The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-07-01
The Uqseen Witness,

The good ship Americus, engaged in the
East India merchant service, was on her
homeward passage. Her crew were jubi-
liant at the prospect of soon reaching
home; but probably no one aboard the
ship was in better spirits than the skip
pers pretty daughter, Mabel Stanford,
who had accompanied her father on this
voyage.
When, suddenly, like thunderbolt
from clear sky, dark cloud of wrongs
end sufferings; which had been hanging
over the ship, broke upon them in all its
terrible power, sending broken hearts and
death into their midst, chilling the hopes Of
the crew and driving the captain and his
daughter nearly distracted with grief.
Mabel Stanford was the general fayorite
of that ships company. None could help
liking and admiring her pleasant ways;
and she, all unconscious of the fearful web
she was 50 innocently weaving, did her
best to make the voyage pleasant.
Among Miss Stanford's most ardent ad-
mrers, and one whom she seemed espec-
tally to favor, was the second mate, young
Frank Haywood, who loved her with all
his heart.
1t was whispered among the crew that
they would make fine match; but the
skipper did not look upon the would be
union in that light; and it was generally
known that he would prefer the first mate,
Warren Gregg, who was also a suitor for
his daughters hand.
Warren Gregg, the first mate, was a
man not far from thirty, who had fol-
lowed the sea from his boyhood, and was
considered frst-class seaman. He was a
little below medium height, with stout,
thick-set frame, and frank, open features,
which greatly belied his true disposi-
ton.
This was his second trip as mate of the
Americus; and though he had succeeded
in winning the god will of the captain,
he was generally disliked by the crew for
) his naughty and overbearing ways. That
he loved Miss Stanford with all the ardor
, of which his nature was capable, there was
no doubt; and it is perhaps needless to
say that he looked upon the attention the
manly, handsome Haywood paid her with
anything but pleasure. In fact he was
mad with jealousy; and the opportunity
only was wanting for his pent-up passion
to break forth into torrent of hatred
and vengeance.
However, he had so managed to govern
his actions that no one dreamed of the
fierce mental conflict which was racking
his brain.
, Affairs were at this state-Miss Mabel
openly receiving the attentions of Hey
wood, while her father and brother, the
supercargo, were silently working to bring
, about different result. and Gregg still
trying to win her from his rival, his
passion growing fercer and fercer as his
. case grew more hopeless, till plans for re
vengeful triumph went fitting through
his brain, ready to be tried in case fail
means should fail-when an incident oc-
cured which tended to bring about an es.
arrangement between the captain and his
daughters lover.
It had been the aim of the unscrupulous
Gregg from the first to bring about O
quarrel between the captain, Or his sor
Lewis and Haywood Thus he was con.
: tinually embittering the minds of bott
against the young mate, until at last hi:
, object was accomplished.
! Haywood and young Stanford had ar
open quarrel, brought about by tn,
! shrewd Vaccinations Of, the first mate, who
5 had caused the hot headed supercargo tt
accuse the other Of stealing ring he haG
mysteriously lost, which of course quickly
> aroused the temper of the latter, when 9
hot discussion followed that would hav.
no doubt ended in blows if some of th'
: crew had not interfered.
Thesympathies ofthe captain in this guar
rel were with his son; and those of Mabe
with her lover, whom she did not considel
} at all to blame. -
Itwas not far from the middle of til,
night following the quarrel between Hey
J wood and Stanford; and, save the gentl,
moaning of the wind through the rigging
J and the ripping Of the water as the shil
) ploughed on her course, all was silent a.
death, when the helmsman, peering ou
t with straining eyes into the impenetrablt
gloom of the black expause bevoud. VA