The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-28

smiles were all reserved for me, and she
layished them upon me in no niggardly
manner.
There was a piano in the saloon, and
often i'm the long evenings she would sing
and play for my sole delectation, while
j would sit on a settee alongside and gaze
rapturously into her pretty face. The
song / liked best was tom Bowling, "
and she infused such an amount of pa
thos into her expression that the tears
would sometimes trickle down my wealth
er-beaten cheeks as she sang. All! those
were happy days; 1t was heaven while
ii lasted.
/ have scarcely mentioned her father
yet. The fact is, / was so engrossed with
his beautiful daughter that 1 didn't pay
so much attention to him as perhaps /
ought. At the best he was a saturnine,
unsociable sort of person, who seemed TO
prefer his own company to other peo-
pies. When not in his own cabin, where
he spent most of his time, he was walking
with his hands clasped behind him, APP
parently deep in thought, in the waist
of the ship. Sometimes, when standing
idly at the break on the poop, / have
caught myself wondering If he had ever
committed a crime the remembrance of
which was weighing heavily on his con-
science. / was destined soon TO learn
more about him.
One evening, when about nine weeks out
/ was sitting in the charthouse alone
with my idol. The second mate was STEP
ping the planks outside, old Jobson was
at the wheel away behind us, and the
watch on deck was Longing about for
ward. Some days previous TO this i had
the temerity to confess my love for her
and asked her to be my wife She had
made me inexpressibly happy by promis-
ing, subject to my obtaining her fathers
M gf - l. II
granted, and that night the future ap-
peared very bright for me.
We had been sitting silent for some
time. too happy for words. gazing on the
setting sun as It disappeared into a glow
ing mass of golden-rimmed clouds on the
horizon, when, to my infinite amazement
she suddenly burst into tears.
Darling what is the natter" I ex-
claimed, in an agony of apprehension.
"Oh, Alfred, have just heard such a
dreadful story from my father. I shall
never be happy again. We can never be
married now"
Never be marriedg calculated
aghast "Why?"
because my father Is "a criminal.
Oh, feel 50 miserable, I think l shall
throw myself overboardv'
"Alice, for heavens sake, don't talk
like that. or you will drive me mad. What
has he done?"
Something dreadful. Oh, don't speak
10 me any more" and she sobbed vio-
lently.
At that moment / was so mad felt
half inclined to go down and tear the old
scarecrow out of his berth by the scuff OF
his neck and demand what the duce he
had done to cause my darling such poig-
nant grief. But l didn't Instead,
drew her 20 my side and kissed her tears
away.
"Tell me about IT," said I. soothingly.
wen, my father, as you arc aware,
was an agent IN one OF the banks In Ar
ungton, Victoria, and II seems he en-
bezzled large sums OF money belonging
10 the bank to speculate with. OF course,
he meant to replace It before the audit,
when the deficit would have been discov-
cred. But be lost II all, and that Is why
ne fed the country
rs that ALP said /, with a sigh OF
relief. "Its bad enough, certainly, but
fan 10 see that In itself IL forms a SUI.
aclent barrier 10 our union"
''But that Is not the worst My father
is convinced that the police may have
traced him 10 Melbourne and 10 this ship,
Ho declares he will be arrested on land
ing"
Nothing more likely" ] thought But
1 asked: "Has he any plan TO suggestg'
Eyes, OH yes, II you will only assist him
But It seems too horrible TO contemplate