People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-01-26
SAlS y CopYRIeHTEp BYaBLlppNcoTTC oMPANY

| y
friend or neighbor." ee-s
"Oh, no, no! Did he never tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"Where and how he found me-"
'No. Tell me about it."
Il came from the sea-"
'From the sea?"
eyes, yes,-from reck,-from an
unknown ship on which every soul was
lost save an infant abandoned in the
ships cabin"
And you were that child?"
"Yes. The men from the beach
found me at the last moment, just as
the ship was breaking to pieces. The
captain was the first to find me, and
fell to him by right of discovery"
The Judge had risen, and stood look
ing down upon her with strange,
half-anxious, half-hopeful expression
on his face.
SIS this true?"
''Yes, sir; it is true"
"And did no one know where the
ship came from or where she was
bound?"
mo. The wreck lay with the stern
to the sea, and was so broken
up when l was rescued that it was
not safe to row round it through
the surf and find its name 1t was
frigh tful weather, and the only Won
der is that l survived that night. Even
now l sometimes start in my sleep,
dreaming of that dreadful roar of the
sea that stormed round my cradle"
"That came so near being your
grave"
Eyes, sir. That is the pity of it. If
l only could have died with the others
with my father, who was perhaps
Captain of the ship"
mo; that could not be. He would
not have left you to perish. You must
| nave Deen passenger.
81 have thought of that The ships
company tried to get ashore, and were
all lost"
"DO you mean to say they left you on
the ship to die?"
80 l was told And do you wonder
that | hesitate to accept all you offer?
Who am l? Where is my native land?
Some day-some day shall know,
feel sure of it, and then some one
know not whom sometimes dread tc
know-may claim me-"
And were there no women among
the ships people?.'
''Not one. Nor were there any
children found among the dead"
Your mother may have died on the
voyage"
Il have thought that must be so
There is no other explanation. She wa.
a passenger, and died and was buried
at sea, and l, being only an infant
was forgotten in the selfish haste o.
the others to save themselves"
Mai, you should have told me thi!
before"
81 thought you knew"
And then a great fear seemed t.
enter her heart, and she sat up anC
motioned him to come nearer. He sa
down again, and gently took one o
her hands in both of his.
What is it, my child?"
"You will not think i'll of me? Yo,
will not send me away? l could neve
go back now-after they have been S,
cruel. l remember now, there is some
thing more"
Something more?"
"Yes, He-the Captain-never tolC
me, but l remember hearing, when
girl in the village, that, as the villag
gossip said, Capt. johnson neve
did right not to let on all about tina
wreck l never asked him. If h
thought best not to tell me, it was no
for me, who owed him so much-m
home, my life-to ask him."
> "Do you think he knew the ship
name?"
! mo. Nobody knew that"
"My child, let us think no NOR
about it. There are certain reason
why l wish to have you nea
me as long as you live, to stay Away
in my home. l, too, have a sa
D memory of the sea-"
. He let fall her hands, and. rising
e went to the ships side and looked o.
: over the water. She knew that he ha
lost the wife of his youth. Perhar
something that she had said ha
v brought back some memory of hel
: Trying to recall all that she had sale
e she wondered if it would be right G
S proper to ask him more about his .ea
d wife. He must have loved her dearl
S and lost her under some distres.
o ing circumstances in 'some way col
S nected with the sea. Thinking of thes
0 things, she waited patiently till
7 should return. Then she would as
: him what were the reasons that lie
him to offer so much.
!, AT that moment she saw Mrs. Geal
n ing approach from the door of tn
Y saloon and advance along the dec
It towards them. AS she came neare
: she passed the yelled lady, who ha
sat during all this time just where tn
|, maid had placed her. The strang
lady seemed suddenly to be awake, fc
l. she rose abruptly and spoke to IL
y Judges wife. That lady seemed I
recognize her, and both shook hanC
:, and spoke cordially and then can
e nearer. InstinctivelY Mai threw asiC
her wraps and stood up.