Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-07-24
THE HERALD.
OUR PASSENGER.

Gus articles. On board we're four
teen passengers, and, take them all
in all, pleasanter lot | never steered
across the stormy sea-
There were three old gentlemen,
who were going TO share their fort
unes, come what might, and which,
poor old souls, they seemed to think
fashioned in the brightest colors, long
before the English Channel was out
OF sight. 3
Then there was a solitary old gen.
tleman who, judging from the tone
OF bis conversation, was seeking the
new world for the ostensible purpose
Of finding faul. with it,
There were two young married
couples, all full Of hope and activity,
bent uron making a new home far
away from their native land.
There was also very jolly elderly
brother and sister, neither of whom
had ever entered into the bonds OF
matrimony, but instead had stuck to
each other through life.
There were three old Australian
settlers, who had been over to have
peep at the old country, and who
were now returning to the land which
to them, through long communion,
had become the dearest of all others,
"home, sweet home !"
Lastly, though not least, there was
a solitary passenger, who soon be-
came the pet of all on board. He
was man of about 2s years of age,
possessing very clear complexion,
a very handsome, long, flowing beard
and a very silky moustache.
His name was Reginald Moore.
His given reason for taking this sea
voyage was the delicate state OF bis
health. There was not the least
doubt that the poor fellows chest
was affected, for his voice, though
charmingly sweet, was one OF the
weakest | ever remember hearing
and it had certain hollowness in its
sound that in my mind is invariably
associated with that terrible disease
commonly termed consumption. He
always wore a thick muller round
his neck to protect his throat and
chest.
In all my experience-and il has
been a pretty wide one--I never
knew anyone to win so many friends
and such undivided esteem, in sc
short a time, as Reginald Moore
There was not, | believe, a sailor or
board who did not entertain the
warmest possible liking for him.
AZ for the passengers, they never
seemed so happy as when listening
to his amusing anecdotes, of which
he seemed to possess an inexhaustible
store. And this delicate young Eng
lish paragon of passengers had made
this conquest over all our hearts be.
fore we had been three weeks at sea
lie was, too, such clever fellow
with his hands. He could cut and
shape you anything out of piece OF
wood, from an oyster to an elephant,
and, at making models of ships he
never met his equal. He was, be.
sides, such a kind and considerate
fellow toward fellow. passengers.
When the three elderly gentlemen,
who imagined their fortunes made,
were afflicted with sea. sickness, he
was the first 10 come forward and
help them about while they slowly
recovered. He would insist upon
their taking his arm, weak as he was
himself, and he would lead them
about on deck with firmness that
spoke volumes in favor of his "sea
legs"
do not remember any voyage
ever passing so quickly as the one
when the pleasant passenger was on
board. l could, with infinite pleas
ure, make long pause at this juno
ton in the thread of my story, to
dwell upon the pleasant memories |
still retain of Reginald Moore.
We were within weeks sail of
Melbourne. Reginald Moore had all
but completed a model of the Janet's
Pride, which he proposed presenting
10 me the night before we landed.
Now he worked at this model prin-
cipally on deck, and, strangely
enough, he had chosen for a work
table the top Of one of the empty
water casks that stood on deck, ahait
aud under the shelter OF the bull
warks.
While he worked through the day
You were sure to see him surrounded
by some OF the passengers or sailors.
The amount OF industry displayed
was truly wonderful, for he was in
variably at work in the early morn
ing, long before any of the other
passengers dreamt of turning out of
their snug berths.
As have already said, we were
but six days sail from Melbourne.
For the first time in our experience
of him the pleasant passenger APP
peared at the dinner table with sol.
emn, downoast expression of the
face, and a silent tongue. Before
dinner was over | asked him what
troubled his mind and caused this
unhappy change in his wonted cheer.
full manner.
Att first he tried to evade my
queries by replying it "was nothing
in particular )" but l pressed him
persistently until | won from him an
explanation.
7 "Perhaps, after all" he said, sit is
only fair that | should explain mat
tiers. The fact ofthe matter is, my
watch has been stolen"
"S,olenw we exclaimed in a
breath.
"Undoubtedly,' he answered, "but
Iprfy You, Captain"-here he turned
to mel pray you say not one word
about it, The only thing that rem
ders the loss of consequence to me is
the fact it once belonged TO my poor
mother. On that account alone
would not have lost it for any
amount of money. However, it can.
not be helped, and, therefore, it is
useless to cry over split milk, as the
| old a1aoe has il Nv only reoues,