The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-11-07

II you want me. II I do not hear from
you by Saturday, shall leave for Van
eouver, where shall apply to be ex-
changed into the North Pacific Squad
ron. Devotedly, JACK.
Address, Hotel Corvette, Chicago"
"There." said he, folding the letter
and knocking the ashes out Of his pipe.
Il think that viii produce the desired
effect"
1t did.
Women like a masterful man.
This letter was put into Mary's hand
on the landing at Caconna, just as she
was setting out with a friend for
trip up the saguenay. She read It on
the deck Of the steamer.
Dear old Jack" said she, musingly,
she Is quite right. We have both been
very silly. win telegraph from Chi
coutmi" And she pressed the letter to
her lips again and again. This wanton
waste Of tenderness was put to an end
by the letter itself slipping from her
hand and falling into the water.
"Never mindw said she, resignedly,
ut Is written herep at the same time
putting her hand over the spot where
the chief organ Of circulation is To-
Gated.
The sun was sinking in the west as
the boat swung out from the long pier
at Rlyiere du Loup. All the glorlfed
tints of fanciful nature were taken as
matter of course by the little woman
| leaning over the rail. Why shouldn't
nature put on holiday attire? Wasn't
that ugly quarrel at an end and wasn't
Jack coming on next week to make her
his own little wife? Dear Jack! he
wasn't half so much to blame as she,
after all. But 1t had taught her a les
son never, never to let another cloud
come between them.
Everything was perfection on that
wonderful river Wasn't Jack coming
next week to put an end to that hideOus
misunderstanding, etc. When a WON
an gets into this state of mind, the only
thing to do is to wait patiently till she
gets out of it.
Unfortunately for Mary this consum-
nation devoutly to be deprecated was
only too near Mt hand. The morning
dawned, dull and desolate, The steamer
lay at the wharf at Chicoutimi. Al
least the captain said it was Chicou
timL If he had said Constantinopl6
there would have been no ocular evi
dence to disproye his statement, sc
persistently did the landscape hide it
self in the thick gray fog.
Even more dismal and desolate thar
her surroundings was the heart of oul
little woman In her transport of thu
night before she had paid but scant!
attention to the address given in jack
letter. 1t was only in the morning
when she realized that she had com
pletely forgotten 1t, that its importance
dawned upon her. To the hopeful sug
gestions of her friend she answered
stonily:
"a dispatch simply addressed to hi
name in Chicago would never reacl
him. He win be gone before ca,
write to the Commandant. No, it /
, too late 1 have tried to think-fo
; hours-and-I can't"
Gradually she became aware 0
} voices near her; one clear, high-pitche(
commanding attention; the other, sol
and suggestive; The Fall River ma
and the Kankakee boy were Just b.
hind her, deep in conversation. &c
\ the first time in his short life the DO
g was asking as many questions as b
e pleased, without any fear of rebuff
; For the first time in a long while I'll
t man had found an apprecatlve listene
G "Have you ever seen a shipT' sal
). the boy. "Not any kind of u craft, bl
n regular out and outer?"
) The man mOdestly admitted that
g had seen several thousand of the veI
largest calibre. Here was a mine
>. knowledge too precious to be neglecte
h The boy, who knew something of eng
neering, Immediately proceeded to sir
% shaft. In half an hour he had e
d tracted several tons of ore, in shal
# of information about ships, bark
" barkentines, briggs, schooners al
n sloops.
h How many guns does line of ba
lie tleship carry? What is the differen
between a ship Of war and a sloop
,e war? What is a corvetteY'
n The quick percussion of questio
IS was abruptly checked. A little womj
ut who had been sitting near them
~ quietly that they had not noticed b
We at all suddenly jumped to her feet a,
a. stood before them, exclaiming: &C
ne thank YOU so muchl Where is the te