New-York tribune., 1884-02-24

my darling. | rst with my arm rotiiti iof WAIST.
! aud wOuld press her o. tne when | thought thus.
| No songs sounded vt tho pumps now; the Pcople
ground 1T them rs though each gang was eiLof
mechanism and the harsh iarring Of them. and tho
gushing Of the water thd yOu wOald hear m the
brief intervals of silence. when the ship hung IN
hollow or paused for breath on the summit Of tho
swell. ere making her gu'd. slanting rush, would
have put Nightmares OF fancy into any saIiorman's
brans who had nothing 20 do but TO sit and listen
and think.
dozed Miss Grant fell asleep with her head 0n iieF
mothers shoulder. blr. and Mrs. MarmadUke
Mortimer siumberrd with their arms twined round
each other; the joyce nurse snOred loudly; bnt,
though the others closed their eyes. you'd notice
fTst aud then another start mp with a look or
fright, and then give wild KIND Of si4h. ana sit
listening, with heavy eYcr, 10 the clanknS OF the
pumps. Once. after exchanging 2 few words with
Amt DamarIs. whose spirits did nv utmost 70
sustain, looked at Florence. and found her asleep.
with her head against my breast. She had rein0ved
her hat, and her hair sparklcd IN the light 7 though
a packet of gold-dust had been hove over il. and
the scent Ct It was sweet egantrne. Loyciier
she had never looked with the lasbes of her closed
eyes dark upon her delicate checks. her red lips
parted. her tender bosom softly rising and falling.
her hands, like snow fakes. placed her lap. A.
looked at her thought of Clifton, our first meet-
ing my early love-dTean. her Injurious home, hcr
fsithfulness to me. Heart alive think OF me hold
ing her. watching her, 70 the dlrge Of tine ringing
pumps. out in the bscknesEpn the main-decS,
while the ran-sdualls shrebssfu pon the skylghts.
and every fresh beaye OF the ship sluggish
and sckiy than the last Turning I saw Aunt Da.
maris with her head inclined forward. and her eyes
upon my darling.
+" Is she asleep. Mr.. SEYMOUR"
Yes: hush pray let her sleep"
"0h, what would heT fat Ler feel il he knew what
we are now underguing~ she exclaimed
He parted with her lightly enough" " whispered.
/" He is an old traveller, and knows the danger Of
the sea- He coud not wonder that she should b. ia
peril. for that il every Onss risk who sails tho
ocean but what would be say Il he knew whose arm
supported her. WHOSE breast p0wed her /"
He did not know Won; some one must haye
preludiced him against Won" said she
But | have friend in you 70 plead for me. If
ever il should come 20 that said gently You
see she loves me look at herw Icontinued. softly
drawing back that she might plainly behold the
sleeping girl You would not part Us nov. Miss
Hawker'
"Oh, Mr.. Seymour IT not time 20 think OF
such things! indeed, would not-par you liked
YOU much az Mr. Egerton you should have been
more candid sir. II has been long deception and
yOu are both equally gullty-but. indeed, would
not part you. No there - too mueh sincerity-t :,
too Late 10 object May God preserve u.s. she sud
denly exclaimed.
No more was said. The time passed. but could
not tell the hours. for no bells were sounded and
burst not move 10 draw out my watch. lest should
awaken Florence; Amt Damars fell asleep ard.
dropping against me- favored NE with the weight OF
her angular body. Once the notion came into nv
head of old Hawke coming into tl.e cuddy aud
looking at three and the fancy Of the expression
upon his face set me laughing. Bot merrmcns
was not a thing to i've long IN thar cuddy. AZ any
time of all solemn sights IN this world the most I'M
pressiye to my fancy IS that ot crowd OF people
slumbering IN 2 shlpi Enter an i emigrant ships
of hunks, and listen to the deep respiration broken
here and there by cry a moan. niutterng of ua-
intellCibie words then 20 the crrakng and strain
ing sounds breaking through the muired thunder at
parting waters, the stlnod humming of wInd
droning out of the rigging down the batck9ays.
It's freak of the imagination, no doubt, for what's
more commonplace and proSac than such sight
yet to me the great wonder of l!te and death md
eternity is preached in such amer by il, that the
miChtest sermon that ahased the pride of the
hunian heart and melted II INTO butter teals OF con-
triton would be, alongside of such a show, tho
feebest of feeble echoes as an appeal 10 the soul
RutI II moved a
picture of sleeping crowd OF human beings Graded
upon that visible symbol OF eternity. tire Deep.
slrOuded in the darkness of the great ocean night
that makes a phantom of the ship aud sprctres Of
all human life within her. what sort Of Impression
will be given one by the same sight m rr hour Ot
danger when instead of a cradle, the liquid ebony
of the deep grows slowly into spacious grave upon
Mhose brink the sleepers there before y0H hang ono
with q smile another brOkony whispering A. II to q
friend all of them placed If their time OF nrnOr-
tality had come, aud they were typifyng ~ thur
living bodies. under the black shadow OF DEATHS
outstretched wings the uncOncern OF the spirit Tor
all that concerns the feshT
Somewhat in this way ran my thoughts L
turned my eyes from one TO another OF my fellow
passengers. most Of whom were at tlls hour last
asieep the except Uns being Captain jackson, NT-.
OBrien and myself. All this while tire pumps
were kept constantly going and iOur times already
had the steward pissed through the cu'ldy ON be-
way to the uIain-deck bearing cans of rum for tho
l,boriur people there Presently the naV y-nsn.
who had been on deck for few minutes came be-
iow again aud seeing wide awake. exclaimed:
" doubt if they'll be- able 20 keep her ailoat I'll
1t serves me right. What business had ] to 20 20
Australia IN Il sailing snip 7
His loud voice woke up everybody but tie chill
dreu. and painful il WAS Ia witness the general
rush Of CONSERVATION into the faces oi the pnops
they opened their eyes and heard the chnking Of
= 6h jack >" cried Florence, " have been nseepf
You h,,ve had 10 support me; how thOughtiess |
am 90 and Aunt DamarIS exclaimed oh. hr. Sey-
mour. hope have not tired you no" good OF yon
to let me rest"
- PITY that naval man refuse, to learn to alis-
per" SAID |. However, NlhceEOn are p"tn awake,
/ lust step or deck and sce whats dong"
You would have known the wind was faiiing Ly
its coming no harder than did bet r.. though now
the shin wa. looking right dead mp nto Il. iho
mizzen-fOpslll and spauker had been set quietly
enough for no note Of that job bod reached me IA
the cuddy and the ship surged slowly forward.
making a great sputterug to Wndwau WIN hcr
crushed bow, and siding on ne sNtilS a. sno i'it
that her ti'ue come aud that Shc debated &c
every beay whether she should trouble herself 10
lift 10 the next fold. II was about seven bells ia
the middle watch. and there remained about two
and half hours of darkness. ne night wa tI'-
mendous shadow though sometimes me "ihd' - lt
came along would blow away into the hnf\lntst
oIer the port quarter TIL t,eeued % Tighten t, and
,-,, lnotod foI a star: but If ever the eye vas
caught bv the glmmeTiol hight that night, It Was 10
more at the best than the phosphOrc radiance
cleaning wet IN the black cur of "a swell or boing
m a sort OF smoke. midst the chufnrd-up roam thSb
rushed iaway under the counter. Ihr decks, McI'
streaming from a smother OF ram thar had lately
blown past: the breeze had shaTpened ~ edge *
cold IN these small hours: ana n vent 10 my ifb
like the blow of knife 10 look away INTO tho
hl,ck sea and to think of Florence in an open boat
there with nothing betNiXt her aud tue rain, and
no shelter from the frosty wind moaning out 0I tho
black hollONs over the low gunwae. bb -
vouldn't do to give way % thoughts of that kind;
so went along the lee side Of the poop to look ht
Wiat they were about on the maln-dcck. ans tnei"
IN the lanterl-lght saw the gangs sAyirg at TIE
punps. and "a crowd of people backrn'ng The deck
between the poop-adders There Vas q Llnd of
fever IN the sound those pumps nade-t was ih9
,ba IA ~. beart beating madly They were tie old
fashioned brake-pumps and in the dim siimrier yon
spie,l the tOling figures Stoopng ana rising stomp
mo and rising: the change OF posture lapp' ntng
with sort of frenzy wiulc the water gisicd tui-
ou-ly TO thc decks. and went sobbing away out OF
Z he scupper-holcs. iu the dlrrue>s over the side.
The steward ia, believed was serving ont ram -
a gang Of nicu gathered around the gWart"r-drciS
capstan: the cuddy light snone family there and