The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1880-03-10
After nv fathers death | be.


expense.
On a homeward bound voyage,
chance found me in the same ship
with my brothers child and his
nurse. I discovered their identity
by accident. The child, [ learned
had been christened Allyn, after
his mothers maiden name. My
relationship to him [ was careful
not to disclose, either to the nurse
or any Of the passengers.
MY small fortune was nearly
exhausted, and it may have been
that that put it into my head
anyhow the thought came, that
but for that child I would now be
the possessor of the wealth Of
which I had been supplanted.
This thought was followed by
another, that if my infant nephew
died, as his next of kin OF the
blood from which the estate came,
I would be his heir.
:One night, when all the psssen.
gers were abed, the ship struck
upon a rock either not laid down
in the charts, or one for which q
sufficient watch had not been
kept.
sTbe vessel held her course, ane,
at first, it was thought she had
suffered no material damage. But
soos tho dread alarm was given
that the ship was sinking.
No time was to be lost. The
passengers and crew, with what
ever provisions were at hand,
were hustled into the long-boat,
which was pushed clear of the
fouadering vessel.
Il protest and declare that it
was not till we had lost sight of
the ship, that l discovered that
the nurse and the child were not
amongst US Had I noted the fact
in time to turn back to their res
cue. I trust--I believe-I should
have called attention to it. AS it
was, to search for the ship in the
darkness, if she bad not already
gone down, seemed hopeless, and
l held my peace. Then quickly
came the thought could not
help 1.-THE fortune now is mine!
But when, at length, another
uttered the cry, The woman and
the child!' and amid wild excla'
nations from those bound to the
lost by no ties Of blood, the boat
WAS put about, and hours spent IN
anxious though fruitless search,
| felt that my previous apathy
and silence had branded me as
murderer
Il had no difficulty in establish
ing my claim to the fortune had
coveted so long. On the death OF
nv brother and bis child, the law
made it clearly mine. But though
none suspected that I knew my
relationship to the poor babe, the
night it was forgotten on the
wreck, my conscience was far
from quiet. Oh! why had l left
it to the mouths of strangers first
to raise the startling cry, The
| woman and the child !
4 removed to a distant part OF
the country and married. In a
| newspaper, one day, [ saw an ad-
vertisement which seemed to have
been many times repeated, In
quiring for the relatives OF a male
infant, picked up at sea in ships
Jolly boat about the time OF the
| wreck which I have just described.
| The child's clothing was marked
with the initials "A. NJ and about
it's neck was suspended a gold
locket containing lady's likeness
of which full description was CIV
en-.
"A. NJ. ?'-Aliyn Meade was the
name of my brothers son ! The
| description of the miniature tailed
exactly with the features OF my
brothers wife, whom l had known
before her marriage. The truth
flashed upon me. l was not the
lawful possessor of the fortune IN
my hazGs. The faithful nurse,
when aroused to the perils OF that
dreadful night. must have launch
ed the small boat, deposltlng III II
her charge, and then been carried
down before she had time to fol
low.
i could easily have reclaimed
my little nephew; for the kln'
gentleman-a passenger on the
Ii,