Evening star., 1899-02-11
4 BIT OF & HERO.
Did What He Thought Was Right
when the Time Came.

Il read a story the other day." said the
scholarly looking man, 'of an escaping de-
faulter making love to giIl on a transat-
lantic steamer, VINO met him there for the
first time, and though he later told her
what he was. woman-like, she elected to
JOIN her fortunes with his misfortunes. and
the story ended with the couple leaving the
steamer at Liverpool arm in arm. L don't
know where the author got the Idea, but
something dissmilar to it is in my mind
Twenty years ago a young Englishman
of good family. whom L had befriended in
numerous escapades in his past life, de-
fau.ted for 5000 and disappeared 1t was
thought he had gone to America and de-
tectiNes were notined to be on the lookout
Tor HIM, but he dld not turn UP on That
shore, nor elsewhere, and SIX months later
L received a letter from him sent to me
from Melbourne, Australia, by some one
who did not sign hIs name, and only sand
that passenger who had fallen over
board from snip ana been drowned had
gwen IL TO him the day before with 100
IN money to keep all knowledge TO himself
and mail the letter not less than six months
after the ship reached Melbourne That
seemed 10 De peculiar, but the letter from
the man hlmsef was much stranger and
really made ME feel that ne was a hero
despite his wretched record. 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 dis
gulse had taken a ship for Australia on
mat vessel ne had met the captains daugh-
Ter, beautiful girl of two and twenty
and that they had fallen desperately in
love with each other. lie knew he had no
flSht 10 impose upon innocent and ig-
norant girl IN that way, but love overmas-
tered hun and he yielded. He did not
know how il could ever be- but he had
some KIND of hope that with her as his wife
ne might make new name and life for
himse 4 in the far-away island and he gave
himself up TO his happiness
As for the girl, she was absolutely alb
sorbed In him, and, as the days went hr
ne began TO fear that If she should know
what he was her love and grief would kiIl
or craze her, and the fear began TO ten
upon him, until he could rest neither dav
nor night. But the girl saw nothing knew
hothlng, 1eIt 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 his dishonor
Would and he resolved to go out of her life
with no word of farewell, no sign of part
ing, no mark save memory, and trust to
time to heal the wounds he had made. That
was all, except that be had paid a trusty
sailor to mail his letter to and say
nothing of what he knew. In a postscript
he gave me the girls name and asked that
l keep his secret until she married, as he
felt sure she must do
'As ii happened the ship was in the dock
when the letter came, and / went aboard of
her as soon as L could and from her cap
tain learned the story of a passenger who
had been lost overheard at night and
whose death had so greatly shocked his
daughter that for weeks she was seriously
ILL., The captain believed that his passen-
ger had fallen overheard while wa king in
his sleep. or had met with some accident
he was TOO lively and high-spirited ever
10 go overheard Intentionally. 1 assured
him that felt just as he did about il. and
we parted. 1 never saw him again. but 1
Nik-xr asa1
years later 1 learned of the marriage of
his daughter to a baronet old enough TO be
her father. and knew well enough where
her heart was"