Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-06-05

"My sweetheart promised tome. We
are to be married to-day" said Pat.
.If God wills 1t, said the captain.
"Ay, sir; we can do nothing widout
that | we'll know" said Pat. "The
rood Lord above and Father Dunn will
help me; but I'll do the best 1 can to
furder it myself
The captain looked down upon the
pages of the book before him.
"And the name of the young girl you
are asking for2" he said.
"Annie OBrien," SAID Pat, beginning
to think the captain very stupid
mAnnic O'Brien. She's the Wildly
O'Brien's daughter-a decent woman is
the widdy, and we'll respected. They
are neighbors at home in the ould coun'
thry."
The captain ran mis- fingers down
long column of names, and stopped at
last and looked at Pat again.
awe had very unpleasant voyage"
he said slowly-"a very, very unpleas-
ant voyage"
"The other gentleman vas telling me
that, sir, said Pat, wishing that this old
gentleman would stop talking about the
weather and tell him something about
Annie. bad weather must be threat
on the say" he said, in order to be
polite. "And wild all thin passengers
to be watchin' and carin' for-worse
than a stableful of bastes!'
eyes" said the captain, "we try to
care for our passengers; but the steerage
is little crowded. They are often very
sick"
eyes, sir. was that sick myself I
thought l be dyin'," said Pat.
"Some arc severely ill, said the cap
tain.
This time Pat made no answer, but
stared at him with hot flush rising to
his face.
"Sometimes they are so very i'll that
they die" the Captain went on. "Del-
icate women, you know-little children
and delicate women"
Pat still looked at him in silence.
"When l said that we had very un-
pleasant voyage l meant that"-said the
Captain-"that we had serious illness
that we had death on board. Two
storage passengers died. One was
William O'Rourke, an old man coming
over to live with his son.
"God rest his SOUL" said Pat.
"The other, who was very ill, was a
woman" said the Captain-"a young
woman, and very pretty. Mr.. Nolan,
we have to prepare for storms in this life
we have to brace up and bear them as
well as we can. They are very hard to
bear. have had a great many myself.
At my age that goes without saying, but
you are young and full of hope. l am
very sorry to say that l am afraid you
are about to suffer terrible shock. 1t
is painful task to tell you. Brace up,
my lad. The other passenger was
young woman, and her name, as we have
it written here, was Aunie O'Brien.'
All the color had gone out of Pats
face by this time. 1t was white-lips
and all. He dropped his arms on the
table and hid his face on them, and great
sobs shook his frame.
The captain wiped the tears from his
own eyes.
"Talk does no good" he said. "Time
only can comfort you"
at seems as if 1 could not believe it,
captain" Pat cried, lifting his tear
swollen face. "Annie-my little Annie
Are you sure it was Anniel"
"There was but one Annie O'Brien on
our list" said the captain. "she gave
her name just before she breathed her
last. The only steerage passenger of the
name of O'Brien died on the voyage Of
fever. The doctor cared for her as well
as he knew how. The women nursed her
kindly. We buried her at sea, and the
burial service was said by Catholic
CLERGYMAN who was on board. You
mipht like to know that, so | tell you"
"My Annie-my Annie at the bottom
of the sayI" moaued poor Nolan. "Au'
I'll niver see her again; niver kiss her
red lips; niver feel her two arms about
me neckl All, Annie, won't live after
you--I won't live after youl Lille is too
hard TO bear wild that to think of. It's
turned me to a woman, sir, I'm thinkin';
but it's the worst blow l ivcr had in me
loife."
There was knock at the door just
then. Pat hid his tear-stained face again.
sNo admittance just now, " cried the
captain.
81 didn't name to come in, plase sir
said sweet voice; "but I'd like to
spake to yc, captain, af yell let me. I'm
waitin' this long time till me frind
comes aboord to bring me home, and I'm
pettin' anxious, fearin' something has
happened him. What will do, sir9 l
know M one in Americay. Perhaps he
might be on boori and me not know it.
He'd be askin' for Annie 0'Brien and