Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-04-24
A STRANGE TRAGEDY.
By ". CLARK RUSSELL.

By ". CLARK RUSSELL.
tCopyright, 1895, by the Author.]
It is proper should state at once that
the names I give in this extraordinary
experience are fictitious. The date Of the
tale is easily within the memory Of the
middle aged.
The large, we'll known Australian
liner White Star lay off the wool sheds
in Sydney harbor slowly filling up with
wool I say slowly, for the oxen were
languid up country, and the stuff came
in as Fox is said to have written his his
tory-''drop by drop" We were. how
ever, advertised to sail in fortnight
from the day I open this story on, and
there was no doubt of our getting away
by then.
I. who was chief officer Of the vessel,
was pacing the poop under the awning,
when I saw lady and gentleman ap-
preaching the vessel They spoke to the
mate of a French bark which lay just
ahead Of us, and concluded that their
business was with that ship, till saw
the Frenchman, with a flourish Of his
hat, motion toward the White Star,
whereupon they advanced and stepped
ON board
Iwent ON to the quarter deck to re-
ceive them The gentleman had the air
Of q military man-short, erect as a
royal mast, with plenty Of whiskers and
mustache, though he wore his chin crop
ped His companion was very fine
young woman of about six and twenty
years, above the average height, fault
lessly shaped, 80 far as a rude seafaring
eye is privileged to judge Of such mat
ters; her complexion was pale, inclined
to sallow, but most delicate, Of trans
parency of flesh that showed the blood
eloquent in her cheek, coming and going
with every mood that possessed her. She
wore little fall Of veil, but she raised
il when her companion handed her over
the side in order to look round and aloft
at the fabric Of spar and shroud tower
ing ON high, with its central bunting Of
house flag pulling in ripples Of gold and
blue from the royal mast head. and 30 l
had good sight Of her face, and par
ticularly Of her eyes.
I never remember the like Of such
ewes in a woman. To describe them as
neither large nor small, the pupils of
the LIQUID dusk Of the Indians, the eye
lashes long enough to cast silken shad-
ow of tenderness upon the whole express
sion Of her face when the lids dropped
Ito say all this is to convey nothing,
simply because their expression formed
the wonder, strangeness and beauty OF
them, and there is no virtue in ink, at
all events in my ink, to communicate
it. I do not exaggerate when 1 assure
you that the surprise Of the beauty Of
her eyes, when they came to mine and
rested upon me steadfast in their stare
as a picture, was sort Of shock in its
way, comparable in physical sense to
ones unexpected handling Of something
slightly electric. For the rest, her hair
was very black and abundant and OF
that sort of deafness Of hue which you
find among the people of Asia I can
not describe her dress. Enough if I say
that she was in mourning, but with q
large admixture of white, for those were
the hot weeks in Sydney.
"Is the captain on board?" inquired
the gentleman.
"He is not, SIR"
"When do you expect him9"
"Every minute.
"May we stop here?"
Certainly. Will you walk into the
cuddy or on to the poop?"
"Oh, We'll keep in the open-we'll
keep in the open," cried the gentleman,
with the impetuosity of man rendered
irritable by the heat. you'll have had
enough of the cuddy, Miss LIE Grand,
long before you reach the old country" "
She smiled. I liked her face then. It
was fine, glad, good humored smile
and humanized her wonderful eyes just
as though you clothed ghost in flesh,
making the specter natural and COIN
monplace
As we assembled the poop ladder the
gentleman asked me who was quite
courteously. though his whole manner
was marked by quality Of military
abruptness. When he understood I was
chief officer, he exclaimed:
"Then, Miss LIE Grand, permit me to
introduce Mr.. Tyler to you. Miss
Georgina Le Grand is going home in
your ship. She will be alone. We have
placed her in the care Of the captain.
perhaps, said Miss LIE Grand, with
another Of her fine smiles, II ought to
introduce you, Mr.. Tyler, to my uncle,
Colonel Atkinson.
Again I pulled of my cap, and the
colonel laughed as he lifted his wide
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