The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1870-11-22

win Never mind what 1 told you, for
the present" And the captain followed
the boy into the sanctum, while we await
ed the result. In minute afterwards he
put his head out at the door, with the
strangest look on his face that I had ever
seen mortal man wear.
Wightman you and Bill, pass John
Merrill's chest down the stairs, right into
this room"
We obeyed the order, and set our burden
down at his feet. But the lad was not to
be seen as we looked about u.s.
"That'll do. You can 60 on deck, now
LII talk with you again, soon." And the
door was closed between us and the mys-
terry.
1t was half an hour before Captain Soule
came up, and ordered the search continued.
When he came to Toms chest, he over
hauled it very carefully but it was, appar-
entity emptied to the bottom, without find
ing any stolen property. But, still unsatis-
fed, he stood it up on end, thumped it
heavily, and threw it bottom up. A false
bottom was dislodged and fell out, followed
by various missing articles.
A general cry of indgnation.was raised,
and strong disposition was manifested to
lynch California Tom. But Mr.. Baldwin
took upon himself the Office of execution
Ell, this time with good will.
81 always felt it in my bones that John
Merrill was innocent" said he to Captain
Soule "and when it came to stripping his
shirt, hadn't, somehow, any heart to do
| it."
"Pm glad you didn't succeed in doing
it," was the reply. "I couldn't have flog-
ged him II he had been guilty; nor could
you either"
How SO, sirr -
"Do you think you could lay the cat on
the back of a0Onsan ?'
That comical look of the captains was
reflected, nay multiplied, tenfold, in the
rough face Of the old mate.
woman?' he gasped out, "John
Merrill? ?"
cay, a woman, Mr.. Baldwin. Annie
Carroll is her name, now"
sir?"
'Do with him? With her, you mean;
put him or put her, or it, ashore, of course
as soon as l make port We must give
her state-room, in the cabin, and have her
to wear such dress as belongs to her SEX"
Well-well-" said Mr.. Baldwin, re-
fectively; "I never had anything to bring
me up with round-turn like that" Then
bright idea seemed to have struck him,
and he demanded triumphantly, " Where's
y0atr clothes TO dress her IN F'
"She's got all her dry goods in her chest
ready to wear"
"What? In John Merrills chest, do
you mean?"
or course. Whose else should mean?
That's why he-she, mean-always kept
1t locked and was SO secret about it,"
shall not spend time to tell how we
talked the matter over in the forecastle
that night, and compared notes, and went
back to every little incident of the outward
passage, that might be supposed to have
any bearing upon this astounding discoy-
cry. Of course, there were those ready to
say they had guessed the truth months ago:
but venture to say, that not a man on
board the Amphion had the slightest suspi-
cion OF the truth, until it was revealed to
Captain Soule, as Ihave related. And how
much longer we might have been in the
dark, but for the attempt to fog her, it is
difficult to say.
John Merrill stood no more watches on
board the Amphion, nor went to the mast
head. But Annie Carroll, beautifulyoung
lady, save that she wore her hair rather too
much an 9GrcOn, sometimes steered q trick
at the wheel when she felt in the humor,
until our arrival at Calloa, where she be-
came, when her story was known, the he
roine, the lioness of the hour. A passage
home was secured for her; and she took
leave of us all, with no desire, as she CON
fessed, to follow any further the profession
of sailor.
1t was the old, old story. An orphan, a
harsh, guardian, and on attempt to force
her into marriage with one she disliked.
A madcap scheme, in which she had en-
barked from wayward impulse, and per-
sisted in because she hardly knew how or
when to retreat. And we were forced to
admit, when we reviewed all the circumstan-
ces, that she had nobly sustained the doub-
lie character and had preserved all the
finer attributes of her sex, while she laid
aside its apparel. =.
And will it be wondered that she iosSher
heart while on board the AmphionP Not
to me for of course, was but a boy in
her eyes. But when last saw John Mer-
rill, he was Mrs. Captain Wightman, and
still claimed to be, if not the boldest seaman;
the best helmsman, at least, of the family
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