The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-07-28

great crowd of people, seemingly mucn
excited over something. Then | missed
the Ellen Gray; though l strained my
ewes I could see no sign OF her.
"Trembling and shaking under the
influence of a terrible fear, asked some
one who was passing:
"sWhat is the matterP What is the
crowd for"
"The man did not know me-, or he
certainly would have used more caution.
Bluf1y he replied: =.
"sThere's been an accident, sir. A
barge loaded with iron ran into the
Ellen Gray, and sunk her. The captain
was away, they say, and the crew a
o n off on their own hook. Only the
cabin. boy was on board, and he was
picked up half drowned, and taken to
his home. So it isn't 50 bad 50 it might
be, for no lives are lost
II gazed for q moment wildly into his
face, hardly comprehending his words,
then finging up my arms, l cried IN a
voice of agony:
"'No lives lost? Man, I am a muir,
derer! My daughter was on that ship!
"Then a merciful darkness came over
nv vision, and I knew no more Tor q
time. When I came to l found myself
in a druggists shop, where l had been
carried, and / could hear as In q cream
low voices about me saying;
"How sad! Of course the poor gllrl
must have gone down with the ship.,,
"Then suddenly 1 remembered ALL
x INV child! my child! I have
killed my child"
"Then I lost consciousness Tor Inc sec
ond time, and when Iawose l was IN bed.
and some one was seated beside me: 1t
was John Estey. With a sharp pain at
NV heart, l recognized the manly, hand
some face of the lad my girl loved. No,
had loved. Alas! through her un-
natural fathers act her sweet
young life had been made 8 sacrlhce to
q moments angry passion. .,
John saw tn II I knew him, and
bending over my bed, he took my hand
as he said: o
eel do not wish to be better, l an
swered; If I dared to pray l would ask
the Lord to let me die. But l am q
murderer-I have killed my child
dare not pray
Don't feel that way, Captain Gray.
How could you know what was to nap
penp'
His gentleness- he who had such
cause to hate me-went. straight to my
heart.
John 1 exclaimed, can you for
give me for my angry Words? l see
now how wrong I was, for l had moth
ing against you save that you were Lot
rich. Oh, John, how l wish l could
put my child's hand in yours and say
take her. My daughter, my beautiful
child!'
"'Captaines' said John, huskily, are
you sure of that! COu.d she not have
been saved by some chance"
"His tone and the expression OF his
face showed me he was keeping some
thing back. 'John! l almost shrieked,
why do you speak in that way? For
mercy's sake do not wait If you have
any good news for HE!
"'Then he told me how shortly after
I had left, seeing that the Ellen Gray
was in port, he had gone down to the
dock, and rowcd himself over to the
ship, to try and obtain some word OF
Nellie, who he knew had gone with me
on nv cruise. To his surprise he had
found the ship deserted by all of the
crew ave the cabin-boy, who told him
that Ellen was or board locked IN the
cabin.
In a tricc he had picked the lock;
and that very day the two young peo-
pie took matters into their own hands,
and, going before o minister, had
pI;ghted each other their vows.
".Nellie held back at first, said John,
for she feared that you would never
forgive her But I said it would all
come right in time, and that five waited
we might be separated forever. So she
consented ,
AS he told me all this, 1, who had
always prided myself on my strength,
broke down and cried like a baby.
"Then came a step outside, and a
sweet voice I had thought never to hear
again called out: 'Fatherl dear father!
and there was Nellie clasp:ng me round
the neck with both soft arms as if she
would never let me 60, aud weeping and
smiling altogether.
"They were happy days, and years
after that, John and Nellie came to live
with me in our cosy cottage near the
sea; and l hardly could tell which l
loved Destiny son or my daughter.
cast 10 the Ellen Gray, I scarcely felt
her loss at all. In my great thankful
ness hat God in His mercy had kept me
from living with the dreadful thought
always before my mind that l ha0 been
my child's murderer, / had not room to
mourn"