The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-03-14
tTo DE CONTINUED
A PLOT THAT FAILED.

had been home month; my ship was
ready for sea, was, in fact, to sail the
following day, wind and tide favorable
After making the rounds TO bid friende
good-by, brought up in front of the
village school and patiently waited the
coming of its pretty mistress, Lillian
Somers. Shall describe her?-No. 1t il
sufficient for you to know that she wa
bright, pretty, winsome and very clever
"The longest way round is the shortest
way home," was fully exemplifed by oul
taking the unfrequented road leading
into the "gulf," and our progress was o
the slowest.
Yes, Lillian" said in answer to her
question; 81 am going TO sea tomorrow
AS you say, Uncle George desires me 10
remain at home, but that would mean q
life Of idleness; besides, it would impose
daily contact with my Cousin Otis, and
that would be an infliction beyond endur-
ance. Mol must be off,"
"Surely, Harry, you do him an injustice
Are you not trifie set in your idea that
he is inimical to you'll"
"YouSknow him not, Lillian, and
know him thoroughly. l am afraid OF
him, not for myself but for you. Lillian,
darling, you must have been aware that
have loved you. intended making NO
formal acknowledgement until my return
from China, but remark Otis made yes
terday upset my plans. He is inimical to
me, dear, inasmuch as he told me point
blank that as soon as my ship was hull
down he would seek you out and make
love to you and win you away from me.
You will not let him do that, will your"
LILLIAN walked beside me in silence for
n e
steal look into her lovely eyes; they
were filled with tears, tears of Joy beyond
a doubt, for behind them was light that
CLEANS only when ignited by love.
Lillian, my darling" / cried, clasplng
her TO my heart.
"What is it, Harry?" she asked, naively
and coquettishly.
"What is it, thou most unconscious
maiden? 1t is -
Snow, Harry, dear, you must not
think me fiippant or lacking in respect
for your avowal. A declaration of love,
sir, should be accorded every possible
courtesy and attention, even when il is
disagreeable; how much more, then, when
it is acceptable, gratifying. OF course, i
knew you loved me, and ! also had and
still have a suspicion that that "and the
merry girl looked into my face with q
roguish smile.
"That you love me; is that it, sweet
hearth"
She said nothing; she had no need; her
eyes spoke thousand times more express
sively than words could. l caught her
head between my hands and drew il
towards mine.
That evening told my darling, in con-
fidence, that my cousin was not only
gambler, but an opium smoker, and dur
ing his periodical visits to Boston had
been arrested more than once for drunk
enness. "My uncle does not know of
this, Lillian. / shall not tell him, nor
must you. BE very circumspect with Otis;
he Is not man to be trusted"
"The next day sailed in the Reindeer
for Hong Kong, where / arrived after a
long passage OF 120 days. Contrary TO my
expectations, there were no letters for me
from Lillian, but got one from Otis, in
which he hinted that my darling was un-
true. I wrote three letters to her during
my stay there and started in my ship for
Australia, thence to Liverpool, and from
there to Boston, from which place had
been absent fifteen months. During all
this time received no letter from Lillian,
and the account that Otis vouchsafed was
not consoling.
Lillian lived with her aunt, a we'll
meaning old lady, whose lifelong strug-
gle with poverty had afforded her re-
gard for wealth and those who possessed
IL. do not think IL she had been aware
OF Otiss vile habits that she would have
countenanced his visits to her house or
consented TO aid him in his efforts to un-
dermine Ijlisn's love for me. Yet hardly
n day passed but she made comparisons
between their wealth and my dependence
(as she termed my exertions 10 earn my
living), and finally told her niece that
| Otis had heard was engaged TO a lady
! who had gone out with me as a passen-
ger.
Time passed, and Lillian, hearing no
word from me OF my ship, began 10 fret,
and when Otis brought a newspaper clip
ping with an account OF the loss OF the
! Reindeer and oil hands, she tainted, and
was restored with difficulty.
True enough, the Reindeer was lost, but
4 was a British bark of that name, and
not the Boston ship. The willy Otis had
obliterated the abbreviation "Br." and
the name Of the captain, leaving the word
"barkr untouched, In the belief that
/ Lillian would not know the difference.
lie reasonsd wrongly. however. Tor she