The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1872-08-06
THE DISCARDED DAUGHTER.
OR
CAPTAIN JOHNS COURTSHIP.

nNE cod, wet morning in November,
~ 1856 Captain John Burrill, master of
the fast-sailing clipper ship Dreadnought,
left his vessel at her pier on South street,
at the port of New York, and started for
his lodgings in the upper part of the city.
Although the rain was descending heavily,
the captain, who had contemptuous dis
dain for umbrellas, wrapped his greatcoat
tightly about him, and as he trudged brave
ly forward over the glistening pavements,
plunged his hands deep into his wide pock-
cts and lost himself at once in profound
among the busy thoughts which fingered in
his contemplative brain, those of his lady
love should occupy, just at that time,
prominent place, somewhat to the exclu-
sion of moral reflections and business
schemes. For Captain BulTill was in love,
and surely was scarcely to be blamed if his
mind during most of his leisure moments,
did chiefly run upon the stately beauty
whom he had asked to become his wife, and
who had graciously accepted his hand and
lOlbuilt3 llOlhibtu W MN WlJllu
the month Captain John, remembering
his early days as cooks scullion, and his
subsequent success, achieved by unremit-
ting exertion and his own merit, could
hardly help wondering how it came about
that from the foot of the ladder he should
so soon find himself at the top, and how
fifteen short years could so metamorphose
him from pitiful mixer of "lob-scouse"
to a captain of a ship and possessor of an
independent fortune. TO be sure, the lat
ter had fallen upon him like golden thun-
derbolt, launched by distant relative who
had taken a whim to leave him most of her
money, and now that the captain came to
think the matter over, he began to wonder
whether, had it not been for the latter
streak of luck, Jacob Marshall's daughter
would have accepted him. 1t did not seem
to him that she cared for him in the way
he had seen some sailors sweet-hearts care
for their beaux, but then she was proud
and aristocratic, and Captain John, being a
seafaring man, concluded that, as lie knew
so little of such things, he had best trouble
himself about them as little as possible.
"She's grand young woman" thought
he, "and I'm thrty-fve-too old to expect
her to play sweet on me much. l suppose
it's all right. She's handsome girl and
better suited 70 me than a younger one
would be.n ...4ta.
Since the arrival of the vessel he had
made the Marshall mansion his home, and
had thus been able to pay his attentions at
short range. He had done this at the earn
est invitation of old Jacob Marshall himself,
who owned the ship, and who had been
particularly polite to Captain John since
the lattor found his pocketsso unexpectedly
full of money. Thrown thus into the con-
slant company of q beautiful woman, the
captain, to whom, through all his life, a
woman had been rara aois, fell Immediate
ly and irrecoverably in love. The result
was an engagement though whether
Marion Marshall cared most for his heart or
his pocket, the captain found himself in
considerable doubt. And so the wedding
day had dbeen fixed, aud Captain John had
begun to debate in his mind whether he
could find il in his heart to give up his ship
and see her sail out Of port In command of
oanother master, or whether he could not
persuade Marion Marshall to marry him,
ship and all. ~, ,,s.i.
Thinking deeply Of these things, he took
his way steadily toward Peck Slip, with his
eyes fastened upon the shining sidewalk