Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-11-01

are second-class, Miss Smithers, so we
! sha'n't see much Of each other; and. per
haps, If we should meet, it might be as
| well if we didn't seem to have any &C
| quaintance. 1t don't look well for man
| in my position 20 know second-class pas
| sengers. especially young lady passengers
: who write novels"
you need not be afraid, Mr.. Meeson: ]
have no wish to claim your acquaintance, u
said Augusta
| At this point her enemy was taken VOL
emily worse again, and, being unable to
stand the sight and sound of his writing
and groaning, she fed forward: and. re-.
fecting on this strange and awkward
meeting, went down to her own berth
where, with lucid intervals. she remained
helpless and half stupid for the next three
days. On the fourth day, however. she
re-appeared on deck, quite recovered and
with an excellent appetite. She had her
breakfast, and then went and sat forward
in as quiet a place as she could find. She
did not want to see Mr.. Meeson any more.
| and she did want to escape from the
stories of her cabin mate, the lady's maid.
This good person would, after the manner
OF her kind, insist upon repeating to her
a succession of histories connected with
members of the families with whom she
had lived, many Of which were sufficient
to make the hair of a respectable young
lady like Augusta stand positively on end
No doubt they were interesting to her in
her capacity Of novelist; but as they were
all OF the same color, and as their ten
dency was absolutely to destroy any be-
lief she might have in virtue as an inner
ent quality in highly-deyeloped women,
or honor in man, Augusta soon Weared OF
these chrOnjqLeS scdndGleuSes. So she
went forward, and was sitting looking at
the white horses chasing each other
across the watery plain, and rejecting up
on what the condition of mind of those
ladies whose histories she had recently
heard would be if they knew that their
most secret, and in some cases disgracefu1
and tragic, love affairs were the common
talk of dozen servants halls, when sud
denly she was astonished by the appear
ance of a splendid official bearing a book.
At first, from the quantity of gold lace
with which his uniform was adorned, Au-
gusta took him to be the captain; but it
presently transpired that he was only the
chief steward.
please, Miss" he said, tauching his hat
and holding out the book in his hand to-
ward her, ''the Captain sends his compli-
ments and wants to know if you are the
young lady who wrote this"
Augusta glanced at the work. It was a
copy Of Terminals Vow" Then she re-
piled that she was the writer of it, and the
steward vanished.
Later in the morning came another sur
prise. The gorgeous official again ap-
peared, touched his cap, and said that the
Captain desired him to say that orders
had been given to have her things moved
to a cabin further aft. At first Augusta
demurred to this, not frGm any love of
the lady's maid, but because she had a
truly British objection to being ordered
about.
Captains orders, Miss, }" said the man,
touching his cap again, and she yielded
Nor had she any cause to regret doing
SO; for, to her huge delight, she found her
self moved into a charming deck cabin on
the starboard side of the vessel, some little
way abaft the engine-room. It was evil
IDENTIFY an officers cabin, for there, over
the head OF the bed, was the picture of the
young lady he adored, and also some
neatly fitted shelves Of books, a rack of
telescopes, and other seamanlike contri-
vances.
Am to have this cabin to MYSELF"
asked Augusta of the steward
YES, Miss; those are the Captains or
ders. 1t is Mr.. Jones cabin. Mr.. Jones
Is the second officer; but he has turned in
with Mr.. Thomas, the first officer, and
given up the cabin to you"
To be continued.)