The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1893-07-19
THE YOUNG HEROINE
or
AMOTHER'S CHOICE.
BY RUFUS HALE.

One of the crew of the ship H0noIsla,
bound from Owyhee, Sandwich Islands,
to san Francisco, was fne looking boy
of seventeen, named George Belden-the
son of a widowed lady of sixty, who was
a passenger aboard the same vessel (:
Owing 10 business disasters, Mrs. Bsld-
ems husband had left his wife in poor
circumstances when he died. Relatives
in san Francisco, however, had promis-
ed to use their influence in behalf Of the
widows son il she would come there, and
it was for this reason she was nov on
her way.
Her slender stock of funds not being
sufficient to pay the passage for t.ro, even
aboard 50 cheap a craft as the Honolulu,
George had readily made up his mind to
work his own way to the destined port.
As he was unused to labor OF this kind,
his mother had at hrst cried about it,
and objected, but there being no alterna-
tive, she had, at last, been Obliged to
consent For hours every day af;er the
craft had sailed, this lady, with the bow
ed form and gray hair, might have been
seen on deck, peering anxiously about
her, ifrour under the rim Of her black
bonnet, 10 get a glimpse Of her son as he
ran to and fro in the performance uf his
duties. At times, when she saw him far
aloft on a yard, she would involuntaIily
clasp her hands, with half muttered,
~Oh, dear" until some passing sailor
would respectfully touch his hat to her,
and say
Don't be afraid, ma'am he's safe
enough"
The ships captain, John Leo, a Kan
aka, or native of the Sandwich Islands,
was something Of a tyrant. His crew, all
composed Of white mentor he never
shipped Ksnakas on account Of their
laziness, as he termed it-had with him
hard time. Although he WAS very sur
ly and harsh with George Belden, yet
the presence Of the latter's mother aboard
the vessel served as check 70 more
brutal treatment. His daughter, too, .
tall, graceful girl of fifteen, named Min
nowla, who had taken a liking both to
the widow and her son, exerted herself
with her father in the boys behalf.
George was much attracted by the
dark beauty Of the island girl, and would
often converse with her.
Il will yet make her my wife," he
said, one day to his mother.
The latter, believing MinnOwla to be
Of a tickle nature, and something of a
coquette, naturally made objections.
''She will wreck your peace Of mind
George. l believe she Is only leading
YOU on. Better marry a white girl when
you think oftaking wife
"You are mistaken, mother. The cap
tain's daughter is 10 eoquette."
''iIost all these island girls are,7 an
swered the widow.
Minnowla is friendly to both of US.
She has shown herself to be OF ia gentle
disposition"
4" That is true; bat she is, in my opin-
ion, childish and variable. She is not,
should say, the kind of girl, to make
unseldsh sacrifices for you in the hour of
trial. True, it is plain that she has been
well and carefully brought up, but she is
vain and frivolous, as You can see by
her manner at this moment. Would a
girl whose whole heart seems bound up
in 3 string of red COAL beads 20 apt to
show the sort Of deep, earne,t devotion
that would make her ready and willing
to sacrifice her very life for you ,"
As is usual in such cases, George was
not influenced by his mothers opinion.
lie stood watching the movements of
Minnowla, who, clad in a neat bathing
suit trimmed with red on the edges and
where it was buttoned around the throat,
stood holding up in the sunlight string
of coral beads, which she was admiring
with a sort Of childish delight ere she
puts them on her neck.
The vessel, driven somewhat Off her
course by a late gale and heavy sea,
which had stoven and swept away all
her boats except the dingy hanging asst
ern, now lay becalmed in about deg.
10 min. north lat, Ion. lls-S0 west, and,
as was her custom in such weather, the
young girl, who, Ike all her race, was
nearly as much at home in the water as
if it was her native element had been
amusing herself by diving from and
swimming about the after part of the
ship.
The calm had put the captain N an
unusually bad humor. and when finally
the falling of the barometer indicated
coming storm, it was in no gentle man
ner that he roared out to the men to
shorten the sail.
Minnowls, not yet having changed her
attire stood watching the black and white
water coming down from windward.
Sail had scarcely been taken in, when
the tempest struck the vessel. The gale
was violent, and the spray Of the Kissing,
cnrling seas flying over the rail compelI-
ed Mrs. Welden to seek shelter in the
The ship was now driving through the
roaring waves, heeling far over, under
more canvass than she could well carry,
Tor the captain was anxious 10 clear q
cluster Of islands which bore of the lee
bow, about three miles distant.
The strained spars, with their whole
we're swaying and bending, as if
about going by the board, when, all at