Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-09-07

"Hulloi Miss Jemitna-smithers, I mezns
what on earth are you doing here,"
II I'm going TO New Zealand, Mr.. Nee
son, she answered, sharply; and I eer~
tainly did not expect TO have the pleasure
Of your company on the voyage" +,
Going TO New Zealand he said, -ars
your Why, so am j; at least, ] am grSnG
there first, then TO Australia. What do
you mean 10 do there-try and run round
our little agreement, chr 1t won't be any
good, / tell you plainly. We have our
agents in New Zealand, and q house in
Australia, and IL you try to get the better
OF Nelson's there, Nelson's will be even
with You, Miss Smithers-Oh. Heavensf
l feel as though were coming TO pieces"
Don't alarm yourself, Mr.. Meesca,"
she answered, II am not going to publish
any more books at present"
That is a pity" he said; because your
stuff is good selling stuff. ANY publisher
would find money in IL. / suppose you
are second-ciass, Miss Smithers, 50 We
sha'n't see much of each other: and, per-
haps, IL we should meet, 1t might be M
well IL we didn't seem 70 have any 40
quaintance. 1t don look well for a man
In my position 10 know second class pas
sengers, especially young lady passengers
who write novels"
"You need not be afraid, Mr. Meeson; r
have no wish to- claim your acquaintanee,'S
said Augusta.
At this point her enemy was taken viok-
emily worse again, and, being unable 10
stand the sight and sound Of his wristing
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 n half stupid for the next three
days. On the fourth day, however. sho
re-appeared on deck, quite recovered and
with an excellent appetite. She had her
breakfast, and then went and sat forward
in as quiet q place as she could find. She
| did not want TO see Mr.. Meeson any more,
and she did want 10 escape from tho
stories Of her cabin mate, the lady's maid
This good person would, after the manner
OF her kind, insist upon repeating To her
q 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 10 her i'm
her capacity Of a novelist; but as they were
oil u luc S&iit COlOf, anu Is lltiE Ten
dency was absolutely 70 destroy any be-
lief she might have in virtue as an inner
emit quality in highly-developed women,
or honor in man, Augusta soon weared OF
these ~ehroRtQues scGnddteuses. So she
went forward, and was sitting looking at
the white horses chasing each other
across the watery plain, and rejecting up
OF what the condition of mind of those
/ 1a1sau xnhaaa h.eta-sa. Il. ~ -
heard would be if they knew that their
most secret, and in some cases disgracefui
and tragic, love affairs were the COMMON
talk Of a dozen servants halls, when sud.
denly she was astonished by the appear.
ance of a splendid official bearing "A hook.
At first, from the quantity Of gold hxcs
with which his uniform was adorned, Au-
gusta took him TO De the captain; but it
presently transpired that he was only the
chief steward.
Please, Miss" he said, touching his hat
and holding out the book in his hand to-
ward her, the Captain sends his compii-
ments and wants 10 know if you are tho
young lady who wrote this"
Augusta glanced ~ the work X was 81
copy of "Jemima's Vow" Then she re-
piled that she was the writer of it, aud the
steward vanished.
Later in the morning anne another sur
prise. The gorgeous official again
peared, touched his cap, and said that the
Captain desired him to say that orders
had been given to lave her things moved
to q cabin further aft. At first AGgasts
demurred to this, not from any bove of
the lady's maid, but because she had .
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 ou,
the starboard side of the vessel, SOME LIZ tls
way a0aft the engine-room. Ii was evi-
IDENTIFY al 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, u rack a
telescopes, and other s~eanlaa..ke contri-
vances.
Am I TO rave this cabin to myself"
asked Augusta of the steward
"Yes, Miss; those are the Captains or
ders. 1t is Mr.. Jones' cabin. Nr. Jones
Is the second officer; but he has turned i'm
with Mr.. Thomas, the first Officer, ma
given up the cabin 10 you"
Il am sure il is very kind of Mr.. jones'"
murmured Augusta, not knowing what tn
make of this turn Of fortune. But MrS-
prises were not 10 end there. A few rum
utes afterward. just as she was leaving
the cabin, a gentleman in uniform came
up, in whom she recognized the Captain
He was accompanied by a pretty. fair
haired woman very beeomingly dressed.
Excuse me; Miss Smithers, I be,ieve,r'
he said, with a bow.
Eyes"
Il am Captain Alton. / hope you like
your new cabin. Let rae introduce You tn.
Lady Holmhurst. wife of Lord Holmhurst,
the New Zealand Governor. You know
Lady Holmhurst, this Is Miss Smitherx.
whose book you were talking so much
about
"Oh! I am delighted TO make your c
quaintance, Miss Smithers, v said the great
lady in a manner tna evidently was 5o9
assumed. Captain Alton has prcrrisN5l
that ] shall sit next TO you at c,uner- and
then We can have a good talk. ! denst
know when l have been so much delighted
with anything AS I was with your suok-
1 have read IL three times: what 20 yua
i hin Of that for u huSv Wnrpapsr