Daily Kennebec journal., 1875-08-19
NO. 1856.
Gales aud Sketehes.
From the Chambers journal.
A TURN IN FORTUNE-A TYPHOOy Avn
THE LUCK IL BROUGHT,

1.-The time is short now, Harry, nv boy.
The captains on the bridge; steam we'll
up; and the men ready to cast off the
moorings at word; I'll leave Dora and
you alone for bit but you must curtail
your devastating, warn you, for it would
never do for myself and the girl to be car
ried off to Alexandria, or even as far as
Gib"-So saying, bluff, good-natured DR..
Davenport, whose own best days had been
spent on blue water as the sea-going sur
geon of this or that frigate, turned on his
heel and walked toward the helm.s.
Dora's trustful, fearful eyes met mine.
"Oh, Harry, come back soon to me ~
she murmured with trembling lips; "and
ah dear, take care OF yourself in that
strange land that you are going to. l
have heard such dreadful things And
she paused. sobbing sg@a esft Ra
Dreadful things, / am sure" said !,
laughing, as l pressed her little hand,
'about Japan and its two-sworded gen.
try, that chop Europeans to mince meat
Don't fear for me, my darling remember
that the country is not strange to me. l
talk the language, after q fashion, and
have found the natives, on the whole, a
decent sort of people when fairly dealt by.
Come, we'll both look forward, cheerily,
to the time when, in three short years or
so, you and cam s9
There goes the bell: now for the
Shore" cried the Doctor, hurrying up and
drawing his daughters arm within his
own, in the midst of general hustle and
confusion, "May God bless you lad, and
send you safe back. Now Dora"
There were other partings than ours
taking place at that moment on the deck
of the Alcestis, 2. and o. steamer, out
| ward bound, from ampton-partings
between weeping wives and the bronzed
husbands, going out again to- India, and
whom. perhaps, they might never zee
again; between parents and children,
friends and brothers, but, so far a. /
know, of no affianced lovers, save our two
young selves. It was wrench to the
heart-strings, although tried at the time
to make light of IL. or to seem to do SO,
that sad "goodby." but it was soon over.
Those who had come on board to bid
farewell to outgoing passengers were
hustled back over the plank that led over
to the quay the plank was Withdrawn,
the ropes cast off.
go on ahead, there! Keep her away!
Half speed!" and amid the waving of hats
and handkerchiefs. off went the swift
steamer, bound for the East. @
The story. up to this point, lies in nut
shell. l-Henry, more commonly styled
Harry Harland had been at an early age
sent to sea, first as midshipman to an In
diaman, and then as mate, and had
worked my way on to be first officer of
more than one fine vessel trading in the
China seas. l was twenty nine when |
came back from Japan, and taking holi-
day to visit my old grandmother, the last
survivor of my immediate relations, at
Rose Bank, Clevestead, Somersetshire,
fell in love with Dora Davenport, the Doc
tors youngest daughter, and found my
love returned. What was to be d0nep l
had nothing but my own exertions to de-
pend. and could rarely count on earning
more than f200 year. Dora was as
poor as she was good and pretty.
The honest Doctor had five children to
maintain, and could spare US never six
pence toward our future housekeeping
Nor had | any OF those testamentary pros
poets which brighten the rugged road of
many needy man My grandmother,
good. kind soul, could leave me nothing
Her tiny income, an annuity, bought years
ago with the relies and scrapings of our
former property, of course died with her
our day, estated country gentlemen.
though the acres had been few, and IL took
but one spendthrift owner of the Grange
to bring the lands to the auction mart
How was to marry Dora could not
find it in my heart to condemn the dear
girl to life of privations, in some seaport,
on the meager subsistence to be derived
from drawing" monthly portion of my
modest pay 1t seemed 10 be better, by
far better, to forsake the sea for time,
and to settle down in some well-remuner-
ated foregoing employment, at the other
side of the world. For such post, habit,
Joined with some aptitude for picking up
foreign tongues, and appreciating outland-
ish customs, qualified me fully well. For
four months had kept the books of firm
at Hong Kong, and my employers were
sorry to part with me, and more than once
wrote to say that the ''gO-down" coolies
had never been so tractable, or the "hong"
so regularly in working order since my
departure. Then, for a long space, had
commanded a Chinese Clyde-built steamer,
the FREELY, and only left her when found
that the pig-tailed owners expected their
Captain to combine a little piracy and ar
son with spice of smuggling, where
had looked for nothing but legitimate
trade. Fortunately, an old friend of my
fathers had recommended me to the no.
tice of wealthy English firm. Parker &
Mills, lately established in japan, and
were willing to bid high for really trust
worthy clerk. capable of transactlng busi-
ness with suspicious native customers, and
of concliating the proud and jealous feudal
lords, whose bare word could at any mo-
ment paralyze foreign commerce in the
lesser isle.
The liberal salary, and still more, the
prospective partnership, proffered by Par
Aer 4 Mills, proved irresistible temp,a-
lions to a man in my position. As man
aging clerk should receive, in English
money, nearly fi0O year; and hopes
were held out to me- should l succeed in
raising the yearly receipts of the firm to
sufficient amount, that in "about' three
years might be allowed TO share in the
profits. But to secure this appointment
ment, it was absolutely necessary that
should be at Nagasaki on November, OF
the current year. period when, by local
custom, accounts are squared, balances
are paid, and good deal of cash changes
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