The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1898-09-24
A WOnna1l'S
....Drean1n.

Two years after the death OF John Far
leigh, the richest OF the Birmingham manu-
facturers, and man famous in his day for
his good deeds, his wife Emeline became
engaged to a gentlman named Wellby. He
was gentleman by birth as we'll as title,
and as far as an humble man like me could
find out, was in every way worthy, though
poorly off in this worlds goods. His
health was also failing him, and soon after
it was publicly known that they were be-
trothed he was ordered by his physician to
make voyage to Callao and return, on
sailing ship. In pursuance OF this, he Sc
lected the Meteor, fine new ship on her
second voyage, and had cabin specially
prepared and was the only passenger
aboard.
The Meteor sailed away from Liverpool
on certain date, and was spoken here and
there until she was fairly off Cape Horn.
Then the last news of her came, and weeks
and months dragged away and she was
posted as lost and given up by everybody.
Being nobody but a sailor man with first
mates certificate, can only tell you what
l have read in the papers and heard talked
among nv own class. That was to the
effect that the rich widow was nearly heart
broken over the loss of her lover, and that
her life was despaired of for many weeks
1t wasn't much use to figure on why the
Meteor was lost. She struck the regions
Of the Cape in winter time, and that meant
snow, and sleet, and fog, and gale, and ice
Lost she was, however it had happened,
aud as many good ship has before her,
and by and by everybody but the widow
had forgotten the circumstances. At least
the name OF the Meteor no longer appeared
in the public prints, and sailors had ceased
to talk of her. think it had been three
years since the disaster, and | had made
several voyages here and there, when
took run down to Margate one summers
day 1t so CHANGED that woman walking
ahead of me on the pier would have lost
her hat by puff Of wind had I not been
at hand to pick it up, and her "rhank you
sir, led to other words, and directly she
found out that was sailor. Then -he
asked me to sit down, and began question
ing me about the loss of the Meteor. Until
then did not suspect her identity. She
proved to be Mrs. Farleigb, and for fear
you may think her over bold in conversing
Unit a,t, 1.t 4Int thn
of her lover outweghed all the rest of the
world in her mind. She had, as | after
ward learned, talked with ship owners,
captains and mates whenever she had an
opportunity, and always cherished hope
that her lover still survived. AS a man
l pitied her, but as a sailor l offered no
grain of comfort. If the Meteor had been
wrecked aloft, and then swept by seas,
there would have been no chance for small
boats. II she had crashed into the ice it
was barely possible that some OF her people
had taken to foe or berg, but with no
chance OF living beyond a day or two.
When asked to give an honest opinion
did so, and though | could see the woman
was hoping against hope, she was not
greatly cast down. Her fixed idea was
that her lover and some of the others es-
capped on the ice, and it was plain enough
that she could not surrender it to no argu-
ment
Three months later, as I sat in 'hr office
of Messrs. Graves & Hargrea YES shipowners
Liverpool, the firm received a note from
Mrs. Farleigh whom they knew quite well,
ASKING them to send a captain or mate to
hotel which she named. 1t was doubtless
about the old matter, and after ascertainng
that / had talked TO her once it was