Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-02-07

''Hush-h-r'
Then Tommy gave his attention to
the ship building. The little schooner
rugged craft which was soon to be all
MS own was now completed save IN
one respect-a name. The outline of
thls Lieutenant Walton was at that
moment carving. AS he finished. he
said:
THAT must do for today, Thomas.
Letters Of gold tomorrow. after the
trial trip"
ooh, but l say, that isn't fair" ex-
claimed the lad, in a disappointed tone
as he spelt out the name that had been
carved. Look. sis. Fancy calling my
yacht Miss Mulgrove' Il thought it
was going TO be Richard and Marina
for you've both helped to make it for
me, haven't you now?''
The situation was a trying one for
the young people. On the previous
day Tommy had, in the emphatic style
OF small boys, declared thai the yacht,
then only just begun, must be called
Richard and Marina, and no objection
was raised at the time. Since. how
Richard contemplated suggested a
much more important combination of
the two names. 1t was to prevent his
designs from reaching practical shane
in plain words, to avoid a PROPOSAL
that Marina had started that con-
versation about love and marriage
with which the reader is already fami.
liar. Her free ana easy treatment of
the subject made an earnest appeal
such as he had determined upon Cuitesz
impossible. And her last little speech
contained, as he understood it, a very
significant hint of her reply should he
persist in disregarding the warnings
of her previous remarks.
1t is easy enough to say faint heart
never won fair lady" For all that, I
believe Richard Walton was acting
under an impulse of manly courage in
accepting his fac He loved truly
enough to see he1 duties as she saw
them. She had the care of four
motherless children, besides those
numberless r sponsibilities of parish
work which had fallen on her shout
ders when the mother died eight years
ago And her father had never been
himself since the shock of that dread
parting. Realizing all his, the young
officer had, with somewhat of the hope
less loyalty of knights of old, sought
in a delicate way to indicate his sub
mission when he carved the prosaic
words Miss Mulgrove" instead of
those previously decided upon.
But he had quite forgotten, alas!
that remuneration is not usually part
of the creed of the British boy Mas
ter Thomas Mu'grove had, according
to his own notion, INDUCED in quite
enough lf-sacrifice already for one
morning by committing to memory
part of an irregular Latin verb while
the bodybuilding was going on. To
his sturdy intellect changing the
yachts name was simply a breach Of
contract; he had no feeling whatever
for the sentiment conveyed thereby.
His sister had, however, and she
blush tremendously as she OWNED
it's import.
81 say, Marina" pursued that
/
coloring up for? Did not you want it
to be called Miss Mulgrove.' then?"
Marina had never yet boxed the
ears Of that precious mite" 1t would
have been a relief to have done so at
that moment; it would have been still
more a relief if she could have rushed
away somewhere and had a good cry.
Walton, on his part, felt equally
miserable. He wanted to say some
thing that would ease tho situation,
but words utterly failed him. In the
presence of that young imp. what, in
deed, could the poor fellow say?
Then, suddenly, help CAM to these
luckless victims.
ooh! there's papa, and the lot of
EN-" cried Tommy, as he caught sight
Of his father, his twin sisters, Ethel
and Janet, and his b gger brother
Jack emerging from the garden at the
end of the lawn. Then he Scampered
away to meet them.
Marina and Richard exchanged
chances for an instant. Then, as by
common impulse, their eyes fell. But
1 fear they had sealed their fates by
looking into each others eyes just
then.
Richard took his knife, and without
further ado began to scratch out those
words from the stern of the little YES
sell
"Sailors have superstitiOns about al
tering a ships name after she is
launched" said he with remarkable
GOODNESS; $50 it is just as well to be on
the safe side"
The Richard and Marina was
launched that afternoon on Burnstead
Lake, just half a mile from the par
sOnage. Her behavior on this trying
occasion was magnificent. Tommy, as
owner, was the most important per-
sonage present. More by luck than
judgment he said nothing more to
tempt his sister to box his ears. Why
should he have done so, however? He
had had his own way with Richard
and Marina.
These victims Of circumstances felt
rather happy as they walked home to-
gether Richard had received a letter
by the midday post. 1t was from ms
father, Rear Admiral Walton, counsel
ing him to accept the offer of cap
taincy in the coast guard service for
the next five years, which was placed
at his disposal Thereby further risk
TO his health OIL that fatal gold coast