, 1888-01-24

''There Is little chance for you in the
boat, said the captain to the first mate;
''here there is none, You have done your
duty, God speed you. DO what you can
for the little craft, " and the two shook
hands as for eternity.
The pumps had Deer abandoned, and
Jack with his arm around his wife stood
near and heard. ''You will 60, Tom,"
said Jack, ''you have your mother. We"
he said, CHANGING with n kind of rapture
at the wistful little face leaning against
his pea jacket-''we will not be separ-
ated."
l still hoped, as I said good by, " that
they would join us; but the crew, find
ing the passengers held back, had come
on to the boat and taken their places, at
which the captain smiled grimly. He
smiled even more, as one of the other
passengers went over the side of the YES
sci with a black bag carefully held, to
think he should care for his possessions at
n moment like this. There was no time
to lose, for the good ship was settling
fast. We had some biscuits and q COM
pass, but no water.
"There is room for one more. Fetch
n lady" said the mate as we were about
to cut ourselves free of the ship.
l Immediately regained the ship to
look for Ellen and her husband. There
is room for one lady," l said hurriedly.
sc both of you and care for my mother
for me-"
They shook their heads, both of them,
and Jack said, 81 could never face your
mother with such a tale; but" he added
with q sudden heroism, sit is the mo-
ment to tell the truth. Tom loves you,
Ellen, I have seen it all along. Take
her, he said to me, marry her and
make her happy. 1t is so dreadful for
such a sweet young life to be broken off,"
l felt myself choking, but I needed not
to speak a word. She laid her soft
cheek against his, and chung to him SO
desperately, with a face so full of radiant
love, it was answer enough.
Jack looked Mt me with q happiness 1
can never describe. "You see a coquette
can be true" he said, and these were his
last words to me-.
The moments were SO precious l had
only time to fling myself over the side
and into the boat, for the ship was set
ting down so fast that the boat, if mot cut
away Immediately, would be sucked
down.
Ellen Pe-cival l see now as l last saw
ncIj St'ilulnS upon Jne deck OF tHat
doomed vessel, cheerful and like herself
ever in such an hour, sometimes peering
forward through the gloom to a~nxiously
watch our venture through the dashing
foam and spray, sometimes gazing at her
husband in n sweet contented way, and
that l might sec her the more plainly,
the sui shone out for a brief moment
amid angry banks of black cloud, and lit
her face with a sort of chastened glory.
1t may sound strange, but / never saw
more perfect happiness than was in the
face of both those two at that moment.
1t was but a moment, for the bow. Of the
ship rose right out of tho sea, ard the
sudden rush of air from below flung all
the passengers forward together. 1t was
all over now-thc once mighty craft sank
suddenly and completely, and around us
was the raging sea.
1t matters little to the reader how l
escaped and the rest of us. We were
picked up by n chip after we had en-
countered some privations, and it was
long before l could reconcile myself to
life after that last adieu to Little Wasp.
Jennie Gwynne Bethany in Home
Journal.