Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-09-10
In vain he stroyc with the waves Q

In vain he stroyc with the waves Aor
he could remember nothing.
He was too weak to attempt % leaVe
his ha mmock and had to wait as pa
| tiently as he could before Ne couiu
learn that which he desired.
After a while he sank into a doze,
| and awoke suddenly to anu stanuihs
bv his side an officer In naval UNIFORM.
Where am II" asked Ernest HART,
rev. eagerly. How did come mere.
You are on hoard his MaJesty's ship
Osprey. sailing down Channel win u
fair wind; and you were rough mere
by me last night very wet u haif-
drowned"
1T is to you, then. that am indLbt-
| ed for my life?' said Ernest. STRETCHING
forth his hand, which the other yrasped
warmly.
II Believe I may say such is the
case"
when and where shall l b pat on
shore?" .
The other looked grave. and did not
answer for a few minutes. !,
II trust ar absence from England
will not be very disagreeable to your
What do you mean? l canDot-will
not, leave England. l have matters or
the greatest Importance to attend to-
II fear they must be postponed"
Explain yourself
Il am lieutenant, only. on board. The
| captain sent me on shore last night
with A pressgang; for we were short
handed, and were forced TO sail at day
| break; and
DO you mean to tell me, then, that
| am bound to serve rs a common
sailor Do you know who / am!-my
position in lifeg'
Since YOU have been on board have
found out that you are Il gentleman by
birth: but, you will excuse me. when
| dragged Won out of the water, your
| appearance was not remarkably arls-
| t~ocratic, and | did not discover the mis-
| take till il was too late to rectify it.
Too late! Do you tell me that there
is no escape from this dreadful shipE'
II fear not; and, moreover. know
Ing our captain, as | do, to be Il stern
man, and a strict disciplinarian, ! eX-
pect you will be compelled to serve be-
fore the mast" i.
as | do, to be a stern man, ana n strict
disciplinarian, | expect you will be
| compelled to serve before the mast"
He dare not detain ne"
Pardon me. he values the well being
of his ship more than anything in the
world. He wants hands. and hands he
will have, whether they be soft and
white, or brown and horny
Ernest Hartrey hid his face and
moaned.
MY poor May, my poor May" he
MI ,,fl che thtnNy sss
I'VE shall stop nowhere till we reach
the West Indies, for the admiralty
have ordered us to proceed with al
dispatch"
But whittier are we bound|'
'Barbadoes, | believe. Come. chez.
up, and make the best of 1t: and be
sure you will always have a friend in
me-"
MY poor May!' again moaned
Ernest, in despair.
Gregory Steele-for the lieutenant
who had rescued Ernest from the
waves was no other than Rose Dea-
cons ~iOver-would have spoken words
of comfort, but he was silenced by the
bar0net's son. who as yet hardly com
pretended that he was actually a
prisoner.
Yes. a prisoner, for it amounted TO
that. He could not leave the shiD-he
could not make arrangements for his
coming marriage; and from the few
! cautious words OF the young lieuten-
ant. he gathered that there was every
prospect of his having TO serve as a
common sailor.
1t was not the toll that frightened
hiyu: he would not have shlrked hard
work; but it was the compulsion that
made him indignant.
Consider" said Gregory Steele,
after listening TO a storm OF angry
words, consider, at all events. that
had not you been on board this ship.
you would have been boating hither
and thither, wherever the tide carried
you, lifeless and disfigured."
Ernest Hartrey was rebuked. and
held his peace; but for all that his spir-
it's chafed within him at the thought
Of the many, many weeks which would
have TO pass before he could again see
his native land-before he could fold
his darling May in his arms, aud call
her by the sacred name OF wife.