The Portland daily press., 1897-12-24
RESFRVED.(
How time fies!"

it must be. How time fies!"
His last letter was dated in May, and
this is now the middle of October. Even
the owners of the ship are beginning to
grow very uneasy at the unusual prolon-
cation Of her voyage. When called in at
Messrs. Bryant and Woods office Oh
Tuesday last to ascertain whether there
was any news of the vessel, the head clerk
merely shook his head in a grave sort of
way, and said that they were feeling q
little anxious as to her safety, since they
regarded her now as considerably over.
due.''
The mother remained moment or two
and then thinking to comfort her dauch-
ter, she exclaimed,
"After all, Clara, it may be that the
ship has been very unluoky with the
winds. You remember when we came
out how we were becalmed in the tropics
One, hears now and then of vessels max
ing extraordinarily long voyages, owing
to their meeting with incessant Gains OF
adverse breezes."
"Oh, yes, I know that" said the girl,
modify. 'But then you see, mother, the
agents of the Lady Godiva themselves ad-
NIT that they are concerned about the
non-arrival of the ship, the more particu-
larry since a vessel named the strath-
nairn, which did not sail till nearly six
weeks after Ceoil's ship, had come into
the Bay the night before the morning on
which called"
'Well, my DEAR said Mrs. Lambert,
looking affeotionately at the girl II wish
with all my heart that we could hear
news of Cecil's arrival, for this state of
suspense is worrying,,you but remember
this-that even though some accident
may have befallen the Lady Godiva, so as
to protract the length of her passage, all
her na0nln ha pprfQnttU Gafp -
II can only trust that it is so," an
swered Clara. "Hark A sound of
wheels-it is the pony trap driving up
the avenue
They left their chairs. and strolled
round to the front of the house, where
they found Mr.. Lam bert dismounting
from the gig, whilst a little Chinese boy
-Autralians servants are Heterogeneous
race-held the horses head. The old
clergyman called some CHEEKY remark to
them as, with a basket upon his arm, he
jumped ninably to the ground.
Have You brought any news, John?"
enquired his wife.
have not heard any news in town, !"
said he, "but here is this mornings
Herald, which l have not yet had time to
glance att
He drew folded paper from his pocket
and extended it. Clara eagerly stepped
forward, and took it from him. The
three Of them entered the house, and the
girl dropped into chair in the dining
room, where. she fell to turning the sheets
of the journal inside out. She ran her
eye first of all down the list of names of
latest arrivals 1t was scarcely disap-
pointment to her to find that the vessel
she sought was not included, SO accus-
toned had she become to vainly perusing
the lines of print under that heading,
She then glanced listlessly over the page,
caring not very. much about the report of
the debates in the Legislative Assembly,
the statistics of the wool market, the
latest items from the diggings, and a
long correspondence between an alderman
and q civil engineer upon the sanitary
condition of Woolloomooloo, till presently
her eye lighted upon q long corner para
graph headed, "a Strange Story of the
Sea- which she had no sooner scanned
than she gave a start, and then carefully
read the whole of it through.
Ito be continued