The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-08-19
Thu ARGOSY OF PHILANDER TARBOX
BY PATIENCE STAPLETON.
AUTHOR OF JEAN MCCLURE" THE MAJORS
CHRISTMAS" "A PLUM PUDDING" ETC.
PART

PARTu
your very voice is like his said the old wo-
man, fercely, ''what kin you do for met Give
me stolen money, dole it out to me. q pauper-
the money that would q made q home Of that
ruin on the cliff, kept a kind husband outer his
grave, . son by my sidel Curses on Eric Stock
dale and his. is all I've prayed over thirty years.
ell / shall pray to the end of time. 1 kin wait
death where 1 be, it amt long now. I'm old.
broke by sorrer and trouble; it can't last mucn
longer"
''You must listen to me" insisted Marguerite
She went close to that stiff. old figure. With
qnivsring lips she told the story of her life.
'You ses," she finished quietly, show little I
knew Of my fathers sin. Even the papers I
found and that were sent to me were not enough
to make me believe the k:ndest father in the
world q bad man. Your lips have persuaded my
heart. Is that not enough You have convinced
your enemy's daughter that her father was base
and dishonest. You shall carry your hatred to
me no more. My lawyer has been sent for; he
will come down here, make estimates of that
cargo. the value of the Argosy. and if it takes
all my fortune the people here shall be paid
what they lost"
al would not touch your money cried Mrs.
Tarbox, quivering with anger. at is blood
stained and wicked You dare come here and
buy my forgiveness You, that mans laughter!
Your very life wouldn't pay one jot of the debt.
You don't know the years OF misery there was
seeing my son grow mp poor and unlearned; Of
seeing my husband dead in his prime; Of facing
poverty. fighting hard. but ending q psuper on
charity. Can you pay for thatl ALI the money
in The world can't heal a broken heart. nor bring
the dead TO life"
al have not finished said Marguerite gently.
your son
a.rr - -
drowned man from the bottom of the sea-
you do not know that he is lost. Fishermen
hare told me that he was seen on the crest OF .
wave swimming into the fog. when the vessel
went down. and that no man here could swim
so well as he. There were other schooners near
at hand. ! am sure he was rescued"
Her confidence gave that stricken heart one
ray of hope; then reason whispered how vain
rescue was in q wreck on the Banks.
"You don't know them Banks, Miss she 5 aid
more kindly. like our folks do. There want
no hope for Mason. Mebbe you mean well. but
You see you can do me no good. It's useless to
give me money; it is tfo late. Do ye well with
IL, an the curse may lift of ye." She turned
her back then. stirring the boiler again. Swede
Nike rolled his wild eyes, mutterlng Dinner
with hoarse eaeerness.
"wal,D asked the Captain as they walked
away, Marguerite leaving q generous gift in the
20 say when alone. kin there be emmy mean
ness to come O. taken them billsl but laws how
little there is as is honest earnt anyhow
81 have commenced the seige," answered
Marguerite hopefully; 81 shall come here every
week. Little you realize what a battle you
have before you, my knight Grant. VIII You
still fight under my bannerln
EFF by tibet potry talk you're meanin' I'm ter
stan by ye, it's jist tibet" said the Captain,
grasping the little gloved hand in his blus nit
ten. knit by AIMS industrious hands.
me too" echoed SOL So that strange siege
began. The invaded, that stern. unforeiving
old woman: the foe. Marguerite. Sol and the
Captain. Over the sunlirs winter sea the white
winged Sea GULF sped at weekly intervals;
~cftener when the weather grew more calm and
warm The grim old face hardened itself, the
faded eyes grew colder and more defiant. But
the two other paupers rejoiced; there were boun-
tiful dinners at the farm now. and once that fair
girl ate 81 their poor table. She brought q
stranger 20 see Mrs. Tarbox, a city lawyer.
anxious and i'll 81 ease. doing his duty against
his inclination, searching for old documents and
listening patiently to stories of losses in the
Argosy.
II knew all this, Miss Marguerite he said
one day: your father told me. fearing thers
might be legal complications for you in the fut-
IRE. i never should have told you. nor did I
think OF q woman so noble and earnest az your
SELF"
The news went all along shore. The Argosy
o. Philsnder Tarbox had been Q household ira
dition. bur suddenly it gained new reality and
LA Is wss 80 IL that waye-tossed bark had