New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-23

boarding the Strathmore for the first time. sus-
spected by the way he halted and stared as II he
didn't know which end of the vessel belonged to
him; and dare say he would be puzzled by the
crowd of tween deck passengers who stood by to
see him arrive and by the appearance of the main
deck which, with its rows OF scuttle-butts, spare
booms, hatchway- gratings, coils of rigging upon
pins and the dirt and confusion which third-class
passengers have happy knack of bringing along
with them as n part of their lUQ rage, must have
presented to the entirely shOre-going eye very
complicated appearance.
He paid the waterman and took mp his bag and
seeing him looking around In quest OF some one
to inform him what was next to BIO done. stepped
up to him and said. d" Excuse me, sir, are you Mr..
He bowed. and said "Yaas," and looked at me
gladly. as If thankful TO heaven that some one
knew him. amid this wilderness of ropes livestock,
and frOwsy passengers
Mr. Reginald MOrecOmbe is to share my cabin, and
if You are the gentleman shall be happy to show
You where il is"
''Oh, thur-thur-ank you, thank you," said he,
with stammer following me. How deyyelish
confusing a ship is. This vessel looks vewy dirty.
who are all those fellahs outsider" meaning the
people on the main-deck, for we were now III the
cuddy.
"Tween-deck passengers said |. This is the
cabin we are to share" bundling into it. 81 found
these traps IN the lower bunk and supposed yOu
had chosen it, But top or bottom Is the same to
You can have which you like
He peered with his glass in his eye, and said, . Oh,
thur-thur-anks, think the under one will suit me
hest ] am ,wretched issailair." grnning palely,
and the beneath the easiest to enter. w hat
vewy qucear beds for feahs to lie in. But sup
pose man gets used to this sort of thing in time"
was in the act of leaving the cabin, being anx-
iOus TO watch for the arrival of Florence and her
aunt, when he said pulling his mustaches and
smiling with tremendous politeneSs Il bag your
pardon--as are TO be companions in this-aw--
this wOOm might be allowed to ask your name y
Twas within au ace of answering that it was Sey
mor-Lthe word was trembling on ny lips when
suddenly remembered, and stammered, John Eyer
ton-Mr. John EgertOn. You'll see it on that box
there; and swung hastily out into the cuddy
that he might not see the cOnscience-stricken look
which could feel as bot as fire IN my face. /
stopped moment TO pull out the letter had adj
dressed to my uncle. and scrubbed with a pencil
the followeng postscript; 1.-The Reginald More
yonng friend. EndcavOr to let the old man know
ms early rs possible that am accompanying his
daughter to Australia ! want to have the full
benefit of his fears and rage, and the sooner he Is
told the longer he will suffer Would any man
have conceived the pompous old chap capable of
such an underhand stroke as thisf God bless you
and gave the letter to one of the stewards to put
INTO the bag which would be cleared or sent ashore
before the ship sailed, and then went on to the
main-deck in order to take another spell of watch
ing on the forecastle; but Just as ] was stepping
ont of the cuddy some people came over the gang
wav. the sight of whom sent me backing and cow
erinG under the starboardpoop ladder for fear that
Florence might be among the party. They proved
TO be five cuddy passengers, and when found that
my darling was not one of them | made my way to
the forecaSte and resumed my seat there.
You will have seen, my lads, that much had not
possed between Mr.. Morecombe and myself; but,
little as IT was there was enough of It to convince
me that nv relatives were perfectly right III saying
that the man was a fool. | may make his words
look as much like his PRONUNCIATION OF them as |
can but there's no wit that Pm master OF to repre-
voice, the robustness of his smile, the
astounding good opinion of himself that, he
managed somehow to convey Part ana parcel OF
fine man his concert must have been, TO strike me
os il did at a time when he was so bothered by the
novelty of his surroundings that even inaction
would have been natural nuGp Good 9 tbn1
thought him that day when caught glimpse OIL
him at Bristol seated in old Hawkes. carriage; bat
for all that the few sentences he had lei fall and
above everything his smile persuaded me that
there was a world of truth in what my aunt h2d
told me about his good looks disappearing N MS
stuDidncss when Won got close to him in talk; and
when thought of how Florence had Spokenol hlin
as a fool aud remembered that she had refused his
offer of marriage, why, | began TO consider That,
after all, perhaps nothing better cOhid nave nap
noned for ~" thau that MOrecOmbe should have
fallen into Haw ,e's scheme FOR Hawkes. II was
if il was not DEVILS, since what was more likely
TO complete her disgust Of the young fellow than
being placed in the one situation oil az oihef' ~
which she would be unable 10 keep clear OF his
unwelcome company unless she imprisoned herself
Full of these agreeable reflections | sat, with a
grin upon my face, posing my telescope ready TO
level at the first boat that should come away from
Graveseud. The wind was strong and cold; no
rain had fallen as yet but the cl0ud7 were IuIi OF
wet, and guessed that we should have s0pping
nlglt, NnlN fcW OF IIt CltN NtlC dp'Al' iiI'i'0N
being as / might suppose from experience, too
drunk TO be of use. i was near the ScuttIe, ana
could hear the fellows Jabberng and breaking into
songs that sounded a. If all hands were s'a'lck.
Oueer il was to me to feel as | looked around me
and sped the first mate stumping the break OF the
poop athwartshipS, ordinary seaman IN the Iln-
top al work some job up there, the second mate
in the waist singing out to hand IN the foretop-
and so on, that had nothing To DO
with the ship. could 60 where | hked, use the
of the poop whenever i chose, aud
.,,;, Eharfv than friend Daniel. L
suppose most men who have Knocked on the sea as
q profession have felt what am describing, when
they have taken voyage az passenger while their
memory of sea-discipline and work was fresh
At last began to get rather tired OF ire strain
mOre's Orecastle, and above All, OF ilc ~lhu thdI
was whstling nipplugly into my starpeaid car ana
was consideringi II to fall dark before lorenzo
and her aunt came aboard. AS was III the act OF
rising to stretch my legs, and take fresh squlnt at
the fight of steps near the pier before gong alt,
| sDied a boat draw ont from the other wineries. i
waited but would not seem 20 look too nquisltlvely,
for just then noticed young Morcc2mGe posted near
the port quarter-boat holding the ships telescope
" hiCh ne would have found on brackets under the
n-hood-with bis face turned my way;
Presently he rested the glass on the ran ana aimed
il at the approaching boat; tins was
my chance 10 take hurried sHnlnt
myself and the moment the faces OF Inc persons IN
the stcrnsheets of the boat entered the held Oh the
lenses my heart gave mighty throb. Ayi boys,
sine was coming at last! h4d seen her daflllg
face the trembling of the feather IN hcI nat III thc
strong wind and thrlstlng the lllt!e Telescope llo
INV pocket went and posted myself betofe-Or, as
landsmen might say, bchind-the iOrecastlo cap
an so that il might screen from observation -
she came over the side. -, =.
MOrecOmbc had made her out, too by tins time,
and after looking at the boat through his eycglass
for n few moments hc turned tail and Disappeared
down tho companion steps. | looked TO see him
reappear on the main-drck making sure That he
would receive the ladies' but he did not show up
again. His manner of leaving the deck suggested
10 me that he was doing precisely what was
hiding But / did not give the matter very much
tboupbt hcing fully occupied in watching the boat,
whose approach filled me with cXtraord mary agia-
ton and excitement. If ever q fear had risen in
NV nct from coming il was ended now. There she
was nearing the ship as fast as couple of wafer
men conld row her; in few minutes she would be
in the vessel for many "a long week to be my ador-
lblc shipInate; no more need IF twOpenny lodgings
Of imporng Sophies help, of day after day passing
without giving mo sight Of her. No wonder my
heart beat fast and rapturously. had attempted
bold adventure, but, so, far all had gone as If