Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1879-02-07

its extremity, where two sailors were
loung ng together.
'sIlave you seen man and woman pas
up this way?" he inquired.
"We saw you and another man go down
with girl some minutes back" rep lee
one of the sailors. "They certainly have
not come UP this way. Now I think of it
they can't have got round any other way
because the tide is high up over The
rOckS.''
"What, you must be drunk, Bill, tt
talk like that said the second sailor
Don't you know the gentleman was
married to her today" Then he turn
ed to Oidworth: Never mind him. sir
They've only gore higher up. I'll be
might the mans name be?"
| GLOW, in heavens name, should that
help your" returned Oldworth. desperate
ly. ''The man S name was Mark Shaw
and he was a sa lor."
"Mark. Mark! Why, that's our maten
cried both men together. ''Well, We'll do
all we cam
And they went down to the sea, and
while Oldworth stood, feeling that the
horror which he suspected could not
really be, and wondering what he should
do next, the men returned bearing SOM
thing with them.
"It's woman's hat, sir" said the Sc
cond sailor, the one who had reproved his
companion for what he deemed his in
considerate speech "But don't you take
on, sir; more hats than one get blown
away this weather."
''Thank you, know that hat," return
ed Oldworth, with awful quiet in his
voice. Then he turned from them.
''Take my arm, won't you, sir?" said
the sailor who had last spoken, observing
that Oldworth seemed hardly able to con-
troll his steps. This sailor was known on
the Annie as Jim, the pigeon-hearted."
''Thank you," rejoined Oldworth, taking
the mans hand. Il know you mean we'll
and 1 shall not forget you. You're a
sailor. Is there any boat, do you think.
that could follow and find them? Can
they be all the way down yet? Down at
the very bottom of the sea? Why, 1
thought just now | heard her laugh. Don t
l am first mate Of the ship Annie, brought
to Dover last night. am no more drunk
than you are, and when you say am you
know that you are telling a lie. You call
yourself fine gentleman; well, in the mat
ter Of words you beat me. Butyou wouldn't
like it. You wouldn't care to go sprawl
ing at her feet; the floors here are dusty.
Keep civil tongue in your head, and
have no wish to interfere with YOU" His
large strong hands were clenched, but they
hung down heavily. ''The sooner you go,
you Know he went on, 1.-THE better it will
be for all three"
Eyes, do go, dear" exclaimed Mary,
with an assumption of gravity in her
voice. "Whatever you do, don't quarrel.
Mark is rough and violent, l know; but he
may have news which ought to hear. Of
course, shall tell you everything"
81 will leave you, then for ten minutes
said Oldworth, addressing himself to
Mark. mot, you understand, on account
| of your threats, but because a gentleman
will allow no broil to take place before a
lady, and / see nothing less than this
wonld satisfy you. At the end Of ten MIN
utes | shall return
Oldworth glanced at his watch and left
the room. The door closed after him, and
the two we're together. Mark folded his
arms, and fixed his eyes on the girls face.
Under that keen and pitiless crutiny she
writhed and WINGED as in some dread phys
ical pain. The wind shrieked round the
inn; the wood fire ON the hearth cracked
and sputtered, the red flames leaping up
| ftfully; cart numbered near on the dark
road, and drew up ponderously at the inn
door.
At length Mary broke the silence.
''For Gods sake speak," she said. "Do
20 u wish to kill me by just looking at
me-"
| 81 wish 1 could" he rejoined. 81
should like to see you dying inch by inch
under my eyes, without touching you
YOU'RE the right sort Of girl, aren't you,
fol- man to have loved-before, indeed
he was man-nothing but small boy
who went miles after the least thing you
wished for, and only left you when he was
a man to get money enough to build a
home for you. You're the right of girl
to have trusted and believed into have
prayed for night and day. Why, in some
Of our great storms | have done what
never did till then. [ have prayed, God
save me, for if l go down and don't come
back any more, how will that girl I know
of far off in Kent bear it? If she knew
that Mark would never come again to take
her in his arms and kiss her any more,
why it would just break her heart or send
her mad And all the time you were MAX
ing love to this fine gentleman-this crea-
ture looks more like sick girl than a
man! Why, il I were to slap the thing
friendly-like on the shoulder it would go
down under my hand like ninepin, and
howl for pain! Did you hear any rumor
of the ship being lost?'
s'No," she said.
| "You hadn't that excuse, then? Do you
love him?"
| 81 fancied did,
Have you any e1cuse2''
''No-only father and mother were fail,
ing, and he would do everything for them
and make me lady, and take me to places
1 wanted to see so mach. And every one
said it would be such fine thing for me,
and they made me proud; and that Was
how it happened"
"Are you ashamed OF yoprselfp" he
questioned.