Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-07-01

A SAILORS YAEH.

The Captains wife and daughter
generally accompanied him In his voy-
ages The latter was one of those sweet
creatures that one cannot see without
admiring, and one cannot admire with
out loving. You may easily suppose,
then, from the numerous opportunities
which circumstances gave me OF meeting
and conyersing with her, that it was not
long before 1 began TO feel more than
ordinary pleasure and interest in her
society. But / soon discovered the
hopelessness of any feelings beyond es-
TEEN for her virtues. and respect for her
person. for we had not been above
week at sea. when saw tokens OF 20
eiprocsl attachment between her and
Tom Truehold. Nothing particular oc Z
CURED during our voyage. One alter
noon, as / was walking On the deck,
TruehoId came up TO me, In a state of
great agitation, and told me that the
Captain had Just ordered him out of the
cabin.
I asked him what he meant.
After few minutes he told me that
he and the Captains daughter had long
cherished an affection for each other;
aud that he had Just asked her fathers
permission to marry her when we ar
rived again in port. On hearing which
the Captain had flown into a violent
passion, and ordered him TO go on deck,
never TO enter his cabin IN future, and
never to dare to mention the subject to
him again. sf
Iu the meantime the Captain had
called his daughter into his cabin, and
told herewith a threat of solitary con-
finement In case of disobedience-never,
under any circumstances, TO allow any
communication to take place between
her and Truehold, uni IS In his own
presence, which she-too well knowing
the infiexihIe natHro of her father to
think lightly of his threats-for some
time tried to obey.
For the first month or six weeks of
our voyage, the painful injunctions of
the Captain were, to sill appearances,
strictly observed by his daughter and
Truehold. But the effects OF so terri
BILE struggle in her heart were soon
evident; and, in spite of all that both
the Captain and his wife could do to
cheer their daughter, her spirit sunk,
the rudy tinge disappeared from her
cheeks, and she gradually dropped, till
at length the slender thread of her ex-
istence seemed all but broken. In all
his anxiety for her-fOrthe Captain real
ly loved his daughter-perhaps it never
entered into his mind that her illness
was only the result of his own unnatural
severity; nor did she disclose to her
mother the secret that preyed upon her
heart, and beneath which she was sink
ing.
We had been at sea about six weeks,
as said, when one night, after having
been relieved from my watch, remain
ed for some time walking the deck, adj
miring the beautiful scenery of the skies
above me. After having remained a
short time In conversation with True
hold, who took charge of the watch,
babe him goodnight. and went below to
my berth; but, feeling rather disin-
chned for sleep, sat down, and, taking
up a volume which lay by me, COM
menced reading. / had not read above
fifteen or twenty minutes, when / mag
ined heard a slight sound like the
opening of door. l listened for few
seconds, but hearing nothing more /
again turned to my book. After the
space of about five minutes. was again
startled by creaking noise like the
opening OF another door, which, from
the direction, knew to come from the
Captains berth. Surprised, atten-
lively listened, putting out my light TO
avoid drawing attention TO me, and i'm
mediately heard heavy foot cross the
cabin, aud cautiously proceed toward
the stair, as if for the purpose of going
on deck. With a noiseless step / left
my berth, and on reaching the bottom of
the stair saw the Captain crouching
within the shade Of the pinnacle, appar-
emily watching something en- deck AZ
ter asmement he sprang forward, ex-
claiming
cha, you villainl have caught you
them
Alarmed and wondering what this
could mean, instantly followed; and
on reaching the top of the stair / saw
him grasping Truehold by the collar,
while his daughter was clDging to his
knees Ill terror and supphcation.
Get up! said the Captain, address
ing his daughter, and spurning her
from him. sect up shall put stop
to your moonlight designations for the
future. Go; get below with you, Up,
up, tell7youp' he cried with increasing
wrath, as she still chung to his knees.
Sand you, sir" he continued, adj
dressing TTuehold, Il shall take care
you don't neglect your duties any
more. From this moment consider
yourself discharged from all response
bility On board the ship. Go below, sir;
go below to your berth, or / shall send
you down in chains.
ooh, father % exclaimed his daueh-
ter, in wild and beseeching tone; ..ch,
father ~ - .-.....-..r, - s-l' o
..Silence ~ he cried, interruping her
--fiercely, seizing her by the ARM and
7is dragging Ter after him. Il have long
tried to catch you at your midnight
meet ings, and have succeeded at last. .
+" For Heavens sake, Captain, said
Truehold, .unable to restrain his feel2
ings any longer, ''do not Use your in
nocent daughter so harshly."
WHAT cried the Captain, still
more fiercely, ''whatl will you dare to
interfere? Go; get you below this in
stantl''
II viii not sir" replied Truehold,
firmly.