Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1872-10-11


way, but rather feel sorry for those who
live so far off," returned the other,
bending his tall figure earnestly for
ward.
Rosa leaned her pretty head towards
him in a confding attitude of interest,
and laughed; "0h, SO you are the peo-
pie, and wisdom is going to die with
you," said she. "But what do you do
out there in the heart of the universe ?''
''We dig gold for one thing, and raise
sheep for another-millions and mil
lions of them; from thirty to forty YES
sells are constantly plying to England
with the tallow and pressed WOOL"
"What do you do with all that NUT
ton ?" asked Rosa, looking idly at the
light in her ring, and then as idly at
the light in the speakers eyes.
owe use what we can,'' was the re-
ply; "and sometimes, am sorry to say,
we bury the fesh-not usually; but
sometimes an order will come to farm
er for thousand sheep if you please
and all he can do is to clip off the wool,
get out the fat, and bury the carcass
les."
"What pity the meat can't be sent
to the hungry poor at home! Why
don't somebody condense it as they do
the beef in Texas!" | said in my prac-
tical way.
''In good time l dare say somebody
will; but we can't do everything at
once" replied the New Zealander, look
ing with sudden interest at the game
of shuffle-board being played beside us.
Just then along came the ships sur
geon, blonde youth in uniform, with
his hair parted in the middle.
"Miss Armour" said he, ''the gun is
to be fired off at the bow; will you come
and see it done %
Miss Armour started up at once.
turning the same half-confding glance
and ready smile upon him she had been
giving us.
81 am going to leave my rug with
you; shall come back" said she, beam
ing over her shoulder upon me as she
took the surgeons arm and went away.
The New Zealander looked after her,
tried hard to console himself by draw
ing his wrap in another fold across his
knees, did not succeed, and fnally-get
up and went away. Of course it was
not worth his while to make himself
agreeable to middle-aged woman in
hood and waterproof. So I sat and
looked at the likeness of lake among
the sunset clouds, and tried to decide
whether I had better take oatmeal
Cruel or biscuit tea for my supper; Won
dering the while half unconsciously,
about the old chord in my memory
that was always being struck by GER
tain musical ring in the New Zealand
er's voice.
After an hour or so the gun was fir
ed and presently Miss Armour came
back, with the disorder of the strong
sea wind in her hair, and it's freshness
in her pretty pink cheeks.
'Tve come as [ said," she murmur-
ed, dropping at my feet again, and
smilingup, as though she had gotwhere
she best loved to be, just such smile
as she would have given to the stokers
down in the engine room, or to the
ships cat. But it was lovely to look
upon while it lasted; and we middle
aged people have learned to warm our
selves in any chance ray of sunlight,
without stopping to consider whether
it is likely to be perpetual.
This time the bit of sunshine did
not stay long, for there came up an ar
tist with his sketch book; and when
Miss Armour had sufficiently admired
his graphic pencilings of the captain
and the quartermaster, and the sea-sick
occupant of an upper berth, it was time
to throw the log; and so he bore her
off, to find out by her own eyes whe-
ther we were actually going at the rate
OF thirteen knots, or only twelve and
a half.
That was how the days went. The
passengers read and paced the deck,
played games or guessed riddles, and
were always hungry; the pilot stood
steady and firm at the wheel; the sal
lors ran up and down about the rigg-
ing like overgrown spiders, and were
forever securing and scrubbing, tying
and untying, drawing up and letting
down. Thus at last we had come safe
ly almost to our desired haven. With
fair sailing, we were only one day out
from port; and, fond as we had grown
to be of each other, we were getting
impatient to part.
Miss Armour, during all the voyage,
had kept as she had begun, beguiling
every one with her trick of lip and eve.
They ran after her like boys at the
string of a kite. Well, they had no
thing better to dojust then and when
she had faded out, as the rainbow fades,
L made no doubt she would be as east
ly forgotten, or only remembered as
midsummer's day-dream, by all, unless
it might be solitary, warm-hearte
man like the New Zealander. To tell
the truth, was little sorry for him.
Evidently, life had not brought him
all it might; and he was hungry for
the love and confidence that had never
been his. So [ was afraid he would
miss this little sparkle of girlhood and