Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-07-09

rusnlnR OlN OI buI when they found the floor surging with water and that white yapor floating upward, there was perfect shriek of dismay, ''The boil CTS have burst, the boilersl'' Supposing tho water to be scalding, instinctively placed Millicent Bradley at | full length upon the couch. There was no time to save myself And let out an un- manly yell us the wave Tapped me right up to the knee. It seemed to bite tho flesh | from my bones l can stand pain-I used | to play football in England. But you just put your stockinged feet into boiling wa ter and try thatl In jiffy was pcrched | upon the top of n small table and clapped my hand to my injured extremitios, but, strange to say, was not scalded at all. The water was cold. Others found this out simultaneously. And yet the steam was | rising.
 The meaning of 1t flashed upon Milliccnt first of all, or perhaps this phenomenon | only confirmed fear, God help us!" she cried. The vessel is on flre!' The word flew like lightning. All | rushed pcllmcll out of the saloon and up the stairs to the deck.
 ''Savc me, Horacc.'' gaspcd Milliccnt. l In that moment she called mo by that name Save ple, Horace, for the love of | hcaycnr'
 l caught her To my breast like a child she was very full grown woman and must have weighed II stonc-I kissed her | cheek, her eyes, her lips, and she never murmurcd. 1 strodc with unswcrving | steps to the companionway with that love ly burden soft and supple in my arms. | sprang up tho stairs with a confidence had not possessed in the calmcst of wealth CT. and presently stood with her on deck, the wind tearing at Us like n legion of devils and the rushing masses of water | daShing over us from head 10 foot. It | would have been too much for me exposed to the full force of it had not n handy sailor Coilcd n rope about us and hitchcd us up securely. He bound us heart to heart, and l stood with her SD through tho flying hours that dragged 80 tCdiOusly with most people. There and then and thus l told my love to hCr-and she lis tened to me. She made Inc swear that If the ships company had to take to the boats would go with her. If that could not be. she begged me to let her stay and drown with me.
 Oh, what n glorious time that was, with the storm heating me almost scnselcsS, the ship furnace beneath my feet, the utter hopClCssncss of boats living in such sea, should the fire bryak through the hattcncd down matches and drive Us from the vessel!
 Never shall l furEvt the dawn of that day, the clouds glaring spitCfully as they fled away before the sun, the waves cow
 
 scrccching in hafllcd passion-and my deck chair gone!
 They had found the fire and cxtinguish- cd it, and with the morning light came tho cry of Land ahc1d!" from the look | out.
 We should got through it all safely, then, and beyond lay-paradisc. Not the same paradise that WIG had contemplated in the dark hours, but still paradise, such Il one as I would bc contcntcd with for all tn: rest of my life
 A pilot joined Us. We steamed into sandy Hook. They strcrcd the hattcrcd hulk of the Atalanta into the grand harbor Of New York under as Eoudly n sun as ever
 smiled on lovers.
 MilliCcnt Bradley once again stood by
 my side and spoke no word. Her dark
 eyes surveyed the shore and took stock of
 the monster excursion steamers, the statue If Liberty, and the Brooklyn bridge, but
 she made no comment. She had not rc
 icrrCd to that sweet night of tcrrurs since { found her standing on the promenade icck neatly drcSS,d for going ashore. We passed the Battery and drew near the
 ,ompnny's landing stagc Presently we were being hauled into the dock. In five minutes the GanGways would hc run up, and we should have tu 20 ashOrC And up
 to this time. although I had told her all ! about myself, my family, my position and my prospects in lifv, all unimpcachIhlc,
 she had not Cuniid,I to me any of her own
 affairs, not even her destination. But now
 she turned to me and loukvd Inv squarly in the eye. You were very kind tn mI last night. Mir. Franklin" she said il , tones that fanciyd trrmhlcd little. "Mistcr:" l stAmmcrvd, aghIst at hcI coldncss.
 II am very gratcful-I shall always bc ; Don't think badly of me for Icing sd veal
 and foolish. could not bcar'-shc hcsi tatcd and shook hack n tear that secmcC ; about to sparkle in her eye as she corrcctct [ hcrsclf-''I should not lko you tO-to dc spisc me-
 9 "Oh, Miss-MillicCnt," began.
 But she went on firmly: of course w must not tako seriously anything whicl
 circumstances so CXCrptiunal-so very
 very drcadful ind, Cd-wc must Eut bin,
 ourselves by what such circumstance ] forced upon us. Wc will say 'rUudby !! now, and-and if-if we never mcc I again''-
 . 'MillicCnt!'' cried, catching both Inc . hands, quito hcCSllCss Uf UnlOokCrS, don | cOQuct with me after what We have bat - gone through! You can say calmly to m, - If wc never mcCt again; l say to you . Must we ever, ever Vart: Il ''YcS, wC must part, lIuraC,'." Tn - words came slowly, and she did not discr l. gaG,c her hands.
 Q Why Whcr' nrc you ppinE'" l. ''To Manitula-to my hrUtllrr's ranch t am going to settle thcrc. If you woul
 like to call''-
 It Manitoba is some 3, GOO miles from Ne it York, and the Bradley ranch k sO mil, r. from tho railway But did "call," s.r D. it came to pass that l settled thcrc tu- |, I..ry-= T..VV