Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-10-05

little aid or sympathy from any o
Of the crew. who. with the easy ten
dency' TO the supcrstitions peculiar t.
their class. had associated his presenc,
with the perils OF the ship.
1t would have required but slight
encouragement from their officers t.
induce them to pay him the same
compliment that The sailors of Joppt
paid to Jonah, on similar occasion
when The sea wrought and was
tempestuOns."
But on the tenth night, just as the
captain was ready to answer sum
mons to visit the sick mans berth
the storm ceased with a suddenne.s
that was startling; the wind was en-
tirely lulled; and no evidence of its
fury remained except the long swell
ling billows of the seattle deer
after siGhs of its mighty passion.
The sudden stiffness Of the tempest
and the mournful creaking of the
spars, now audible for the first time
for many days, forced a shaIe oi
melancholy over my grandfather
spirits, as he fastened down the
gangway at the call of the stranger
As he seated himself beside the
berth, the sick man fixed his brilliant
eyes upon him and said, calmly:
Captain, | am DYING
Il hope not, my dear sir: this
dreadful gale has weakened you. 1t
is over, now, and you will soon be
better"
NO, Captain" he repeated. Il am
dying. The tempest, l know. is over,
so is that other tempest in my breast
The ship has long been tossed and
beaten about by the fury of the
waves, but it has been sunshine and
calm compared with that tempest,
captain. Bat it is all over, now-for
| have forgiven him-he has long
been in the grave---but 1 have for
given him."
My grandfather thought he was
delirious; but second look at the
deep intelligence of his eye. and the
smiling calmness of his features, for
bade the conclusion. He gazed at
him moment with mingled COM
passion and curiosity, anxious to learn
something of history, the closing
scene of which was SO dark and
mysterious, but was unwilling to ask
it. His look was interpreted. and the
stranger continued.
Il told you l was sailor. Of
thirty five years / have not spent one
upon land. But this was not my
choice. Like ship, captain. my
supports were knocked from under
me. and l was launched upon the
ocean. My father was an English
merchant in Cidiz. extensively en-
gagged in navigation. He lavishly
provided for my education. Having
traversed the halls Of science, left
Oxford and returned to Spain at the
age of twenty. The first year of my
freedom from school spent in ramb-
ling over the mountains of that,en-
chanted country In a deep island
dell, shut out from the world, where
the earth was always green and the
sky always blue. 1 met, one day, a
beautiful she2herdess-and loved
her.
IL will not describe her charms.
captain, for you have been young,
and heart that has loved need not
to be told that to the eye of true
affection its object has no defects.
"My father learned my secret but
! knew it not. l had lifelong
secret afterwards which he never
learned! He came to me one morn
ing, smiled and said:
My son do you want to go to
Cuba?"
Il eagarly answered in the affirm
ative; for it had been a cherished,
but hitherto forbidden passion with
me to travel.
"One of my vessels sails to-mor-
row." he said, "and you may Co."
This short interval allowed me no
time to bid farewell to my sherpherd-
ess, who was fifty miles distant, nor
even to inform ber of my departure;
but said aloud: I'll soon be back
and many other consultations /
whispered to my heart the next day
while bounding over the Atlantic.
The ship arrived in good time at
Havana, discharged her cargo, re-
loaded and sailed for-Calcutta! l
was prisoner on my fathers ship!
and for five long years I was kept
frcm home as if all the water of the
ocean could wash out my love!
Il escaped at length from the
prison ship, while lying at Rio, and
took passage in French bark for the
Granddaughter. No circamnavigation
of the globe was ever so long as that
voyage l strained my eyes every
day watching for Gibraltar, which I
knew was thousands of miles off;
and every night 1 dreamed of noun
tain rivulets, snowy focks. and Ina.
Arriving at last at Seville, has
tened over the Nevada, and sought
the sunny dell where my affections
had so long nestled, ana there found
that the idol of my heart was the
wife of an Andalusian shepherd!
She had been told that l had deserted
her, and afterward that I was dead.
l did not weep, for my heart was
turned to stone. My father said l,
shall never know of his victoryp 1
did not GO to see him; it was wicked,
l know. but, burning with the spirit
of revenge, l turned again TO the sea.
and never saw him more. lam faint,
captain, and cannot proloug my tale
III six months l was master of fast
sailing vessel-you have seen that
vessel. captain, but never in port, and
| have often seen you, and knew your
name twenty years ago. But no
matter about that. My father con-
tinued to freight his ships and send