The Forrest City times., 1890-09-20
sver came to gladden. his hsars.

mother.
 At that time real estate in southern Kentucky was being sold far below its real value. and Roy very wisely decided to invest ms money Tn .nn0 ana engage in farming and stock raising in the future. A tract of four hundred acres of finely tirnbered and valuable farm land lying between the Hines plantation and Mrs. Berry's small estate, was offered for sale very cheap. the owner having left it and settled in the northwest during the late war Roy realized that within . few years the land would moro than double it's pres- ent cost in value. and considering 1t in that sensible light he lost 10 time in purchasing the entire tract After paying for the land he had money enough left to buy stock and machinery and enter into farming on larger scale which was prof itable for him from the first notwith- utanding his inexperience.
 Time passed along and his hope of Het- ties voluntary return faded away and his grief became almost unbcarable. Thus the long winter passed away and in tho early spring he resolved to make trip to Canada with the hope of tracing her by hotel registers and other means which he would employ when once there. He re- mained at home and superintended his farm work until the crops were all plant ed, and then having employed sober. in- dustrious iaborers to work in his absence, he left for Canada. to be gone, if neces- sary, during the summer.
 He went direct to Toronto, and as soon as he arrived there, proceeded to examine all the hotel registers in the city. This required much more time and labor than one not experienced would suppose. He searched page by page but no familiar name was written on any of them. Thus day and night for many weeks hc laborcd in vain until he had thoroughly examined all the hotel and boarding house registers in the city. He next resorted to the banks, but could find no cheeks that would in any way aid him. He finally became discour- aged, and gave up all hope of finding her there.
 He decided to visit other cities and towns in Canada, and pursue the same course he had followed in Toronto, and also to use the newspapers and all means available to find her. He received letter from home every week, but still no tidings came of Hettie. When he had done everything in his power and all had failed he gave up in despair and prepared to return home.
 It was the middle of August when Roy Berry again landed in the United States. He had scarcely stepped from the steamer which brought him over when his atten- tion was arrested by newsboy crying out in loud, shrill tones
 Chicago Tribunc-all about the lake disaster!'
 Roy lost no time in buying Q paper and hastily read the account. The steamer was small vessel and loaded to her great est capacity Somewhere on the lake she was lost in gale. The officers had be- come careless and the engineer and pilot were both drunk. and consequently in- capable of managing the vessel, aud when the wind struck them they were driven out of their course and lashed about at the mercj of the gale. The waves rolled high. and still higher, aud every moment the frail vessel in the power of the raging elements threatened to go to pieces. The captain warned the frightened passengers to prepare for the worst. "For," said he, "she cannot stand the storm twenty min utes longerl'' The vessels ballast of boxes and bundles of goods of every de- scription, and horses and cattle were be- ing tossed about promiscuously, while among the passengers there was the wild est confusion, save with those who were in a drunken stupor, and did not realize what was coming, and every possible means of escape was occurred. Hettie was among the excited crowd, but unlike the rest of the passengers. she was undaunted by the raging pillows which would soon sweep over the three hundred persons who were passe ngers on the Iii -rateu steamer and probably sink them all together to the bottom of the lake.
 At last all hope vanished as the captain informed them that she was going down. Five minutes later and her tall smoke stacks had disappeared beneath the waves.
 But one man had been found who cs- capped with his life, and from his best information 1t was ascertained that the disaster had occurred not many miles from the shore, but the exact location was not known.
 Roy was strangely affected when he read the very imperfect report, and his thoughts were, if possible, more than ever of Het- tie. He could not tell why it was that her image was constantly coming up before him as his mind pictured the helpless men and women struggling for life amid the turbulent waves which closed in and GOV cred in the depths of the lake the lifeless bodies of the greater number of the pas sengers and crew.
 Roy tried in vain to learn more ef tho horrible affair. but there was no way pos sible to obtain a list of the names of the passengers as the rescued man was . stranger to all those who were aboard the doomed steamer.
 Roy had intended to continue his jour ney homeward that afternoon, but he changed his mind and detesmined to re- man there for day or two, or until he might learn something more. As night came on and the guests at the hotel had ceased tninking ana talking of the iaKe disaster and were enjoying themselves in innocent social amusements, Roy was un- easy and could not enjoy himself in the gay and happy crowd, and he walked out so that he might in solitude brood over his troubles. He strolled ont and down near the edge of the lake, and upon a thigh peak overlooking the water hc found seat and sat down to medltate. He briefly re- called his past life; his mind went back to the hour when he left Hettie with the promise to return and claim her when he had provided for her n comfortable home That promise he had kept sacred; he had been successful beyond his most sanguine expectations; but alasl for his fondest hope, the idol of his life, had flown like an uncaged dove and he was left to mourn for the living, yet dead to him, forever, so far as he then knew
 Thus his thoughts wandered from one event to another until iate hour in the night. when he was aroused from his rev. erie by some strange sound coming from the direction of the ake. He sprnng to his feet and looked anxiously out upon tho smooth surface of the water. Iu the dim moonlight he thought that he could sec an object of some kind floating along slowly toward the shore. It was afar of and In the faint light Roy could not dis. cern whether it was living object or not As he was gagng intently and was about to decide that it was n human being. . cloud eclipsed the moon and darkness closed around htm for Il few moments. and then the feeble light appeared again. Tho floating object came nearer and nearer Roy watched in breathlcss silence. and his heart almost ceased its pulsation as ans ks tx..k