Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1890-12-20

board above the tempest, prevailing
everything and everybody with the
fury of the storm; loud, imperious,
domineering, selfasserting, all-sufil-
cient and successful ! And when
the boat was launched, the last
mighty impulse came from his
shoulder. He rode at the helm into
the first hanging wall Of foam, erect
and triumphant Dazzled, bewild-
cred, crying and laughing, she hated
him more than ever.
The boat made three trips, bring
ing of, with the aid Of the hawser,
all but the sailors she had seen per.
ish before her own eyes. The pas
sengers-they were few-the captain
and officers, found refuge IN her
fathers house, and we're loud In their
praises OF Sol Catlin. But in that
grateful chorus 9 single gloomy
voice arose, the voice of q wealthy
and troubled passenger. II will
give" be said, "tive thousand dol
lars to the man who brings me box
of securities | left in my state room.
Every eye turned instantly TO Sol;
he answered only those of Jenny's.
"Say ten thousand, and if the dod-
blasted hulk holds together two
hours longer I'll do it, d-n me !
You hear mel My names Sol. Cat
lin, and when / say thing, by Cd,
I do it." Jenny's disgust here reach
ed its climax. The hero of night
OF undaunted energy and courage
had blotted it out in single moment
of native vanity and vulgar AVERAGE.
He was gone; not only two hours,
but daylight had come and they
we're eagerly seeking him, when he
returned among them, dripping and
empty-handed. He had reached the
ship, he said, with another, found
the box, had trusted himself alone
with it to the sea. But in the surf
he had to abandon it to save him
self. 1t had perhaps drifted ashore,
and might be found; for himself he
abandoned his claim to the reward
Had he looked abashed or mortified
Jennie felt that she might have re.
Tented, but the brsggart was still all.
satisfied, as confident and boastful as
ever. Nevertheless, as his eye seem
ed to seek her, she was constrained
in mere politeness, to add her own
to her fathers condolences. II sup
pose," she hesitated, in passing him
'that this is mere nothing to you
after all that you did last night that
was really great and selfish"
"Were you never disappointed.
Miss?" he said with exasperating
abruptness.
A quick consciousness of her own
thankless labor on the galleon, and
a terrible idea that he might have
some suspicion of, and perhaps the
least suggestion that she might have
been disappointed in him, brought a
faint color to her cheek. But she
replied with dignity:
II really couldn't say. But GER
tainly," she added, with new found
pertness, "you don't look it."
"Nor do you, Miss" was his
idiotic answer.
A few hours later, alarmed at
what she had heard of the inroads oil
the sea, which had risen higher than
ever known to the oldest settler, and
perhaps mindful Of yesterdays foot
prints, she sought her old secluded
haunt. The wreck was still there
but the sea had reached it. The ex-
cavation between its gaunt ribs was
filed with drift, and the sea-weed
carried there by the surges and en-.
trapped in its meshes. And there
too, caught as if in net, lay the
wooden box of securities Sol Catlin
had abandoned to the sea.
This is the story as it was told to
me. The singularity of condolences
has challenged some speculation.
Jenny insisted at the time upon
sharing the full reward with Catlin,
but local critics have pointed it out,
that from subsequent events, this
proved nothing. For she had mar.
ried him !-Amertcan.