The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-05-16
OUR PASSENGER.

We had a good ship Janet's Pride
loaded with miscellaneous articles. o
board were fourteen passengers, and
take them all in all, a pleasanter LOT
never steered across the stormy sea.
There were three old gentlemen, VIII
were going out to share their fortunes
come what might, and which, poor, oil,
souls, they seemed 10 think fashione,
IN The brightest colors, long before tn
English coast was out of sight.
Then there was a solitary old gentle
man, who, Judging from the tone of hi
conversation, was seeking the New
world for the ostensible purpose o
finding fault with it.
Inere were two young married coup
les, all full of hope and activity, bel,
upon making a new home far AVA,
from fheir native land.
There were also very jolIy elderl,
brother and sister, neither of W hom had
ever, entered into the bonds of matrimn-
ny, but instead had stuck to each othc,
through life.
There were three old Australian SET.
Tiers, who had been over to nave a peer
at the old country, and who were now
returning to the land which ia them.
through long communion, had become
the dearest of all Others "Home. sweet
home.' '"~N'
Lastly, though not least, there was d
solitary passenger, who soon became the
pet of all on board. lie was man of
about eight-and-twenty years of age.
pOssessinga a very clear complexion, a
very handsome, long, flowing beard,
and very silky mustache.
His name was Reginald Moore. His
given reason for taking this sea VOYAGE
was the delicate state of his 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 I ever remember
hearing; and it had certain hollow
ness in its sound that in my mind is in
variably associated with that terrible dis.
ease commonly termed consumption.
tie always wore thick muffier round
his neck to protect his throat and
chest
In all my xperience-and it has been
a pretty wide one-I never knew any
one with so many friends, and such un-
divided esteem, in so short a time as
Reginald Moore. There was not, be-
lleve, sailor on board who did not
entertain the warmest possible liking
for him.
AS for the passengers, they never
seemed so happy as when listening to
his amusing anecdotes, of which he
seemed to possess an ;nexhaustible
store. And this delicate young Eng
Ilsh paragon of passengers had made
his conquest over all our hearts before
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 q piece of wood,
rom an oyster to an elephant, and for
making models of ships, / never met
lis equal. He was. besides such a kind
md considerate fellow towards his fell
ow-passengers.
When the three elderly gentlemen.
Who imagined their fortunes made.
yere afflicted with sea-sickness, he was
he first to come forward and help them
bout while they slowly recovered He
would Insist upon their taking his arm.
weak as he was himself, and he would
cad them about on deck with a firm
less that spoke volumes in favor of his
sea legs"
do no. remember any voyage everI
'assing so quickly as the one when the
pleasant passenger was on board, III
ould, with infinite pleasure, make a
ong pause at this juncture in the thread
4 my story, to dwell upon the pleasant
memories | still retain of Reginald
,foore.
We were within weeks sail of Mel
'ourne. Reginald Moore had all but
ompleted model of the .Janet's
ride, which he proposed presenting to
ne the night before we landed.
Now he worked at this model princi-
'ally on deck, and strangely enough he
lad chosen for workable the top one
# the empty water-casks that stood on
leck, abaft and under the shelter of the
'ulwarks.
While he worked through the day you
we're sure to see him surrounded by
ONE of the passengers or sailors. The
mount of industry displayed was truly
for he was invariably al
york in the early morning, long before
my of the other passengers dreamt OF
urning out of their snug berths.
AS have already said, we were but
tx days sail from Melbourne. For the
irst time in our experience OF him the
pleasant passenger appeared at the din
ler-table with solemn downcast ex-
PRESTON of the face and silent tongue.
Before dinner was over | asked him
What troubled his mind and caused this
Unhappy change in his wonted cheerful
....-t
At first he tried TO evade my queries
" replying it was "n0thing, nothing
n particular" but pressed him per-
istantly until l won from him an cx-
,lanation.
'Perhaps, after ALL" he said, "it is
,nly fair that should explain matters.
The tact of the matter is, my watch has
,een stolen"
"Stolen" we exclaimed in a breath.
"Undoubtedly," he answered; "but
pray you, aptain'-here he turned to
ne-'1 pray you say not one word
lbout it. The only thing that renders
he loss of consequence TO me is the fact
hat 1t once belonged to my poor moth
'r. On that account alone | would not
lave lost it for any amount of money.
However, II cannot be helped, and
therefore, 1t is useless to cry over split
MIX, as the old adage has it. ldy only
Is, my dear captain, that you
cave the matter entirely IN my hands,
md think il very probable that may
recover 1t. This request am sure you
will oblige me by granting"
Certainly, my dear SIR" | replied
'but still"
Exactly" he interrupted, with one
Of his pleasant smiles, "you would like
10 take the matter in hand, and investi-
gate ii to the utmost of your power;
know that, my dear captain, full well;
but can trust you to keep your prom
lses, and leave the case entirely in my
hands,"
How could 4 deny his request?
You will readily Imagine what con-
this event gave rise 10 among
the other passengers. The three old
gentlemen instantly proceeded 10 ex.
plain that they possessed jewelry to the |
valne of at least f300, which they usu-
ally kept locked up in brown leather