Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-08-09

namental). and when twilight blended the
horizon with tho mighty ATLANTIC We know
away.
Aroo.
Just before darkness shut out tho agnre
landscape "a mist rose ous OF the sea-,
and ere long heavy fog cnshrouded the
giant vessel. The night became so black
that IT was necessary 20 blow the fog
whistle almost every minute IN order TO
warn of other ships, and thus, under
May difficulties, the AuraDia ploughcd
her way through the waters. SO coz
tiuTous was the footing OF the whistle that
we could hardly hear tie music OF our
own voices. and as tlas was great de-
prIyation 10 the writer be sadly crept into
the saloon and pondered over the deceit
full words Of the policy-venders.
FIRE.
Suddenly one OF the gentlemen IN our
party approached him, and almost in Sc
cond il was easy to see something awful
was about 20 happen. Our. companions
features looked rs II he had been eating n
green persimmon. while from his nose up
he appeared TO be all eyes. In awed tones
and with Hamlet's-father's-gh air
he SAID in sepulcbral tones; The steamer
is on firei" o ye India-rubber balls. ye
would have bnshed TO have seen the
special victim of the policy fiends bounce
up. The capillary substance on his we'll
insured head assumed perpendicularity
like unto the Quills of porcupine, and
with one gigantic stride be darted out
OF the room. Yes. the vessel was ac-
tually on FIRE, and from the timbers
Immediately over the saloon deck we could
see the smoke putting out The thought
OF our insurance policies flashed across
our minds. but there was no responsive
beat from our hearts. Almost IN mo
ment the memory of the dark, sluggish
ocean came before us and then. within
few feet Of us. we saw the little Virginia
girl who Ia the only lady of our party, and
her demeanor Gained us. There were two
great big tear drops in her pretty brown
eyes but her conduct was so sensible that
she could have almost calmed panic:
stricken army. She had been the first OF
the passengers to see the stewards nghtlng
the flames. and instead of screaming like
too many young ladies are prone TO do, she
suppressed her apprehensions and went 10
her father and told HIM Of the trouble.
The steamer caught from the bad insuia-
tion Of an electric wire, and had the sparks
been discovered five minutes later serious
consequences might have resulted. AS IL
was, the stewards were forced 10 tear away
several burning planks before they could
get at the heart OF the flames. The ships
employees went about the matter so coolly.
so calmly. and so deliberately that scarcely
twenty passengers knew Of the incident
until the next day.
The writer always thought that Casa
blanca was on idiot for standing on the
burning deck (eating peanuts by the peck,
or Whatever he was doing, but he felt
more than proud of the little Virginia
maid who stood upon the Aurania and
bravely resolved 20 meet the worst-as all
good people shouid-in silence and Ia
resignation.
The insurance policy is delusion and
q snare"
A GENIAL "GIoBE-TEoTTER."
II you have ever crossed the mighty At
lantic or sailed the boundless Pacific or
steamed across the beautiful Mediterra-
mean or been up the Nile TO Khartoum. you
must have met Mr.. II. X. Bennett, once OF
London, England, but now. hike Socrates,
"a citizen of the whole world" He has
circumnavigated the globe. and few m
deed are the countries on this earth which
have not beheld his smiling. ruddy fea-
lures and shaken beneath mis- heavy British
tread. His whIskers are yellow, his chest
Is deep, and against his strong left side
there beats a big. warm heart. He smokes
q pipe filed with Virginia tobacco. drinks
four cocktails a day, waits upon the
ladies like a cheyalier of old. and tells the
ren such bright and breezy Jokes.
A few months ago Mr. Bennett went to
Yucnian. which is down in Central America.
or somewhere near the lsthmus. He was
accompanied by Rider Hsggard. the world
famous author, and the two visited and
viewed with interest the ruins of several
Aztec temples and buildings. Mr.. Haggard
contemplates writing book on these
mysterious people of long ago, and his
Tip was tor this purpose, but Mr.. Bennett
merely went because he is natural rover
end loves TO puff his pipe IN every known
land under the sun. One day while
they were inspecting some of the
crumbllng walls they came upon
an Aztec gate. once a beautiful structure
but now rapidly going TO dust II brought
back memories of bygone centuries long
years before Columbus sailed the seas, and
while the visitors were examining 1t they
suddenly discovered on one of Its sides the
Hibcrnian name "0'Horan." Haggard's
reveries were shattered, but Mr.. Bennett
is q man who always adapts himself to cir
cumstances. and so he instantly SAID:
never saw an Irishman who didn't have
some whiskey about him. Let's go and
find him." And so the two started on and
soon they reached the home of the quondam
resident of the Emerald Isle"
The Irrepressible Mr. Bennett knocked
at the door and cried out. Does an
Aztec named 0Horan live here?"" Faith,
and it's may" responded a voice which
indicated plainly that the words ema-
mated from son of Erin.
MIR. Bennett explained his mission. and
the genial lrishman--true to the English
mans predictions the whiskey and
cheerfuliy produced it.
But enough. We are nearing Queens
town, and into the mailbag for that place
this is to be dropped, with the best wishes
TO all DISPATCH readers
The ABsEyTEEs.