Nebraska advertiser., 1882-04-20


who appeared 10 be a poor religious
creature, not worth the jealousy of a
lusty English sailor; and, later on, he
discovered that q certain American
Captain called Barnabas B. Wattles, who
came and went, having no ship OF his
own, and yet always full Of business,
was certainly rival
Captain Wattles puzzled him, be-
cause, so far az he could see, Lal
was no kinder to him than to himself.
Always there was present to his mind
that vision of himself the landlord or
proprietor of Rydquists, counting out
the money in the front parlor over a
pipe and cool glass of rum-and-water,
while Lal looked after the dinners and
made out the bills. .s.l
"Bills" he thought. Eyes; they
should be bills with profit in them,
too, when he was proprietorp'
Rage possessed his soul as the time
went on and he got no nearer the at
tainment of his object He could not
converse With the girl, partly because
she avoided him, and partly because he
had nothing TO say. Worst of all, she
told him when he ventered once more
to remark that Jolly sailor, namely,
Nick Borlinder, would restore her to
happiness, that If he ever dared to pro-
pose such a thing again he would no
longer be admitted to Rydquists, but
might stay aboard his own ship in the
London Docks, or find house at Pop
lar. Fear of being sent to Poplar kept
him quiet. -,. ..
There remained the third suitor,
Captain Barnabas B. Wattles.
When he made the acquaintance of
Lal, "a skipper without a ship, it was in
the year eighteen hundred and seventy
seven. He was an American by birth,
hailing, in fact, from the town of
Portsmouth. New Hampshire, and he
was always full of business, the nature of
which no man knew. He was quite un-
like the iovial Nick Borlinder, and, in
deed, resembled the typical British tar
in no respect whatever. For he was q
slight spare man, with sharp features
and hairless cheek. He was not, GER
tainly, admitted to the privileges of
Rydquist's, but he visited when his
business brought him to London, and
sat of an evening in the Captains room
drinking with any who would offer
gratuitous grog; at other times he was
fond of saying that he was temperance
man, and went without grog rather than
pay for it himself.
He first came when Lal was waiting
for that letter from Rex which never
came; he learned the whole story; and
either did not Immediately fall in love,
like the more inflammable Borlinder,
being a man of prudence and forthought,
else he refrained from speech, even from
the good words of courtship. But he
came often; by speaking gently, and
without mention of love and marriage,
he established friendly relations with
Lal; he even ventured to speak of her
loss, and, with honeyed sympathy, told
the tales of like disasters, which always
ended fatally to American sailors.
When she declared that Rex could not
be drowned, he only shook his head
with pity. And in speaking of those
early deaths at sea which had come
under his own observation, he assumed,
as matter of course, that the bereaved
woman mourned for no more than n
certain term, after which time she took
unto herself another sweetheart, and en-
joyed perfect happiness ever afterward.
He thought that in this way he would
familiarize her mind with the idea of
giving up her grief.
"When she reflected" he would con-
clude his narrative, "that cryin' would
not bring back any man to life again,
she gave over cryin' and looked about
for consolation. She found it, Miss
Lal, in the usual quarter AS for N.Y.
a1f 80 hoe III
means, as perhaps you have never
heard the Son of Consolation. III.
With such words did he essay to sap
the fidelity of the moumer, but in vain,
for though there were times when poor
Lal would doubt, despite the fervent
ardor of her faith, whether Rex might
not be really dead and gone, there was
no time at all when she ever wavered
for moment in constancy to his men,
DRY. Though neither Borlnder nor
Barnabas Wattles could understand the
thing, it was impossible for Lal ever to
think of a second lover. .r..,.r
He would talk of other things, but
always came back to the subject of con-
ISOLATION.
Thus one evening he began to look
about him, being then in her own room.
This" he said, sis prosperous
concern which you are running, Miss
Lal. guess it paysp'
Yes; Lal said that it paid its expenses,
and more.
"And you've made your little pile
already out of itp' e Efu-1.H
"Yes," said Lal, carelessly, "there
was money saved" rF
His eyes twmkled at the thought of
handling her savings, for Captain Wat
ties was by no means rich He forgot,
however, that the money belonged to
her mother.
nNnw.N he went ON with an insinna-