The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-10-08
Journey, picked up the whole compa.

as possible. Iner6 WIS ho No'DU
about the facts. The Paragon had
been III down by mysterious vessel
the name of which no one had OBJ.
served. and had taken advantage OF
the darkness to desert the shipshe had
run into. The home voyage was salts
factorilv accomplished, and Ralph ana
Nellie, the former no longer hampered
by duties of navigation, had ample
opportunities of carrying on their
love affair which had been accompan'
led by such an overwhelming Catas-
trophe. Nutford easily succumbed to
Neliie's soft CaSuistry, for to own his
neglect of duty would be ruin to his
career and hers, and would render
their marriage which was to him a
f~oregone conclusion, an absolute I'M
possibility.
A minute inquiry naturally was
held at S~eringapatam, at the conclu-
sion of which it was declded-though
in official language-that there was
some mystery somewhere, and
a good deal more in the circumstances
of the collision than met the eye or
ear; but that was no direct evidence
rejecting upon the conduct OF the fifth
officer, who came home from the in
uuirv q mar about whom nothing def
mite is said, but a gooddealis implied,
and in this unenviable state OF mind
he found waiting for him Nellie, his az
fanced bride, and blue envelope.
The latter was from a firm of solicit
tors. that his old uncle
had died, leaving him his sole heir.
Thank God" he exclaimed. poor
old gentleman, he has done me a
good turn at the moment | re-
quired it most. Nellie-sweetheart
I am a rich man. Tomorrow l
throw up this profession, which, If l
cared little about before, Iloathe now.
This day three weeks, darling, we will
be married, and then we'll 60 abroad
for six months. Does this suit your
views?"
The answer OF the young person
addressed has not been recorded; 1t is
sufficient for us to know that, two
months later, Nellie-Mrs. Ralph Nut
ford-was installed in an exquisite
little apartment looking out upon the
Champs Elysees, and her husband,
who had been down to the Riviera to
look out for a permanent habitation
for himself and his bride, vas hasten.
ing back to her in a first-class car
riage on the Paris arseilles railway.
In the corner opposite to him sat
an American, who, with the affability
of that free-born race, had entered
into conversation with him, and the
conversation had turned upon the
shipping at Marseilles.
"You seem to know q thing or two
about boats, stranger" observed the
American.
"Well, / ought to, seeing that | was
connected with an American line for
some years"
"You werel Then you must have
come across some funny yarns III con-
nection with those same steamers.
Lord bless you! There's a deal of ro-
nance connected with those lines!
could tell you a story-but. there, it
wouldn't interest you perhaps"
con the contrary" replied Mr.. Nut
ford, 81 should very much liketo hear
some of your experiences; we have the
end OF a long journey before u.s."
ooh. they'r e not my experiences; but
a friend of mine from Chicago told me
a rum story about the Cable line a
few days ago. Remember the Para
gon? Went down mysteriously, be-
ginning OF the year? Yes, you know.
I'll tell you a story about that, if you
like. Shall i? Very w~ell-we've got
half an hour. 1t happened like this;
but mind, you promise on your
British honor never to let this go any
further. All right.
"Col. Jedadiah q. Spinks got planted
last fall with a huge consignment OF
hides; got 'em as his share oil a steal,
or something of that kind, and all his
pals laughed at him because they said
even he couldn't get a profit out OF
EN-. So what dye think he does!
Ship 'em all aboard the Paragon
as cargo, declares them as
Indian bullion embroideries, and in
sures them against all risks at $780,.
O0Ol Hespotted the Paragon because
there was q young foolof a fifth officer
on board, named Mudford, or Ret
ford, or something like that, who was
just the kind Of soft he wanted, and he
had him sounded, to make sure, one
day at Delmonico's, by a friend, who
went and sat with him, and entered
into copversation-just as you and
have done; and then the colonel
got a girl, lovely and without rela.
tions, with the cheek and the pluck
and the beauty of the devil, but down
on her lrsk and hard up for cash and OK.
element, and sent her on board as
his niece, making the voyage to
Seringapatam under the care o
the captainl' She made tire
mendous love to the young spark
playing the pompous old ass Of a cap
tain off against him. and got him Il
herself ON deck one dark night, wher
there was no else on deck but two
men sent on as part OF the extra crew
| by the colonel himself, and instructed
by him. While she fiirted with hin
well out Of sight under the bridge
| these two men let down over the sid,
a Remington dynamite machine, ant
| blew the blessed old boat to blazea