The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-08-05

who exercised n powerful influence
over me; but whether for good or evil
you shall hear presently.
1t was in the fall Of 10, Just when
on the eve of sailing, that an old gen.
tleman stepped on board, and hurried.
ly approached me. He was n tall,
spare man, with iron gray hair, and
had slight stoop at the shoulders.
Good day, captain" said he. 81
only heard this morning that you
were sailing for England, and hastened
down to ascertain if you could find ac-
commodation for myself and daughter
at so short notice"
Certainly" + replied, in my
hearty y;"I shall only be too pleased
to take you. As it happens there are
only three passengers booked this trip,
and they are second class, so you can
have the saloon pretty much to your
selves"
He thanked me effusively, and dis
appeared into the saloon. i marveled
at his precipitancy, and wondered
where the daughter was to come from,
for she was not visible anywhere.
/ gave instruction to the apprentices
to have their luggage conveyed on
board, and myself superintended the
slowing away of their trunks in the
two best appointed cabins of the ship.
While so engaged, / heard a light foot
fall behind me, and, turning around,
beheld the fairest vision of loveliness
that ever frightened my saloon.
my daughter-Captain Harnott, -
said Mr.. Brandon, introducing us.
1 was so taken aback by her exceed
ing beauty that awkwardly touched
my cap, and, with the wind clean out
OF my sails, stammered:
"Glad to see you, miss"
She placed her soft little white hand
into my big, sun-browned paw, and.
looking me squarely in the face out of
her laughing blue eyes, said:
SIN sure we shall be good friends,
captain, during the voyage"
She spoke with charming colonial
accent, and from that moment | was
her most devoted, humble servant,
slave, anything you like. I went
head over ears i'll love with her at
sight. You may smile, but recolect
l was n comparatively young man
then.
Leaving them to arrange their
cabins to their own satisfaction
assembled the companion steps and
went on deck. 1t certainly occupied
them considerable time, for neither
father nor daughter appeared on deck
until the ship was well outside the
"Heads' and the tug had returned to
port.
That voyage / look back upon as the
happiest and saddest | ever made.
Miss Brandon was splendid sailor.
In fair weather or foul she'd be on deck,
delighting me with the admiration she
expressed for my handsome three
masted clipper, and the childlike
naivete of her questions. / used to
pace the quarterback in the morning,
impatient for her first appearance. On
the dullest or dirtiest day it was like
ray of sunshine suddenly bursting
forth from lowering sky, to see her
emerge from the companion hatch,
looking as fresh as daisy and thou
sand times more lovely.
OF course it was only natural that
my mates should fall in love with her
also, but she treated them with marked
Indifference, if not absolute coldness.
Her smiles were all reserved for me,
and she layished them upon Inc in no
niggardly manner
There was piano in the saloon,
and often in the long evenings she
would sing and play for my sole delec-
tation, while / would sit on the settee
alongside and gaze rapturously into
her pretty face. The song / liked best
was ''Tom Bowling" and she infused
such an amount of pathos into her ex-
preston that the tears would some
times trickle down my weather-beaten
cheeks as she sang. All. those were
happy days; it was heaven while it
lasted.
/ have scarcely mentioned her father
yet. The fact is, was so engrossed
with his beautiful daughter that l
didn't pay so much attention to him as
perhaps l ought. At the best he was
a saturnine, unsociable sort of person,
who seemed to prefer his own COM
pany to other peoples. When not in
his own cabin, where he spent most of
his time, he was walking with his
hands clasped behind him, apparently
in deep thought, in the waist of the
ship.
One evening, when about nine
weeks out, / was sitting in the chart
house alone with my idol. The Sec
ond mate was stepping the planks out
side, old Jobson was at the wheel
away behind us, and the watch on
the deck were lounging about for
ward. Some days previous to this /
had had the temerity to confess my
love TO her, and asked her to be my
wife. She had made me inexpressibly
happy by promising, subject to my OBJ