The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-08-09
SHASTA, CAL, SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 1873.

of any one she loved THAT I couldn't; and
that it was drawer and nobler-deed than
saving ten mems lives. OE.TA
Would you-believe it? In the middle of
my abuse she suddenly burst into tears, and
instead of quarreling with me, throws her
self into my arms and sobs out,
-" Oh, Fred SO it was. Oh! never
thought of that !; and | told him Oh dear
oh dearl !" .ssssrs "a 80 .vi,ss,e e. =. :
al told him L never wished to see him
again, because he could never do, anything
brave enough to blot out the memory of
that dreadful, dreadful day. ssum sst
"And what did be say ?"ss s
He said, You never SHALL Oh, Fred,
Fred what shall i DOR 81 -.
do? Write and tell him you are very
sorry, and ask him to come back again"-a
piece of sensible advice at which Miss Hell
en- springs up dashes away her tears says,
Indignantly, THANK you, Fred, have not
quite lost my self.respect yet, even if your
friend has lost his and marches off to her
own room.
1 went back to my accounts, and finished
them.
Days and weeks slipped by. Our house
was hardly empty before | was off on,a Wis
it to the home of my beloved. Then the
hunting season began; the Hall was again
filled with guests, and in the constant round
of sport, merriment, and excitement must
confess that the little incident concerning
Ducie's departure escaped my mind. Meth
er did I notice the change in Helen g looks,
and how rapidly she was losing color, flesh,
and spirits, till she looked like the shadow
of her former self. You see, she never lost
her prettiness and then a certain little
maid was spending her Christmas with u.s.,
and that in itself was reason for not being
particularly observant of other women's APP
pearance.
Was it the day before Christmas-eve that
the governor told me Lord de Lame had
proposed to Helen and been refused 1
think so-lm not sure. Anyway, it was
that day that first noticed the girls white
face, and spoke to her of Ducie. Her sweet
eyes flashed up instantly, and she answered
" Would you like to have him here this
Christmas :" srN ssaa 3
MY dear, you told him never to come
again. a. sos sE
Then was wrong, for it is not my
house ALPHABETICALLY. as iais e.
/" You are mistress of it, and I'll have no
friends here whom the mistress cannot well
come" as1... .rr a
She blushed up high, put her hand on my
arm, and said, enthusiastically,
"All you friends are welcome to me,
Fred. Please write and ask him at once"
| did so. Shall / ever forget her face
when the answer came? Mr.. Ducie had
sailed for the Cape three days before, in the
royal mail steamship lamar. HE
We all know the end of that good vessel;
how she encountered hard weather of the
Azores; how she sprang a leak which no
pumping day and night could bring under !;
how the boats were hoisted out with Just
enough seamen to work the oars, the pas
sengers lowered into them one by one, wom-
en- and children first, men afterward, in perfect
discipline and order; and how, when all
were full, the captain, standing on the poop
deck, gave the last command to pull away
out of the vortex of the sinking ship and
the men in the boats, obeying, saw the gal
liant vessel, with captain, crew, and officers
standing hand in hand, brave and resolute
to the last, settle heavily down into the
deep trough of the waves, and disappear for
ever from mortal ken. s' -+~l
All me! all English hearts were thrilling
with the story in those days. 1t makes
mine ache now to recall it.
The boats reached the Azores in safety,
two days later, without having lost soul /;
but it was not for months. not till every in
quiry had been made, not till l had gone
down to Southampton myself, and interro-
gated the rescued passengers one by one,
that we heard how, when the boats were all
Fbut full, and there was only one passenger
to descend, one of the crew cried out in de-
spair, Oh, my little wife and child!" and
the passenger tall, dark eyed young man,
turned to him and said, !" Take my place
there is no one belonging to me at home,"'
and had stood by the captains side at the
last moment, and waved his hat to his
friends in the boats in CHEEKY good bye
j found out that sailor, and he gave me a
scrap of paper, which he said the gentleman
had torn from his pocket-book and given
him as he went over the side. 8 1t was to
Helen, and contained these words sTssl o.
"God bless you. have earned my right
to meet you again-in heaven at least -
II nr-crr