Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1900-06-07
BIZ JEAN WARNER.

Col. Laponte and his daughter had
taken passage about ten days before
the ocean Queen sailed. The young
| lady was an invalid. and her father had
/ been very anxious that she should
1 have the most comfortable accoulmo-
| daTfGns the ship could afford. a fine
I looking man. the colonel Looked as II
he might have seen foreign service. but
l not able 10 stand rhe sea Sick as a
dgg-n0r able to lift his head from his
| pillow. Luckily. they had a smart lit
| tie Frenchwoman along. who can take
care Of both father and daughter.
There she comes now" added the
! captain, laughing. as MADAM Gillette
fr.pppd IN on deck. No one but a
| Frenchw0man could look SO trim ana
| tauf after a three-days' voyage. She
comes up every morning just at this
time. TO take the air. She has a holy
horror Of the sun. G0od-morning,
madam
"Ah. gcod-moFning. Monsieur le Cap
tain. / wish you a vera good morn
ing!' answered the madam. with much
| erusion. II come up. as you see u
ret my leetle brGaf Of air. Ii ees 50
close 80 warm. down below"
How are your p~atientsg asked the
courteous sailor. Getting a little bet
Ter. 7 hope
II. don't know. Monsieur le Captain.
Ii is what / cannot tell. Monsieur La
ponte seems bad-verra bad: but then,
it il Tot with men as with Us poor wo-
men. For vera little sickness they
make vat b call one grand blow!
The captains rich laugh was delight
II T,y1 80 Rlw~. @Hn# IsvETx Jtpangh Nrrpraau m n
! quaint sociabflity seemed 10 have taken
bis fancy immensely.
VERY true. madam-yery true, In
deed. Gentlemen are trying patients
And your young lady. does she suffer
much from seasickness? You ought 10
coax her UP on deck. madam. Fresh
air and the bright sunlight are the only
remedies that work q speedy cure. But
IL Il the last thing ycu can persuade a
lady TO DO. They shrink from the very
sight Of the terrible sea-
1T is so with mademoiselfe." replied
the madam. shaking her glossy cnrls.
despnndentiy. II beg. / pray, ] entreat
her 10 come uD on de deck: bnt no,
she will not. She Is too weak. She say
too weak. All, poor chile! she is
vera. vera weak but de light and air
would make her strong
The captain made some pleasant re-
ioinder. and Herbert turned away.
A ray of interest had. for a brief
while. frightened the dark turmoil of
his rIild: bur 1T faded away as quick
~ as ii had come.
He he'd never heard of. never net.
this Col, Leponte aud his daughter.
The writing had struck him, for the
moment as being familiar, but Ii must
have been only fancy. Some rich for
eigner travelling. probably, with only
an Invalid daughter to sustain the hon
ors Of his name.
So the ripple Of curiosity that had
changed. for a brief moment. the cur-
rent of the young mans thoughts. died
I away. and all was still with the hope
less languor OF despair again.
The days dragged IN YEARLY; there
was a great deal Of rough weather for
that season. 50 the old tars said.
Sudden storms would sweep down
from the southwark. and swell the
slumbering pillows into wrathful tur-
MOL: sunllt skies would be swiftly
darkened BY threatening clouds. moon
lit nights made black and hideous by
appalling tempests.
The old sailors began to muttcr SUI
perstitions and forebodings. Some bad
luck followed the ship, for there was
surely never such a ummer voyage be-
fore.
Herbert. who passed all his time on
deck. listened with a sort Of gloomy
pleasure as the whispers OF evil por-
! tent went round.
They seemed TO accord with his own
deSpoQdent mood. They sent no thrill
of terror 10 his deadened heart.
OF what value was a life ike his?
Far better to lose 1t as swiftly and
Dainlessly as possible than to keep it,
barren and hopeless. without joy or
love,
1t was on one Of the lowering nights
we have mentioned that a knot Of SAIL
ors were gathered around the capstan,
discussing the signs of foul weather.
Herbert was smoking near, and, with
out feeling any especial interest, list
ened idly to the drift Of the converse
ton.
lit was a heavy, sultry night, and the
I sky was dark with the onlens OF a
gathering tempest: but q pale moon
still struggled with the clouds that
SnttfA III fihhtn ItaSSES bNtE tAiE idEc
Of heaven, while the forked tongues OF
flame leaping up, ever and anon. from
the horizon made an angry contrast to
her pallid light.
II TUX a wage like this before once
said a griZzled old tar. whose utter
ance was somewhat impetied by the
huge ''auid' he had relied entirely
under his tongue. II don't mean to
say that / haven't seen harder blows
and rougher weather many a time. hut
a downright unnatural. Jonah-euSsed
wage like this / never tux before but
once"
And how did the wage end, Bill?'
Wall answered Bill. slowly turn
Ing his auid, it ended you might say,
bad enough. for the ship-Which her
name wasl the Sea Witch. The ship an
more than half of 'em aboard her. went
down TO Davy Jones' locker. And IL
was a dead woman as dun IL ALL"
How was that? Spin us the yarn.
ont ard and out. BilI?" asked two or
three eager voices.
Wall. 'tain't so much OF a yarn
answered Bill. giving another reflect
i've turn TO his auid: ''for it's every
word trre to natur' as gospel. 1t ives.