Milford chronicle., 1905-02-03

oort town (the name was undeciphes-
able Of the north OF England. Nexs
came a birth certificate Of a daughtep
named Moran, dated twenty-five years
hack and a bill of sale Of the bar6
Lady Lefty whereby a two-thirds' in
terest was conveyed from the previous
owners, a shipbuilding firm Of Chris
tiania, to Captain Eilert Sternersen.
"The old man was his own boss,
commented Kitchell. "HellO" he re-
marked. Look here" A yellowed pho
tograph was in his hand. the picture OF
a stout, fair haired woman Of about
forty, wearing enormous pendent ear
rings in the style Of the early sixties
Below was written: IS. Moran Sterner-
sen, OBJ. 1861"
"Old woman copped or" said Kitch-
ell. 80 much the better for us No
heirs to put in their CAB, an'-hold
hard. steady all-here's the will, s'help
me-"
The only items of Importance in the
will were the confirmation of the wife's
death and the expressly stated bequess
of "the bark known as and sailing un-
der the name of the Lady Lefty to my
only and. beloved daughter, Moran"
"Well," said Wilbur.
The captain sucked his mustaehe fus
riousJy, striking the desk with his fist:
1.-THE bark's oursw There was GER
tain ring of defiance in his voice.
"Hang the will! 1 amt so cOcksure
about the law, but I'll make sure"
"As howT' said Wilbur.
Kitchell slung the will out Of the
open port into the sea.
THAT'S how" he remarked. I'm the
heir. found the bark. Mine she is, an
mine she stays-yours an mine, thas
/ is"
Rut Wilbur had not even the time to
/ thoroughly enjoy the satisfaction that
the captains words conveyed before
an idea suddenly presented itself to
him. The girl he had found on boaro
of the bark, the ruddy, fair haired girb
Of the fine and hardy Morse type-thaS
was the daughter, Of course; that was
"Noran." Instantly the situation ad-
iusted itself in his imagination-the
two inseparables. father and daughters
sailors both. their lives passed together
on shipboard, and the Lady Lefty their
dream. their ambition, a vessel that az
last they could call their own.
Then this disastrous voyage. perhaps
the first in their new craft; the COM
huston in the coal, the panic terror OF
the crew and their desertion OF the
bark, and the sturdy resolution OF tne
father and daughter to bring the Lefty
into work her into port alone. They
had failed. The father had died from
gas. The girl, at least for the mo-
ment. was crazed from its effects. But
the bark had not been abandoned. The
owner was on board. Kitchen was
wrong. She was no derelict. Not one
penny could they gain by her salvage
For an instant a wave Of bitteress
disannointment passed over Wilbur as
he saw his $4,000 dwindling to Moth
ing. Then the instincts of habit reas-
serted themselves. The taxpayer In
him was stronger than the freebooter
after all. He felt that it was his duty
to see to it that the girl had her rights
Kitchell must be made aware OF ths
: situation-must be told that Moran the
: daughter, the captains heir, was ON
hoard the schooner; that the kid
found ia the wheel box was girl. Bus
< M -econd thoughts that would never
/ do Above all things, the brute kitcheli
D must not be shown that girl was
D aboard the schooner on which he had
] absolute command, nor, setting the
+ question of Aloran's sex aside must
D Kitchell know her even as the dead
r cantain's heir. There was difference
r in the men here, and Wilbur appreci-
8 ated it. Wilbur, the law abiding tax
payer. was weakling in comparison
D with Kitchell, the freebooter and beach
n comber. in sight Of his prize.
r "son." said the captain, making a
a bundle of all the papers, take these
r over to my bunk and hide 'em under
n the donkey's breakfast. Stop a Bit
f ne added as Wilbur started away. I'll
J. go with you. Wen have to bury the
old man"
Throughout all the afternoon the cap
tain had been drinking the whisky
from the decanter found in the cabin
Now he stood up unsteadily, and, rails
ing his glass, exclaimed:
"Sonny, here's to Kitcheli, Wilbur
Co., beachcombers, unlimited. VIVA
do you say, hey?"
7 81 only want to be sure that we've
right TO the bark" answered Wilbur.
Fright to 'er-ri-hight to err me
] coughed the captain. Strike me blind
\ I'd like to see any one try an take he
away from Alvinza Kitchell now
! And he thrust out his chin at Wilbur.
"wen, so much the bettar' then
] said Wilbur, pocketing the papers
I The pair ascended to the deck
i LTo BE CONTINUED