The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-06-05

nerve at critical moment. He had
shown cowardice In not dashng in.
Neither the whale ships out of Salem,
nor the residents of the town, had any
use for a coward.
Mollie Williams, daughter of Cap
tain Williams, of the Golden Horn"
had promised to marry Tom Holly
when the True Blue had returned from
this voyage. She heard the gossip,
made a dozen different men repeat the
story, and then she had told the sailor
that all was over between them. Sa-
lem girl must marry a Salem sailor
and who could remember when a Salem
sailor had been called a coward? There
was Just one person in all that town
who took Tom Holly's part, and sin
gularly enough that was Mollie's own
father. He had always been proud of
him as a son-in-law. He got the story
from others. and he got it from Tom,
and he finally made up his mind that
Tom was right. He might have been
excited and confused under the cir
cumstances, but when he left the men
of the shattered boat to shift for them
selves he exhibited good judgment.
They could support themselves in the
water for time, and had he dashed in
u,
the ship five miles away, there must
have been a loss of life. 1t was the
thing to do-to draw the whale off and
then attack him, Captain Williams
reasoned it out with Mollie, or tried to,
but he was alone in his opinion. A hun
dred men had said that Tom Holly
showed the white feather; the women
and children of Salem said that he was
] "A pr N
| person to speak in his favor? And so
the mate left Salem, and the talk began
to die out, and the Golden Horn was
chartered for a voyage to the West
Indies. The captains daughter was to
go, and fortnight later, when the bark
was ready to cast off her fastenings
and proceed to sea, she bade farewell
| to Salem, and grieved in her heart
that she might never see Tom Holly
| again. At first she was certain that
| the men had told the truth. Then she
wondered if they were not mistaken
| Then she hoped that they were, and
had finally almost forgiven Tom, and
| earnestly wished that she had been
| more lenient and merciful. After the
! one conversation with her, Captain
| Williams had no more to say in the
subject, but he had a surprise in store
! for her and the crew of the Golden
| Horn" and for those who stood on the
wharf and saw the bark sail away. A
| quarter of an hour before she cast off
Tom Holly came aboard to act as chief
mate.
"Why, father, what does this mean?"
asked Mollie, as she caught sight Of
her whilom lover.
ut means that he is to go with me
as my mate" replied the father, land
that means, again, that / do not believe
the stories told against him."
| But how-how can 1 meet him?"
you must settle that for yourself"
Until he caught sight of her aboard
Tom Holly did not know that Mollie
| Williams was to accompany her father.
1t made the position embarrassing for
both. He being chief officer, they must
sit at the same table, and be within
touch of each other, every hour of the
day. She wanted to believe in him
to forgive and be gorgiven, but her
pride stood in the way. He solved the
problem as to how they should meet
each other. He bowed to her in a
distant way. and went about his duties
and, when they were brought together
at table he was polite, but formal
She was compelled to take her cue from
this, and treat him in the same fashion
and thus it came about that a stranger
would never have suspected that they
had loved and been betrothed.
All went we'll with the Golden
Horn" as she ran to the south. There
were people at Salem who had ridi-
culed her owners for shipping a strong
crew, and fitting her out with an arma-
ment strong enough for privateer, but
two or three ships trading to the Indies
had mysteriously disappeared, and
there We're reports that strange crafts
were lodging about among the Islands
One night, when the boat was near
ing Mono Passage, on her way into the
Caribbean sea, she was overtaken by
a thunderstorm which resulted in a
strange accident. A bolt of lightninE
struck and splintered yard, and one
of the flying splinters struck the cap,
tain across the nose and blinded him
No one could tell whether his eyesigh'
was permanently injured or not, but h,
had to give command of the ship tC
the mate, and keep to his cabin and
grope in the darkness. Then he con
graduated himself that he had given
berth to Tom Holly. The mate was
not only a thorough seaman, but 6
! careful navigator, and the Colder
|, Horn" was perfectly safe in his hands
She crept through the passage unde
, a dying breeze, and was hardly clear o
Cat island when it fell a fiat calm
, This was at ten o'clock in the morning
! and the only sail in sight was a bril
lying about six miles away. Even t
the naked eye this craft with her blacl
2 hull and great spread of sail had a sus
\ picious look. When the mate went
aloft to have a better look with tn,
E glass he made out that the stranger haC
. mounted guns and had too large a crev
] for an honest trader, The appearance
q of the brig was freely commented upol
{ by the crew, most of whom doubted
} her honesty, but Tom Holly alone wa
{ worried and anxious. 1t was tw,
! o'clock in the afternoon, however, be
] fore he made up his mind to inform
/ Capt. Williams of the fears. He woul
u not have done so then, but the cain
still continued, and the brig had low
cred two boats full of armed men
which were pulling for the bark.
|. "a pirate, you think eh?" reptile,
!, the captain. "Weu, ! shouldn't won
: der. What will you do, Tom?"
d Beat him off, sir!" was the quiet re
d ply nll soon have the men at tn
4 guns and ready for those boats. Hav
4 you any orders to giye?"
!, None. l am blind and helpless an
a leave 1t all to you. You know wha
j will happen If we are captured. We
better go down lighting than to hav
i our throats cut. And. Tom, II wors
O comes to worst, and there is no hope