The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-09
THE DAILY STAR
CAPTAIN STORMS.

shapeless speck showed. What was it?
Captain Storms prolonged survey ended,
he slowly dropped his glass, and turned
to Mr., Scott, the mate.
Il knew | was right he said; 1T is
wreck, dismantled hulk, drifting about
at the mercy of wind and sea. There
may be no one left aboard, but we'll bear
down and have look
And then Captain Storms lifted up his
voice-a stentorian voice it was-and
gave the proper orders to the man at the
masthead, or at the helm, or
somewhere don't know exactly. l
would tell you the precise words which
Captain Storms used on this occasion, If
| could; but Pm deplorably backward in
nautical matters. So you'll have to be
content with learning that the gallant
bark, the Lovely Lass, bore straight down
upon that dark mass, outlined against the
sunny sky.
Captain Storms leaned over the side
and lit cigar. He was bronzed young
man, stalwart and gallant as take it you
sailor men mostly are; and he looked the
very beau ideal of dashing seaman, in
his off-hand seafaring costume. He had
beard and he had mustache, big and
brown, like himself; and from the crown
of his glazed hat to the sole of his boots,
Captain Storms was sailor, every inch
of him.
The Lovely Lass bore down along the
sunlit tropic sea and reached that float
ing wreck. Captain Storms was the first
man to leap aboard, the first man to hear
moaning cry of faint human voice
No living thing was to be seen; but from
a corner of the deck that faint, plaintive
cry walled. -,
"There's some one alive here still, i" said
Captain Storms. Speak friend! Who are
you? Where are you"
Again that unspeakably mournful
wall. Captain Storms strobe across to
where heap of torn canvas and rotten
wood lay and looked down. There in the
garish sunshine with her face upturned
10 the serene sky, woman lay dead.
Crouching over her, skeleton child,
with long wild hair, sat making that fee
ole moan of dumb agony.
'My child" Captain Storms said
pitifully-''my child, what is this?"
The ghastly little creature lifted a
bloodless face and a pair of haggard
eyes,
"Mothers deadv'
"My poor little girl" said the sailor,
bending over her as tenderly as that
dead mother could have done, "you
must come with me, or you will die, too.
Gomez
She rose up-a frail little shadow Of
ten years-and held up her skeleton
arms.
"Peace is hungry" she cried, piteously.
peace is sick and cold, and mothers
dead"
And then, as the strong arms lifted
her as though she had been wax doll,
the blue eyes closed YEARLY, and the
weak baby dropped heavily against his
breast; and hunger, and sickness, and
cold and death were ali blotted out in
blind darkness.
And for weary days and weary nights
while the Lovely Lass sailed along the
southern seas, and the dead woman lay
quietly under the great Paci6c-the lit
tie rescued waif lay futtering between
death and life. And during these end
less days and nights, the big sun-browned
sailor watched over his little girl as a
father-nay, as a mother-might have
done, until the futtering spirit ceased
its struggles, and grew calm in strength
and health once more.
Little Peace-her name was Priscilla
Weir, she said; Peace for short-came up
on deck by-and-by, pale and weak
still, and lisped her story to the soft
hearted sailor.
"There had been great storm-oh, a
dreadful storm!' Peace said, with a
shudder; and they went away in boats
Ill the men did-and mamma was sick
down in the cabin, and left behind; and
Peace stayed with mamma, and was left
behind too And then mamma came
upstairs on deck, and died; and Peace
sobbed, and was 50 ill, so cold; and then
you came" looking gratefully at the cap
tain, "and Peace doesn't remember any
more"
"Does my little Peace know where
mamma came from, and where she was
goingr Captain Storms asked.
eyes, Peace knows. Mamma came
from New York, and was going to China
TO papa. Papa lived in China and was
rich"
But that was all she could tell; and
Captain Storms knew that among all the
unlikely things on this earth, the most
Unlikely now was that papa and his little
,irl would ever meet.
Tie Lovely Lass spent nine Ions
months on the Pacific coast, and ther
sailed back for America.
"And I shall leave my little Peace be
hind, next voyage" Captain Storms said
II have sister who keeps school il
Philadelphia, fashionable young ladies
academy-and Peace shall stay there ant
play the piano, and talk French ant
paint pictures, and grow up prett.
young lady"
"And I shall have silk dresses and lot
of pictures and story booksp Peac
asked, with interest.
"Heaps of 'em, Peace! And, nice littl
girls to play with, and music, and dane
ing, and everything beautiful all the da