The Irish standard., 1899-04-01
A BIT OF A HERO.
Right Thing When the
Time Came.

II read a story the other day." said
the scholarly looking man, "of an es-
Gaping defaulter making love to girl
on a transatlantic steamer, who met
him there for the first time, and,
though the latter told her what he
was, womanlike, she elected to join
her fortunes with his misfortunes, and
the story ended with the couple leav-
ing the steamer at Liverpool arm in
arm. 1 don't know where the author
got the idea, but something dissimilar
to it is in my mind.
'oTwenty years ago young English
man of good family, whom l had be-
friended in numerous escapades in his
past life, defaulted for 6 5000 and dis
appeared. It was thought he had gone
to America, and detectives were mott
fed to be on the lookout for him, but
he did not turn up on that shore, nor
elsewhere, and six months later re-
ceived letter from him sent to me
from Melbourne, Australia, by some
one who did not sign his name, and
only said that passenger who had
fallen overheard from ship and had
been drowned had given it to him the
day before, with Zoo in money, to
keep all knowledge to himself, and
mail the letters not less than six
months after the ship reached Mel
bourne.
THAT seemed to be peculiar, but the
letter from the man himself was much
stranger and really made me feel that
he was hero, despite his wuetched rec
ord. He told me that, having been
afraid to remain hiding in Scotland,
where he went first, he had gone down
to Gibraltar and there in disguise had
taken ship for Australia. On that
vessel he had met the captains daugh-
ter, beautiful girl of two and twenty,
and that they had fallen desperately
in love with each other. He knew he
had no right to impose upon an inno-
cent and ignorant girl in that way, but
love overma stored him and he yielded.
He did not know how it could ever be.
but he had some kind of hope that with
her az his wife he might make a new
name and life for himself in the far
away island, and he gave himself up to
his happiness.
Gas for the girl, she was absolutely
absorbed in him. and as the days went
by he began to fear that if she should
know what he was her love and grief
would kill or craze her, and the fear
began to tell upon him until he could
rest neither day nor night. But the
girl saw nothing, knew nothing, felt
nothing, only her absorbing love and
the knowledge that his heart was all
hers.
"At last there was but one course
open to him, and that he resolved upon
taking. Death could not hurt her as
go out of her life with no word of fare
well, no sign of parting, no mark save
memory, and trust to time to heal the
wounds he had made. That was all,
except that he had paid trusty sailor
to mail his letter to me and say moth
ing of what he knew. In a postscript
he gave me the girls name and asked
that I keep his secret until she mar
ried, as he felt sure she must do.
AS II happened, the snip was in dock
when the letter came, and 1 went
aboard of her as soon as could and
from her captain learned the story of
passenger who had been lost over
board at night, and whose death had
SO greatly shocked his daughter that
for weeks she was seriously i'll. The
captain believed that his passenger had
fallen overheard while walking in his
sleep or had met with some accident, as
he was too lively and high-spirited ever
to 60 overheard Intentionally. l as
sured him that l felt just as he did
about it and we parted. I never saw
him again, but kept his movements in
view, and seven years later learned
OF the marriage of his daughter to
baronet old enough to be her father.
and | knew we'll enough where her
heart as."-Washington Star.