Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1891-07-10

and well respected. They are neighbors
there at home in the ould country"
The captain ran his finger down q long
column Of names. and stopped at last
and looked at Pat again.
"We had avery unpleasant voyage, he
said slowly-f'a very, very unpleasant
voyage"
"The othcr gentleman was telling me
that, sir, said Pat, wishing that this old
gentleman would stop talking g1out the
weather AMI tell him sonet.ang about
Annie. "Bad weather mltst be o threat
on the say, . he said, ia ordiat TO be polite.
"And wild all thin ~passengeis 10 be
watchin' and carin' fer-worse than q
stableful Of bastesi"
Eyes" said the captain, eve try TO
care for our passengers. but the steerage
"a a little crowded. They are often very
sick"
Eyes, sir. l was that sick myself ]
Thought l he dyin',' said Pat.
'Some are severely Ill, said the cap
tain.
This time Pat made no answer, bat
stared at him with a hot flush rising to
his face.
Sometimes they are so very i'll that
they die" the captain went on. 'Deli-
cate women, you lmow-little children
and delicate women
Pat still looked ut him IN silence.
when I said that we had a very I'M
pleasant voyage ] moaut," said the cap
tain, "that we had serious illness-that
we had death on board. Two s.eerage
passengers died. One was William
O'Rourke, an old man coming over to
live with his SON"
"God rest his soulT said PIT, crossing
his forehead.
"The other, who was very i'll, was a
woman said the captain, 50 Young
woman, and very pretty. Mr. Nolan,
we have to prepare for storms in this
life-we have to brace mp and bear them
as well as we can. They are very hard
to bear. ] have had Il great many my
self. At my age that goes without say
ing; but yOu are young and full Of hope.
| am very sorry to say that l am afraG
you are about to suffer q terrible shock.
It is a painful task to tell you. Brace
up, my lad. The other passenger was Il
young woman, and her naTa, as we have
it written here, was Annie 0Brien."
All the color had gone ont 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 fro;a his
own eyes.
"TalE does no good he said. "Time
only can comfort you"
ut seems as if l could not believe it,
captain" Pat cried, lifting his tear swol-
len face. "Aunie-my little Anniel
Are We sure it was Annie."
"There was but one Annie O'Brien on
Il list" said the captain. "She gave
her name just before she breathed her
last. The only Storage PASSENGER of the
name of O'Brien died on the voyage of
a fever. The doctor cared for her rs
well as he knew how. The women
nursed her kindly. We buried her at
sea, and the burial service was said by a
Catholic Clergyman who was Oh board.
You might hike to know that, so | tell
YOU"
"Aiy Annie-nly Annie at the bottom
Of the sayt' moaned poor Nolan. can
III niver see her again; niyer kiss her
red lips; niver feel her two arms about
me neckl All, Annie. | won't live after
you'll won't live after you'll Life is too
hard to bear wild that 10 think Of. It's
turned me TO n woman, sir, I'm thinkin';
but it's tho worst blow 1 liver had in me
loife."
There was a knock at tho door inst
then. Pat hid his tear et.iucd face
again.
mo admittance just now" cried the
captain.
Il didn't name to come in, rlase, cir"
said sweet voice, "But Pa like to sPake
to We, captain, af yen let me I'm
waitin' this long time till me friud comes
aboord TO bring me home, and I'm get
tin anxious, faarin' something has hap
pened him. What viii / do. sir?
know no ono in Americay. perhips he
might be on boord and q not know H.
He'd be aslin' for annie OBrien, and
he'd be Pat Nolan, that I'm promised to.
Would yo"-
But the captain had flung wide the
door, and PAT was on his feet, and with
a roM like that Of q buffalo had flung
his arms about her.
"Glory no 20 Goa and all the saintsy'
he cried. 'You're not dead at all
You're aliyel I've got you safe and
sound They've been tellin' me you
were dead. God help the man that put
the thrick on me, for III lave but the
bones av him!'
"Quiet, therelo shouted the captain.
down with your fists, OF III put you in
irons! What did yoa meal by asking
for Annie O'Brien, u steerage passenger,
when you wanted Annie Bailey, a first
cabin passenger? That is the girl that
stands there. That is the name she gave
us-Anuie Bailey"
captain, dear" cried Annie, clutch
ing her Pat by the cont tails, captain,
darlin', PGs niver kuow-ho did not.
Since writin' him, my mother-a WILDLY
married again wild Mr.. Peter Bailey,
that hapes a foine tavern in our town.
SO long as / was goin' from her, and nc
proposin' 20 her, why wouldn't she? And
he, hayin' money to spare, said l should
come like q lady, and paid me passage
in tho foiuest place; and out iv compli.