Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-07-03
THE PURsER's STORY
BY LUKE SHARP.

~@AA1
story.
When the purscr told it to me / know
it was his intention to write 1t out for a
magazine. In fact he had written il.
and understand that noted American
magazine had offered to publish It. but
! have watched that magazine for over
three years and ! have not yet seen the
purser's story ia it. am sorry that
did not write the story at the time, then
perhaps ] should have caught the ex-
quisite pcculiarities Of the purser's way
of tellIngit. / find myself gradually for
getting the story and write il now for
fear shall forget it, and then be har-
Iassed all through after life by the re-
membrance of the forgetting.
Perhaps after you read this story You
will say there is nothing in it after all.
Well, that will be my fault, then, and /
can only regret that did not write down
the story when it was told to me, for as
| sat in the purser's room that day it
seemed to me that had never heard any
thing more graphic.
The purser's room was well forward on
the Atlantic steamship. From one of the
little red-curtained windows you could
look down to where the storage passen-
gers were gathered on the deck. When
the bow of the great vessel dove down.
into the big Atlantic waves, the smother
of foam that shot upward would be borne
along with the wind and spatter like rain
against the purscr's window. Something
about this intermittent patter on the
pane reminded the plrser of the story
and so he told it to me:
There were great many steerage pas
sengers getting on at Queenstown, he
said, and as you saw when we were there
it is quite hurry getting them aboard.
Two officers stand at each side Of the
gangway and take up the tickets as the
people crowd forward They generally
have their tickets in their hands and
there Is no trouble. / stood there and
watched them coming on. Suddenly
there was fuss and q jam.
what is itg'' asked the officer.
Two girls, sir, say they have lost
their tickets"
took the girls aside and the stream
of humanity poured in. One was about
II and the other, perhaps, s years old.
The little one had firm grip of the
elders hand and she was CRYING. The
larger girl looked me straight in the eye
as questioned her.
''Mhere's your tickets2''
.We lost thin, sur.
ssWhere2"
i dunno, sur"
do you think you have them ABOUT
you or in your luggageg"
.'We've no luggage. sur.
sis this your sister,"
''She is, sur.
Are your parents abroadp9
They are not, sur.
Are you all alone2"
1--WE are, sur. /"
'sYou can't 20 without your tickets =
The younger one began to cry the more
and the elder answered
s'Mabbe we can foind them, sur. :"
They were bright-loolxing, Intelligent
children, and the larger girl gave me
such quick, straightforward answers, and
it seemed so impossible that children so
young should attempt TO cross the ocean
without tickets that / concluded to let
them come, and resolved to get at the
truth on the way over.
Next day told the deck steward to
bring the children to my room.
They came in just Is saw them the
day before, the elder with light grip on
the hand of the younger, whose eyes ]
never caught sight Of. She kept them
resolutely on the floor while the other
looked straight ct me with her BIG, blue
eyes.
well, have you found your ticketss''
No, sur.
ssNNhat is your nameg'
Bridget. sur.
Bridget what.
ssBridget Mnlligan, sur.
where did you live2''
In Kildormey, sur.
ssANhere did you get your tickets9"
From BIr. O'Grady, sur
Now ! knew KiIdonney Is well as
know this ship, and knew oaGrady was
our agent there. / would have given q
/ good deal at that moment for few
/ words with him. But / knew Of no
/ 1rullieans there, although, Of course,
/ there might bel 1 was born myself only d
| Jew miles from Kildormey. Now, thinks
/ \ to myself, IL these two children can
/ battle 4 purseF that's been twenty years
/ On the Atlantic when they say they
came from his own town. almost, bv the
! bowers they deserve their PASSAGE 0vel
/ the ocean. had often seen grown PEG.
! pie try to cheat their way across, and
+ may say none Of them succeeded on nv
I chips.
ssNhare's your father and molhor2'
Both dead, sur.
Who was your fakheKl
aa was pinahoneT. sur
Where did he draw Ills pcnsiong
fHNNNtts ME*N