Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1897-02-04

y
content with simply knowing that a
woman loved him. He wants to assure
her of his lovo and exact Il promise of
marriage That's exactly what l wanted
to do-to tell Mary that l thought she
was tho dearest, incest girl in all this
world and ask her to mako me the
proudest, happiest man by giving me
her hand in marriage. She could read
my mind, tho witch, and she kept me
on the ragged edgo for an hour OF more
before she suddenly asked:
"Mr. Tompl<ins, do you think we
shall get safo away"
81 am hopeful Of it now," I replied,
"but a few days ago it was Ralph
instead Of 'Mr. Tompkins. "
"And it's Ralph now,' she said as
she gave me her hand to hold, but
looked away in that coy, shy way which
we expect to find in girl, and which
we consider such charr.
"I'll speak to tho father tomorrow,
said as soon as dared trust my voice
to say anything, and as sho did not pull
her hand away / knew that it was all
that wanted to stand up and shout.
AS to how people make love on land
I have no knowledge, but I'm telling
you in my plain, sailorliko way how
we made love on shipboard in that bit Of
bay, with mayhap half a hundred desper-
ate villains hidden in tho bushes not
stones throw away. There was no VOW
ing that was ready to die for her, and
she didn't declare that was the bravcst
and noblest man OH earth. 1 know I
loved her with all my heart, and had
she not loved me she would not havo
placed her future in my keeping. We
just quietly accepted each other for bet
ter or for worse, and if can't weave
much Of romance into it you'll have
to accept it without.
We heard nothing whatever of the
mutineers during my watch or up to
midnight We had been relieved about
half an hour, and tho ship was as quiet
as graveyard, when the tide began to
como in. This swung the head of the
bark to tho sea and her stern within
about Is yards Of the bushes. If the
mutineers had plan for that night, it
would soon unfold itself. The idea was
that they would creep down through
the bushes to tho edge of the water and
quietly swim off to us, hoping to find
our vigilance relaxed. A dozen strokes
would bring swimmer alongside.
There were four persons i'll the second
watch, as there had been in the first,
and while they kept eyes and ears open
they suddenly discovered three monster
sharks moving lazily around the vessel.
They were of the species known as the
hammer head and there is no tiercer nor
more disgusting inhabitant Of the sea
unless it be the octopus. BY and by
the sharks remained stationary, as if on
guard. l said the four people were
watching and listening, and yet but for
those sharks terrible calamity might
have happened. Some Is or 20 Of the
mutineers took to the water to board the
bark over her bows, and whatever noise
they might have made was drowned in
tho grating Of her chain cable in the
iron hawso hole as she swung to the
tide. But none of them reached her.
The first one had not yet laid hands on
her chains when one Of the sharks
seized him, and three seconds later the
other two had selected victims There
were three fearful shrieks, IL chorus of
shouts and great splashing, and all
was over before any one from the cabin
could get Oh deck. The surviving mu-
tineers stood on the beach and cursed
and hurled showers Of stones aboard,
but shot or two fired above their heads
dispersed them. Three of them had met
an awful fate, but no one had any pity
to waste on them. On the contrary, we
earnestly hoped that one Of them might
turn out to have been Ben Johnson, the
leader and tho most desperate man of
all.