St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-03-01
NO. 60.

partly from the impossibilty Of its being any
body else, she at once conceived it to be the
new lodger. She had time to note that he was
young and good-looking-graver, perhaps,
than becamefhis sudden pantomimic ap-
pearance, but before she could observe him
closely he had turned, closed the hatch with
certain familiar dexterity and walked slowly
toward the bows. Even in her slight bewild-
erment she observed that his step upon the
deck seemed different to her fathers or the
photographers and that he laid his hand on
various objects with Embarrassing ease and
habit Presently he paused and turned back,
and glancing at the galley door for the first
time encountered her wondering eyes.
1t seemed so evident that she had been a
curious spectator of his abrupt entrance ON
deck that he was at first disconnected and
confused. But after second glance at her
he appeared to resume his com posure, and
advanced little defantly toward the galley.
81 suppose l frightened you, popping up
the fore hatch just now?'
THE what?" asked Rosey.
''The fore hatch,'' he repeated impatiently,
indicating it with a gesture.
"And that's the fore hatch?" she said alb
stractedly. ''You seem to know ships"
''Yes-a little,'' he said quietly. II was
below and unfastened the hatch to come up
the quickest way and take look around,
I've just hired room here, ''he added explain
atorily.
81 thought so, "said Rosey simply; "you're
the contractor?n
''The contractorl-oh, yesl You seem to
know it all''
Gathers told me.''
''Oh, he's your father-Nott? Certainly.
[ see now,' he continued, looking at her
with a half-repressed smile. ''Certainly.
Miss Mott, good morning." he half added
and walked toward the companionway.
Something in the direction of his eyes as he
turned away made Rosey lift her ha nds
to her head. She had forgotten to
remove her fathers baleful gift.
She snatched it off and ran quickly to the
companionway.
'Sir!'' she called.
The young man turned half way down the
steps and looked up. There was faint
color in her cheeks, and her pretty brown
hair was slightly disheveled from the hasty
removal of the bonnet
"Father's very particular about strangers
being on this deck she said, little sharply.
"Oh-ah-I'm sorry intruded.''
"I-I-thought I'd tell you,'' said Rosey,
frightened by her boldness into feeble anti
climaX.n
''Thank you''
She came back slowly to the galley and
picked up the unfortunate bonnet with a
slight sense OF remorse. Why should she
feel angry with her poor fathers unhappy Of
ferings And what business had this strange
young man to use the ship so familiarlye
Yet she was vaguely conscious that she and
her father, with all their love and their do
mestic experience of it, lacked certain in
stinctiye ease in its possession that the half
indifferent stranger had shown ON first tread
ing its deck. She walked to the hatchway
and examined it with new interest. Sue
ceeding in lifting the hatch, she gazed at the
lower deck. As she already knew the ladder
had long since been removed to make room
for one of the partitions, the only way the
stranger could have reached it was by leaping
to one of the rings. To make sure of this
she let herself down, holding on to the rings,
and dropped couple of feet to the deck
below. She was in the narrow passage her
| father had penetrated the previous night.
| Before her was the door leading to De Fer
| riere's loft, always locked. It was silent
within; it was the hour when the old French
man made his habitual promenade in the
| city, But the light from the newly opened
| hatch allowed her to see more of the myster-
| ious recesses of the forward bulkhead than
she had known before, and she was startled
| by observing another yawning hatchway at
| her feet, from which the closely-ftting door
had been lifted, and which the new lodger
had evidently forgotten to close again. The
young girl stopped down and peered eau
tiously into the black abyss. Nothing was to
be seen, nothing heard but the distant gurgle
and click OF water in some remoter depth.
She replaced the hatch and returned by way
of the passage to the cabin.
When her father came home that night she
briefly recouuted the interview with the new
lodger, and her discovery of his curiosity.
| She did this with possible increase of her
usual shyness and abstraction, and ap-
| parently more as duty than a colloquial re-
creation. But it pleased Mr. Mott also to
| give it more than his usual misconception.
Looking round the ship, was he-eh,
| Rosey" He said with infinite .archness
SIN course, kinder sweepin' round the galley,
and offerin' to fetch you wood and water,
eh!'' Even when the young girl had picked
up her book with the usual faint smile of
affectionate tolerance, and then drifted away
| in its pages, Mr.. Mott chuckled audibly
II reckon old Frenchy didn't come by when
the young one was bedevlin' you there"
''What, father2'' said Rosey, lifting her
abstracted eyes to his face.
At the moment it seemed impossible that
any human intelligence could have suspected
deceit or duplicity in Rosey's clear gaze.
But Mr.. MOTIFS intelligence was superhuman.
81 was saying that Mr.. Ferrers didn't happen
in while the young feller was there-eh2''
| ''No, father" answered Rosey, with an effort
| to follow him out Of the pages Of her book.
| "Why2"
| But Mr.. Mott did not reply Later in the
evening he awkwardly waylaid the new lodger
before the cabin door as that gentleman would
have passed on to his room.
'rm afraid, " said the young man ,glancing
| at Rosey, " that intruded upon your daugh-
ter to-day. / was a little curious to see the
old ship, and l didn't know what part of it
was private"
''There amt no private part TO this yer
| ship-that ez, 'cepting the rooms and lofts"
said Mr.. Mott, authoritatively. Then sub
iecting the anxious look OF his daughter to
his usual faculty for misconception he added:
| ''Thar amt no place where you haven't az
much right to go Ell any other man. thar
amt any man, furriner or Ameryllan,
young or old, dyed or undyed, ez hev got
any better rights. You hear me, young fel-
low. Mr.. Renshaw-my darter. My darter
MFR. Renshaw. Rosey, give the gentleman
chair. She's only jest come in from q
promeynade, and hez just taken off her bon
| net" he added, with an arch look at Rosey
and hurried look around the cabin as If he
hoped to see the missing gift visible to the
general eye. $50 take a seat mint, wont
| yer
But Nj. Renshaw, after an observant glance
at the young girls abstracted face, brusquely
excused himself. 'I'ye got letter to
write" he said, with half bow to Rosey.
''Good night"
He crossed the passage to the room that
had been assigned to him, and closing the