The St. Johns herald., 1902-02-01

| AASy WcuI uOWn together dIlU ld1keS through the meal.
 If Miss Srathmore had been stupid she would have stayed on deck the rest of the afternoon. AS it was she wen to the cabin for nap, and then devoted herself-the least in the world, obvious l ly-to her mother, until dinner time But there was the evening after that They spent 1t together in the bow anC talked-of the phosphorus and things.
 It was not until after a good many nights that they got to anything much more personal. Then it came all al once. Merida stood wedged into the eX treme point of the bow and Miss Strath more sat half-overhanging the black ocean when the brow cut into gold 1 light. She was holding fast to stay She could just see Merida's face in the starlight, and his eyes were on hel steadily. There had been a stop 1T speech.
 "Was I uncivil when you finished my line for me, that night?" he asked.
 Rather" Miss StrathmOre answered him.
 "And you didn't know why, I sup poser"
 She admitted that she did not.
 "Well," he explained, it's just this. get so sick of having people go on the basis that all men down here are-dev. Ills of fellows-Don Juans and all that We get so deucedly much of It."
 She reminded him that he had laid himself open to 1t.
 "I know I did. But one doesn't ex. pect an American or an Englishman to know his poets-if you don't mind my saying so. never thought about your going on." There was a pause. "And don't go in for women and flirtations, ' Merida said. "I have never cared for any girl except you"
 It was sudden, certainly-so sudden that she let go her hold on the stay. His hand went out to steady her in- stantly. Then he took it away.
 ''l suppose you are surprised" he said 'I am myself. But it's true"
 Miss Strathmore's self-possession had weathered many experiences, but it foundered at this. She did not think of anything to say.
 "I don't want to bother" he told her. "and don't expect you to like me yet but hope you will-before long," Then he went off to other things, but conver- satiOn was not a success.
 They were at anchor off Mazatlan the next day, some two miles out beyond the bar. Merida put in his appearance at breakfast in shore-clothes.
 I'm going to land" he told Miss StrathmOre, ''if the captain will have a boat whistled for me-
 "It's rough" she tried to suggest.
 "I know it is," he answered, leveling his eyes straight on her for the benefit of all who might choose to see, so that she | flushed very pink. ''If it were not, I should ask you and your mother to go, too." They had done 1t at Acapulco and Manzanillo before.
 q will not go," observed the Gillian, 'It Is too much danger to-" Merida caught Miss Strathmore's glance of contempt and nearly smiled. Toward the middle of the morning a row boat, whose owners were courage Ous, responded to the signals and ven tured out to the ship. Merida went down the Jacobs ladder. The captain watched him.
 You'll come to grief, Matcho, If you don't watch out. See that your men aren't tequila drunk when you start back. It's pretty bad now, but it'll be rolling like fun then. We hist anchor at B." he added, warningly. Merida watched his chance to jump; he caught 1t eXpertly, and the boat pulled away.
 It was 2 o'clock when 1t reappeared, coming slowly, hidden in a hollow, climbing crest, flung about through the frothing bar. Miss Strathmore and the captain and a good many others were watching 1t. Miss Strathmore had been shooting at driftwood and at a big turtle that was floating on its back in the sun. The captain had been watching her. The turtle was a shift ing and difficult mark, but she had hit 1t three times and then a boat had put out to bring 1t in.
 Well have turtle steaks tomorrow" said the captain; you're pretty good shot,"
 But she had had enough of the amuse- ment and they were leaning idly against the rail The captain reverted to Merida.
 "Matcho tell you about the palacio" he asked.
 "He won't" she answered; "he says he's forgotten it."
 "He isn't much on talk" he said, approachingly. Hasn't told you about the girl down below on the spar-deck either, suppose?"
 She shook her head.
 Well" said the captain, "she's ht- tie Indian from one of his plantations down there-pretty little devil, too. Seems she's in love with him and he won't look at her. So what does she go and do but scrape the money togeth- CT somehow and take steerage passage and follow him. She came on at San Jose, but he never knew she was aboard until after we got off the Guatemala coast. She's shy one-and sharp. Then. one day when he was down with the doctor looking at the hospital, tAe showed herself, clasped his knees and went and all the rest of it-madp the dickens own row. He acted very well, but it put him in ticklish kind of nlace Of course We won't let her un