Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1889-01-12
Il SEALED PACKET.
!1 Contents ano Eow They Were
Carried INTO Effect

] mad served twenty-five wears on
board al East Indiainan, ant for the
last len wears had commanded the
belle, L OF this finest crafts that ever
foated. was an old sea-dOg anc had
tweil SO long Oh salt water that ! fell
almost q hatred for the land.
On the 2Jth Of October, Ia ] re-
oeiveu orders 10 put myself in readr-
nest 10 sal Tor Cayenne ] wac to
transport ~sereutv-fve soiGiers and Z
convict. ] mad orders TO treat this H.
tivldual well and The letter ] received
from the Directory inctosed another,
with I huge red sea-, which ] WA not
70 open until Detv een Nv euty-seveu
and twenty eight degrees west lonri-
tuue that 1t just before We were
about 10 cross the line,
The letter was Z long packet. so
vel CLOSED on every side thut ii was
impossible 70 catch ting slightest
glimpse o. its contents. J an no.
naturally superstitiUus, but there was
something in the look Of the letter
that J did not like, though ! could
give no reason Why. However. ]
carried II into the cabin, and stuck il
under the glass Of q little Shabby old
clock, which was fastened above ipy
head.
was busy fixing the letter under
the CLOCK, when who should come into
my cabin but the convict und his wife
This was the tirst time J had seen
either Of them, and ! may Say tnat d
more prepossesslng couple J never
INST The woman was scarcely more
than eighteen, and as handsome as d
picture while her husband was III IL
telhgent, magnifoentiy formed man. on
whose features nature had never writ
ten villain
Hin crime, 10 be plain, was the mis-
fortune Of being about . hundred years
ahead Of his age. He and others had
attempted something which the Gov
eminent called treason, and which il
punished with death Il therefore oe-
casioned ne considerable wonder that
he should be placed under ny change
bpi nor Of THE afterwards.
De had, as J said, hit wife hanging
upon bis arm. She wal az merry ae &
blra: she looked like d turtle dove
cooing and nesting under his great
wing.
Before 8 month PASSED over our
heads, J looked upon them as my own
children. Every morning J used TO
cal them into my cabin. The young
fellow would sit waiting al my table
that is 10 say, al my chest, which was
also my bed he would often help me
al reckoning, and soon learned 70 do il
better thar ] could. was amazed al
his ability. His young wife would sit
upon one Of the round stools IL NV
cabin, working 81 her needle.
One Gay we al three sitting in
this way, when ] said:
r-Do you know, my young ones as il
seems 70 me, We make 3 very pretty
family picturep Mind, ] don't mean TO
ask questions, but maybe you have not
much money 10 spare, and you are both
Of you. ] think, TOO handsome 70 dig IL
the burning sun Of Cayenne, like many
poor wretch before you. lis q bad
eountry-s bad country, take ny word
for it. who have roughed il through
tempest. wind and sunshine, till I've
got the skin Of q ~rhinoceroGs, might
get along there: but you--I am afraid
Of you. So il you should chance 10
have q bit offoolish friendship for you,
poor old captain. ] tell you what III
do; I'll get rid Of this old brig: she.
not much better than an old tub after
ali; and I'll settle down there with yor
II you like. You see ] have not q liv.
ing soul in the world 20 care for. 0,
that are for me. want relations
] want a home, ] want a family.
.hould like 10 make my home witt
you, my pretty young ones. VIVA
say YEP
They said nothing at all, but sal
looking frs. at each other and then a
me. as If they doubted whether the,
understood what ! said At last th.
little bird threw her arms round u,
neck and cried like a child.
But said she. suddenly pausing
ayou haven't looked at the letter witt
The big red seal"
Hang itir | exclaimed. 'ft slippet
my mind entirely"
With a cold. dreadful sensation
went TO my chest 70 o where we were
found that we had several days re
mainieg before We could reach th'
proper longitude for opening the let
Ter.
Well, there we stood. ali three Of ii
looking up at the letter ss II il eouls
have spoken TO US. As 1t happened
the u was shining full upon the fscs
Of TIE clock case. and ieii upon Ihs
great staring red seal Of the letter. |
could not hap tsncyins It looked some.
hing Like . big monstsr-an ogres
fsce. grinning from the middle Of the
fres Il looked boryzd
<4.onld nof 49, fancy said N