Osage Valley banner. (Tuscumbia, Miller County, Mo.) 1879-1881, 1879-10-23
CAPTAIN STORES.
fCinoInnatl ssar.I

took long look. Far oE. black against the
silvety horiEoD-line, that shapelesa speek
showrd What was IL Captain Storus' pro-
longsd survey ended. be slowly dropped hia
glass, and turoed TO Mr.. Scott, the mate.
4 knew I was right he said; 'it is q
wreck, dismantad hulk, drifting about at
the mercy OF Wind And sea. There may be
no one lsft aboard bat veil bear down and
have look
And then oAptAin storms lifted up his voice
--A atentorian voice II wse--anl gave the
i proper ordeEs TO tbe man At The masthead,
| or at the helm, or eOlnowherc---I don't know
exActiy. would tell you the precise words
which Captain Storms used on this occasion.
n.dsleHI sSsis Iistsses. @ 50 yon 6ave to DO con-
| tent with learning that the gallant barb, ,tha
| Lovely Lase. bore straight down upon that
dark mass, outlined against the sunny sky.
Captain Stotms leaned over. the side aud
| Iit q cigar. lie was q broDzed yOung man,
stAlwart and gallant Es / take Il you sailor
men mostly are; and no looked the very beau
ideal OF dashing sesnan, In bis otf'hAnd
| seaiaripg costume, He had beard, and he
had a rnustaehe, big aud brown, like himself;
and from the crown OF his glszed hat 10 the
sole OF biz boots, Captain Storms was aSailor,
every ipch OF hun.
1 IHN Lovely LhkH OOrN 0OHn hlONK Tue
/ sunlit trOpie sea and reached that floating
wreck. Captain Storms was the first man 20
| leap Aboard, the tirst man 10 hear a moaning
/ CRY Oft iains human voice. No living thing
was 10 be- seen; but from q corner Of the deck
that faint, plAintve cry walled.
There's some ono alive here still.r said
Captain Storms. "Speak friend! Who are
| youi Where are youi"
Aealn that unspsakAbly mourniul vail
Capisin Storms strobe Across to where L
heap OF torn canvass and rotten wood lay,
/ and looked down. There in the garlsh sun
shine with her face upturned 10 the serene
sky. . womsn lay dead. Crouchlng over her,
skeleton child, with lopg wild hair, sat
making that feeble moan OF dumb agony.
"My childi" Captain Storms said piuiully
-''my child what Is thisi"
The ghSstly little creature lifted 4 blood.
lese face and q pair OF hugRarc eyes.
| "M0thor's denoi"
my poor little GIRL" said the sailor bend
ing over her As tenderly ss that dead mother
could bsve doue, 'yon must come with me,
or you viii die, too. Comtl"
She rote up--A irail little shadow of ten
years--and held up her skeleton ArmF.
"Peace'is hnnRTy." she cried, piieoutly,
'PeAee Is sick and cold, aud mothers dead
And theu, Aa the strong arms lifted her Is
though che had been wsx dolL the blue
eyes elossd wesriy, and the weak baby
1 ufhNily hEhlUht his pfthstt ana nun
yer. and aickness, and cUld, and dea,h were
all biotted out In blind darkness.
Atd for weaFy dave spd weary nights
while the Lovely Lass sailed along the
southern seas, and the dead woman lay quiet-
~ under the great PscHc--the little rescued
wall Icy hu'tering between death and life
Aud dufing these endless days and DighIP,
the big snn.brOwned sailor watched over hit
llttie girl rs father --nsy, as mother
might have done, until the Auuering spirit
ceased its struggles and grew calm N
Atrenglh and health once more.
| Little Paace--her name wss Prifcilla Weir
she said. Peece for short--come up on decl
by-snd-oy, pale and weak still. and lispec
her story 10 the soft hearted sailor.
There had been = great s'ofm-ot, I
dreadful slOrml" Peace said. With ehudder
aod they went away in boAis--all the mel
did--and mumms was sick down In the cabin
and left behind; and Peace stayed viii
mamma, and was lett behind tho. And thei
mamma came upstairs on deck, and died
and Peace sobbed. and was so i'll. 20 coloi snt
,hen you came, " looking gratefully at thi
captain, "and Peace doesn't remember any
| MORE"
Does my little Peace know where mammI
came from, and whore she was golDgf" Cap
tain Storms atkAd.
"Yes, Peace knows. Nsmma came from
New York, aLd was going to China 70 papa
Papa lived In China and was rich"
But that was all she could tell; and Cap
tain Storms knew that among all the unlikely
things on thia earth. the most unlikely nov
was that pspa and hIs little girl would eve
meet.
The Lovely Lass spept nine long month
on the Pacific coast, and then sailed back 10
America.
"And shall leKye my little Peace behind
next voyage" Captain Storms said.
Il have Sister who keeps school in PhIls
delphia,a fashionable young indies aeAd
emy--and Peace shall stay there and ps,
, the plano, aud talk French and paint pic
tures, and grow up pretty young lA3y.n
iAnd I shall have silk dresses and lots q
pictures and story booka!" Peace asked, Wit
interest.
Heaps Of 'em. Peace! And, nice it'll
girls 10 play With, md music, and dancing
eDd everything beeutiiul all the day long,"
vi Peace clspped her hands--thst would b
lovely. SO. by and by, when PbilRdelpbi
was reached, the captain OF the Lovely Las
consigned bis little g.gl--a willing capiiv
Into the hands Of MfS. Lee. Not but ths
she shed lew tesrs At parting too, and clup
I to the sailors neck, and was very sorry whe
Il came TO the last, and the gecd-by kiss wa
given.
"Thsre--.here, my little Peace!" Captai
D 5torms said, unclAsplpg the elinging ARM
: "you musnt cry like that IL will redden You
eyes and swell your nose, nnd make you loo
ugly. Keep up heart, little Peace; l wi
come back in year OF TWO with cartloe
OF presents for my little girl. Klis me Agair
: and let me go"
Captain Storms lmpriuted 3 sounding smac
on the wlstiul little lear-wet race, and al
wound the cl0sping arms Apl