The morning times., 1896-04-26
Adventures
@-Of d
Mermaid
Continued From Last Sunday.

The old, green ship bore the forlorn ca Dtiye
~ large city. Oh, how unhappy those
neAt months were TO the poor little mer.
iiidiueh! Ihey kept hes in a glass tank of
leplh water and with second rate sea yege
tation in it,
No hard, sandy floor, no lovely crannied
HOOKS ID smooth walls of rocks, She could
not imagine that this odious cistern was
| devised as an Imitation OF her own sea
nome! How she yearned and pined for the
lhVlsorating, icy touch OF the Labrador
depths and the color and comfort of her
| cave. Ihe exquisite roundncss OF her Douy
waned into placid, dropping softness. and
Tue splendid luster of her fshtail became
uuli ana rough. Even her glorious hair
"ds no more Il mesh OF ripping gold but
| grew tarnished, like the tasscl OF an au-
| tuinnai ear OF corn. Her very being cried
OUT ualiy Tor her mer-parents and her dear,
| old whale.
But one day Labradora was removed
| She was placed in large tank and trans
| Ierred TO a wooden floor, which soon be-
gan TO f.oat out TO sea. What rapture To
NC even that near to her native element,
what ii meant she knew not. The fact
was that the scientific wise ones had said
that things were too warm for her. She
had been picked up in northern waters
and her system required greater frigidity
so she had been sold twhat a degrading
itrip Tor anything so essentially unfettered
ds nermaid!) to wealthy scientist OF
Boston, who was going to take her 10 the
cold North and study her carefully in an
icy pool OF water near the coast, which he
mad bought for this purpose. 1t was his
ambition 10 be the only versclous historian
of a mermaid.
The top OF Labradora's tank was eft off
great part of the time, because they
were sensible enough to feel that the lite
captive creature needed fresh air. But
some man was always hard by 10 see that
she did not escape.
one morning her jailor went away for
a moment. With as vigorous move
ment of her fin as she was capable Of
Labradora shot herself half out OF the
water. aud, clutching the top OF the tank,
looked yeamingly over the blue, spark
ling sea. There was an Irresistible lure
III It's laughing waves. Better Il stranger
forever in It's friendly depths than this
Straltcncd existence.
Al that very moment, off at her left, she
saw slender, silvery stream OF water
rise aud fail like n plume. Ii was Ike an
electric shock to her. Hope thrilled Eer.
III might be her own pet whale the joy Of
hcr happy maidenhoOd. With Il purgling
sigh, she noted the direction as accurately
as possible, threw herself over tie top
OF The tank, and, despite the pain OF
her fall onto the hard deck, flopped fran
ucaliy across to the rail. climed over it
and dropped like stone into the sea-
Savedl
Oh, how her little body prickIed with
vleOr al the touch OF the COCl salt water.
Swimming below the surface all the time,
she Glove her way in the direction OF the
spouting whale. No matter how unrea-
sonahle her hope that it might be her
own pet whale, it was sustaining. She
would not show herself out OF the water.
but darted on with such impetuosity that
The startled fishes fled in alright before
her.
A last she let her head crop above the
curling waves just enough for her eyes
10 glance around. Oh, JOY! There, only
few yards from her, was the great back
OF the whale. She was weary and pant !
ina and must rest somewhere. Even if !
this were strange whale, she had |
learned much of whale ways from as |
sociation with her pet, and felt that she |!
might guide it Alright.
When whale is at the top, with his |
broad, slippery back out OF the water it |
is no easy thing for mermaid to scale |
his slopng bulk to a coign of vantage |
on his back. So Labradora had trained |
her pet whale TO gently sink below the |
water, that she might swim exactly above
him, and when he rose he would bring |
her up with him, and she could adjust |
herself. She would signal her desire for |
th'S pS SthNlS SliOhIHS Dllli over HIS eye,
which, in whale, is very near the begin
ming of his enormous mouth. With fear !
and trembling Ladradora gave this signal |
TO the whale.
She felt the great leviathan tremble
shiver ran through its whole vastness |
as IL sank quickly just below the sur
face of the water and rose almost imme-
diately with the tiny mermaiden borne
aloft on his back. 1t was her own dear
whale.
AS he felt her light pressure, which
weighed on him only as much as a rose !
leaf would burden the closed eyelid of
a human, he spouted In his delight a
column that he had never equacd before.
1t came down in such a shower that Lahra-
dora was nearly washed Off his back.
But 1t was like an embrace, and the exult-
ing mermaid gave a mellow little shrek
OF rapture that was as If conch had
exploded and sung all its soft, century
long song in one burst.
She felt the trembling of his vast bulk
over his JOY at her return. With her
rosy hand she beat his side, which she
noted with surprise was quite gray. The
whale was evidently awaiting the signal
with impatience. He gave a snort that
hurled such a tremendous fountain into
the air that tiny rainbow nestled for
in its crystal downfall, like
whisper of hope. Then the two sank be-
meath the sea.
Never had he gone so fast. He seemed
wild to bear her back as quickly as he could.
Poor, loving whalel Labradora could |
feel his mighty back bilow with his
cited efforts. She cung to him tightly, and
he swept on and on.
Oh, how long it seemed! How long it
was! Never had Labradora taken such
1 spin upon his back as this Despite his
Drcathess speed it was hours and hours
before he darted up 10 the entrance of
he sweet old sea home, slowing up little J
rs he approached it,
With gurgle of delight Labradora slip-
led from his back and darted into the open
lrms of her parents. For some mo-
nents the family was so closely locked in that
embrace that it seemed one mas. Then,
uddling into a small nest of sea-weed,
-abradora told her parents the wonderful ;
ale of her abduction. They listened with :
,roans and tears. Merfolks' tears are of
resh water, and they, and no others, can tell :
when one of their kind is weeping. But :
he tears were short-lived because of their :
joy over the little daughters :
eturn. /,
But when Labradora told how it was her :
wn pet whale that had borne her back in !,
uch mad haste and with such sensible COM
notion OF rapture, the meI-parcnts awept n
new. .
''Labradora,' sobbed her mamma, peni- ;
emily, grasping her husbands hand for =
nora lsupport in this confession, we thought -
e was responsible for your loss, and we
re got so we could not bear the sight OF . =
i'm. He would come to the mouth of the =
ave and peer in SO sadly, and feebly flap =
is tail! We only felt that he looked so big :
nd clumsy and stupid thatwe just ha ed him .
ne more, and would both Of us rush out and
rive him AWAY. Yet it W as for you he was !;
lining, and he was in nowise aHswerable =
or your loss.' =
"Oh. no! That he certainly was not"
ried Labradora, with break in her voice. ,,
Why il was his grief that made him prav