't havo sent a letter giving a full account of tho affair. Ho must have known what a valuo tho mother and sister would have put upon it." "I hope with all my heart your theory may be the truo one," said the judge. "But I fear tho report is correct," he added, after a paused. "There can be no doubt about tho hurricane, nor that Percy was on the steffmer. There was no necessity of inventing a report of his death; ho would bo as safe in Mexico or New Zealand as at tho bottom of tho Atlantic. No, I'm afraid the poor boy is gone. And, as I was saying just now, I trust that no steps will bo taken today to blacken his memory. Tho cause of justice would not bo vindicated, and it would add a terrible pang to his mother's and sister's grief. Some consideration should bo shown to them." "Well, let us go down to tho court room," said tho inspector, rising and taking his hat. "I don't suppose any one wants to tramplo on a dead man? not even the woman ho was in love with." This surmiso proved partly correct On the case being called, counsel fortho plaintiff submitted that their client was disposed to abandon the prosecution. Tho court asked where tho prisoner was, and the report of his death was put in. The court observed that thojprisqner ap* peared to have intended forfeiting his bail, and was of opinion that the evidence of death was insufficient. But as the plaintiff wished to withdraw, and there was only a moderate presumption of guilt, the case would be adjourned pending confirmation of the report of death, when the question of estreating the bail would be decided. * [TO UK CONTINUED NEXT WEEK.] [ This stonj tvan commenced in No. 19. Hack number* %bill be fvxnUhedon application.] i . ; . ... - * By FBAM B. STOCKTON. . Author of "Rudder Grange," "Amos Kilbriglit," "The Bee Man of Orn," "The Christmas Wreck," "The Lady or the Tiger," "The Late Mr*. Null," "The Hundredth Man," "The Ciutlng Away of Mr*. Leeks and Mrs, Alesbine," "The DuMintcH," etc. ... [Copyrighted by P. F. Collier, of Collier's Once a Week, and published by special arrangement with hiin through tho American Press Association. All rights reserved.) Tho next motor bomb descended into the fishing village, tho comminuted particles of which, being mostly of light material, floated far out to sea. Tho detachment of artillerists who liad been deputed to man tho guns on the heights which commanded tho bay, had been ordered to fall back to the mountains as soon as if had been seen that it was not tho intention of the repeller to send boats on shore. The most courageous of the spectators trembled a little when tho fourth bomb was discharged, for it came farther inland, and struck the height on which the battery had been placed, removing all vestiges of the guns, caissons, and tho ledge of rock on which they had stood. THE STAMPEDE CAUSED BY THE MOTOR urmroa The motor bombs which the rcpeller was now discharging were of the largest size and greatest power, and a dozen moro of them were discharged at intervals of a few minutes. The promontory on which the fortifications had stood was annihilated, and the waters of the bay swept over its foundations. Soon afterward the head of the bay seemed madly rushing out to sea, but quickly surged back to fill the chasm which yawned at the spot where the village had been. The dense clouds were now upheaved at such short intervals that the scene of devastation was completely shut out from the observers on the hills, but every few minutes they felt a sickening shock, and heard a momentary and horrible crash and hiss which seemed to fill all the air. The instantaneous motor bombs were tearing up the seaboard, and grinding it to atoms. Ti ? ? ntUAM V\/"VW> lb Wild IlUlr yeb jl1uuu vvucii buo uviaibardment ceased. No more puffs of black smoke came up from the distant repeller, and the vapt spreading mass of clouds moved seaward, dropping down upon St. George's channel in a rain of stone dust Then the repeller steamed shoreward, and when she was within three or four miles of the coast she ran up a large white flag in token that her task was ended. This sign that the bombardment had ceased was accepted in good faith, and as some of the military and naval men had carefully noted that each puff from the repeller was accompanied by a shock, it was considered certain that all the bombs which had been discharged had acted, and that, consequently, no further danger was to bo apprehended from them. In spite of this announcement many of the spectators would not leave their position on the hills, but a hundred or more of curious and courageous men ventured down into the plain. That part of the sea coast where Caerdaff had been was a new country, about which men wandered slowly and cautiously with sudden exclamations of amazement and awe. There were no longer promontories jutting out into the sea; there were no liillocks and rocky terraces rising inland. In a vast plain, shaven and shorn down to a common level of scarred and pallid rock, there lay an immense chasm two miles and a half long, half a mile wide, and so deep that shuddering men could stand and look down upon the rent and riven rocks upon which liad rested that portion of tne Welsh coast which had now blown out to sea. An officer of the Royal engineers stood on tho seaward cdgo of this yawning abyss; then he walked over to the almost circular body of water which occupied the place where tho fishing village had been, and into which tho waters of tho bay had flowed. Wlien this officer re | turned to London ho wrote a report to j the effect that a ship canal, less than an eighth of a inilo long, leading from the newly formed lake at the head of tho bay , would make of this chasm, when filled by tho sea, the finest and most thoroughly protected inland basin for ships of all sizes on the British coast. But before this report received duo official consideration tho idea had been suggested and elaborated in a dozen newspapers. Accounts and reports of all kinds describing tho destruction of Caerdaff, and of tho place in which it had stood, filled tho newspapers of the world. Photographs and pictures of Caerdaff as it had been and as it then was wero produced with marvelous rapidity, and the earthquake bomb of tho American war syndicate was tho subject of excited conversation in every civilized country. ?. i n=? ? a. * . CAERDAFF AFTER THE BOMBARDMENT. Tho British ministry was now the calmest body of men in Europe. The great opposition storm had died away; tho grea.t war storm had ceased, and the wisest British statesmen saw the unmistakable path of national policy lying plain and open before them. There was no longer time for arguments and struggles with opponents or enemies, internal or external. There was even no longer timq,for tho discussion of measures. It was tho timo for tho adoption of a measure which indicated itself, and which did not need discussion. On tho afternoon of the day of the bombardment of Caerdaif, lvcpeller No. 11, accompanied by her crabs, steamed for tho English channel. Two days afterward thero lay off the coast at - ? ??hflj Brighton, with a wliito flag floating high above her, the old Tallapoosa, now naval mistress of the world. Near by lay a caBlo boat, and constant communication by way of France was kept up between the officers of the American syndicate and tlio repeller. In a very short timo .communications were openod between the repeller and London. When tliis last step became known to the public of America, almost as much excited by the recent events as the public of England, a great disturbance arose in certain political circles. It was argued that the syndicate had no right to nego uaie in any way witn ine government or England; that it had been empowered to carry on a war, and that if its duties in tills regard had been satisfactorily executed, it must now retire and allow the United States government to attend to its foreign relations. Buttho syndicate was firm. It had contracted to bring the war to a satisfactory conclusion. When it considered that this had been done, it would retire and allow the American government, with whom the contract had been made, to decide whether or not it had been properly performed. The unmistakable path of national policy wjhich had shown itself to the wisest British statesmen appeared broader and plainer when tho overtures of tho American war syndicate had been received by the British government. The ministry now perceived that tho syndicate had not waged war; it had been simply exhibiting tho uselessness of war as at present waged. Who now could deny that it would bo folly to oppose the resources of ordinary warfare to those of what might be called prohibitive warfare? Another idea arose in tho minds of tho wisest British statesmen. If prohibitive warfare were a good thing for America, it would be an equally good thing for England. More than that, it would be a better thing if only these two countries possessed the power of waging prohibitive warfare. In three days a convention of peace was conclhded between Great Britain and tho American syndicate acting for tho United States, its- provisions bemg made subject to such futuro treaties and alliances as tho governments of the two nations might make! with each other. In six days after the affair at Caerdaff a committee of the American war syndicate was in London, making arrangements under tho favorable auspices of tho British government for the formation of an Anglo-American syndicate of war. The Atlantic ocean now sprang into new life. It soemed impossible to imagino whence liad come the multitude of vessels which now steamed and sailed upon its surface. Among these, going westward, were six crabs, and tho spring armored vessel, once the Tallapoosa, going home to a triumphant reception,, such as had never before been accorded to any vessel, whether of war or peace. Tho blockade of the Canadian port, which had been effectively maintained without incident, was nowraised, and tho syndicate's vessels proceeded to an Ai lercan port. The British ironclad Adamant at the conclusion of peace was still in tow of Crab C, and off the coast of Florida. A vessel was sent down tho coast by the syndicate to notify Crab C of what had occurred, and to order it to tow tho Adamant to the Bermudas, and there deliver her to the British authorities. The vessel sent by the syndicate, which was a fast coast steamer, had scarcely hovo in sight of the objects of her search when she was saluted bv a ten inch shell from tho Adamant, followed almost immediately by two others. Tho commander of the Adamant had no idea that tho war was at an end, and had never failed, during his involuntary cruise, to firo at anything which boro the American flag, or looked like an American craft. Fortunately the coast steamer was not struck, and at tho top of her speed retired to a greater distance, whence the syndicate officer on board communicated with the crab by smoke signals. During the time in whicn Crab C had had charge of the Adamant no communication had taken place between the two vessels. Whenever an air pipe had been elevated for the purpose of using therein a speaking tube, a volley from a machine gun on tho Adamant was Eoured upon it, ana alter several pipes ad been shot away tho director or tho crab ceased liis efforts to confer with those on tho ironclad. It hail been necessary to place the outlets of tho ventilating apparatus of tho crab under the forward ends of some of the upper roof plates. When Crab C had recoivcd her orders the put about the prow of the great war ship, and proceeded to tow her northeastward. the commander of tho Adamant'taking a paruag crack with his heaviest stern gun at tho vessel wliich had brought tho order for his release. All the way from the American coast to tho Bermuda islands, the great Adamant blazed, thundered and roared, not only because her commander saw, or fancied ho saw, an American vessel, but to notify all crabs, repellers and any other viJo invention of the enemy that mav have been recently put forth to blemish tho sacred surface of the 6ea, that the Adamant still floated, with the heaviest coat of mail and the finest and most complete armament in the world, ready to sink anytliing hostile which came near enough?but not too near. When tlie commander found that he was bound for tho Bermudas ho did not understand it, unless, indeed, those islands had been captured by tho enemy. But he did not stop firing. Indeed, should he find the Bermudas under the American flag, he would fire at that flag and whatever carried it, as long as a shot or a shell or a charge of powder remained to him. But when he peached British waters, and slowly entering St. George's harbor, saw around him the British nag floating as proudly as it floated above his own great ship, he confessed himself utterly bewildered; but ho ordered the men at every gun to stand bv their piece until he was boarded by a boat from the fort and informed of tho true state of affairs. But even then, when weary Crab C raised herself from her fighting depth and steamed to a dock, tho commander of the Adamant could scarcely refrain from sending a couple of tons of iron into the beastly sea devil which had the impertinence to tow him about against his will. No time was lost by tho respective governments of Great Britain and tho United States in ratifying tho peace made through tho syndicate, and in concluding a military and naval alliance, the basis of which should be the use by these two nations, and by no other nations, of the instantaneous motor. The treaty was made and adopted with much more dispatch than generally accompanies such agreements between nations, for both governments felt the importance of placing themselves without delay in that position from which, by means of their united control of paramount methods of warfare, they might become the arbiters of peace. Tho desire to evolve that power which should render opposition useless had long led men from one warlike invention to another. Even* one who had cojtstructed a new kincl of gun, a new kind f nvm,,.. rxt- n nawr pvnlofiivo thought that he had solved the problem or was on his way to do so. The inventor of the instantaneous motor had dono it. The treaty provides that all subjects concerning hostilities between either or both of the contracting powers and other nations should be referred to a joint high commission, appointed by the two powers, and if war should be considered necessary, it should bo prosecuted and conducted by the Anglo-American war syndicate, within limitations prescribed by the high commission. The contract made with the new syndicate was of the most stringent order, and contained every provision that ingenuity or foresight of man could invent or suggest to make it impossible for tho syndicate to transfer to any other nation the use of tho instantaneous motor. Throughout all classes in sympathy with tho administrative parties of Great Britain and tho United States there was a feeling of jubilant elation on account of tho allianco and the adoption by tho two nations of tho means of prohibitive warfare. Tho public sentiment acted oven upon tho opposition; and tho majority of army and navy officers in tho two countries felt bound to admit that tho arts of war in which they liad been educated wero things of tho past. Of course there wero members of the army and navy in both countries who deprecated the new state of things. But tnero wero also men still living who deprecated tho abolition of tho old wooden seventyfour gun ship. A British artillery officer, conversing with a member of tho American syndicate at a London club, said to him: "Do vou know that you.mado a great mistake in the beginning ox your operations with tho motor guns? If you had contrived on attachment to tho motor which should have made an infernal thunderclap and a storm of smoke at the moment of discharge, it would have saved you a lot of money and time and trouble. Tho work of the motor on the Canadian coast was terrible enough, but people could see no connection between that and the guns on your vessel. If you could have sooner shown that connection you might havo saved yourselves tho trouble of crossing tho Atlantic. And, to prove this, one of the most satisfactory points connected with your work on the Welsh coast was the jet of smoke which came from tho repeller every time she discharged a motor. If it had not been for those jets I believe there would bo people now in the opposition who would swear that Caeraaff had been mined, and that the ministry were a party to it," "Your point is well taken," said the American, "and should it ever be neccs sary to aiscnarge any moro bom bewitch I hopo it may not bo?we shall take care to show a visible and audible connection between cause and effect." "The devil take it, sirt" cried an old captain of an English ship of the line, who was sitting near by. "What you are talking about is not war! Wo might as well send out a codfish trust to settle national disputes. In the next sea fight we'll save ourselves the trouble of gnawing and crunching at the sterns of the enemy. We'll simply send a note aboard requesting tho foreigner to be so good as to send us his rudder by bearer, which, if properly marked ana numbered, will be returned to him on the conclusion peace. This would do just as well ajP^ twisting it off, and save expense. N<? sir, I will not ioin you in a julep. I have mado no alliance over new fangled inventions! Waiter, fetch me some rum and hot water!" In the midst of the profound satisfaction with which the members of the American war syndicato regarded the success of tiieir labors?labors alike profitable to themselves and to the recently contending nations?and in the gratified pride with which they received the popular and official congratulations which were showered upon them, there was but ono little cloud, one regret. In tho course of the great syndicate war a life had been lost. Thomas Hutchins, while assisting in the loading of coal on one of the repellers, was accidentally killed by the failing of a derrick.. The syndicate gave a generous sum to the family of the unfortunate man, and throughout the United States the occurrence occasioned a deep feeling of sympathetic regret. A popular subscription, was started to build a monument to the memory of Hutchins, and contributions came not only from all parts of the United States but from many persons in Great Britain, who wished to assist in the erection of this tribute to tho man who had fallen in the contest which had been of as much benefit to their country as to.liis own. Some weeks after tho conclusion of the treaty a public question was raised, which at first threatened to annoy the American government, but it proved to be of little moment. An anti-adminisT>s%rtl^rrS11 n A *1r nCQCPfc/l llcttiuu papui ill X ^VA.V111V| IXZUk., uoovil^vi that in the whole of the published treaty there was not one word in regard to the fisheries question, the complications arising from which had been tne cause of the war. Other papers took up the matter, and the gpvernment then discovered that in drawing up the treaty the fisheries business had been entirely overlooked. There was- a good deal of surprise in, official circles when this discovery was announced; but as it was considered that the fisheries question was one which would take earo of itself, or be readily disposed of in connection with a number of other minor points which remained to be settled between the two countries, it was decided to take no notice of the implied charge of neglect, and to let the matter drop. And ua the opposition party took no real interest in the question but little more was said about it. "WHAT YOU ARE TALKINO ABOUT 18 NOT WAR!" Both countries wero too well satisfied withXhe general result to waste time or discussion over small matters. Great Britain had lost some forts and some ships, but theso would have been comparatively useless in the new system of warfare. On the other hand, she had gained not only the incalculable advantage of the alliance, but a magnificent and unsurpassed landlocked basin on the coast of Wales. The United States had been obliged to pay an immenso sum on account of the contract with the war syndicate, but this was considered money so well spent, and so much less than an ordinary war would have cost, that only the most violent anti-administration journals ever alluded to it. Reduction of military ana naval iorces and gradual disarmament was now the policy of tho allied nations. Such forces and such vessels as might be demanded for tho future operations of tho war syndicate wero retained. A few field batteries of motor guns wero all that would bo needed on land, and a comparatively small number of armored ships would suftico to carry tho motor girns that would be required at sea. Now thero would be no moro mere exliibitions of the powers of tho instantaneous motor bomb. Hereafter, if battles must bo fought, they would bo battles of annihilation. Tliis is tho history of the great syndicate war. Whether or not the AngloAmerican syndicate was ever called upon to make war, is not to be stated here. Hut certain it is that after the formation of this syndicate all tho nations of the world began to teach English in their schools, and the Spirit of Civilization j-aised her head with .1 confident smile. THE END. [This stori/ was commenced in No. 16. Unci: numbers will be furnished on application.] aar The way in which John Stuart Mill proposed to a lady who eventually became his wife, issald to have been as follows : "I.wish I had your head, Mr. Mill," remarked the young lady on an occasion when the gentleman had solved for her a knotty point. "I wish I had your heart," replied Mr. Mill. "Well," said the lady, "since your head and my heart agree so well, I am willing that we should go into partnership." And ' such was the result.