The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-09-19 00:00:00

A MELANCHOLY STORY.

On a steamboat leaving the wharves of New York,
Just before the boat started, a pretty girl of perhaps
seventeen or eighteen stepped aboard and secured a
berth to Boston. Her manner was easy and 1e1f.1,00-
sessed ; yet a certain audacious sauciness in her
splendid brown eyes, the jaunty way in which she wore
her fashionable cavalier hat, her independent air, and
a nameless suggestion of mischief which appeared to
lurk in every movement arrested the observer's atten-
tion, and seemed to indicate that she was proficient
beyond her years in the world's knowledge. Her
dress was rich and exquisitely becoming, but with no
attempt at conspicuous ornament. Her hair was
of the same rich brown colour as her eyes, and
fell down to her waist, resting as lovely on her
fair young shoulders as if each separate hair were en-
dowed with electric life. In lees than ten minutes
every lady on board was her avowed enemy, and not
at all afraid to let it be known; but she chattered on
in her rollicking way, regardless of smiles or frowns
—apparently the irredeemable devotee of thoughtless-
ness and folly. We were all on deck shortly after tea
admiring the sunset which flooded the sea and sky
with a transforming splendour as it bore us from our
native shores. It was a gay company; not a sad face
could be found amon,oit us all. The too intenseheat of
the day had subsided and a soft breeze had sprung up;
to breathe the air was in itself an inspiration. Our
irrepressible and too confiding young lady passenger was
there, and her childish laugh rang out above the rest.
She had selected the good-natured captain and one or
two of his officers as the special objects of her flippant,
though by no means vicious, raillery; and they per-
mitted it, partly from an acquired habit of affability
towards all passengers, and partly because they were
amused by her irreeistible vivacity. The lady passengers,
of course, shunned and kept aloof from her as from a
noxious raison, as if her very contact would breed
pestilence. The gentlemen did likewise to a
great extent, more, I believe' from a tender regard
for feminine opinion than from any considerable
instinct of horror. Suddenly the smile died on
her lips, and her face became inexpressibly sad
and earnest, and she gazed far out across the
water. Her attitude and expression as she stood
thus formed a picture which will never fade in my
memory ; she looked so innocent, au childlike, and so
intensely sorrowfuL In a moment she turned to the
captain, with something of her old manner. Reaching
up her delicate white bands, she took hold of his
abundant whiskers on each side of his face, as the
reader has seen a petted daughter caress her father,
and, looking up into his face, asked with great solem-
nity, " Did you ever want to die, captain." "Well,
no, my child," he replied, somewhat surprised at
her changed manner. I can't say that I ever
had a great desire to die." "And if you had such
a desire, what would you do ?" "Oh, in that case,"
said he, as he loosed her hands and turned away,
"I think, as it would be the most available method, I
should jump overboard and drown myself." Scarcely
had he finished speaking, when she whirled past, put
one hand on the railing, and leaped into the sea. The
whole movement was so instantaneous that it was im-
possible for any one to anticipate or prevent it. A cry
of horror went up from those who saw the movement.
Some stood transfixed and unable to move, while
others hurried about in confused excitement. 'The cap-
tain halthe boats lowered and manned almost instantly.
A moment afterher disappearance she came to the sur•
face. There was nothing scared in her expression, and
she made no struggle to save herself. ' I saw her
. . .

face distinctly," says the correspondent who describes
this unrecorded scene for the first time, 'as she came
up, and fancied I could detect in it the same sorrowful
look it had worn a few moments before; though even
that expression could not wholly deprive it of a certain
jaunty grace which became it well. It was only a
momentary glimpse which we had of her, for she dis-
appeared just as the first boat touched the water.
She was gone for ever, and with her all clue to her
identity. Her berth was secured in a feigned name.—
Court Journal.