Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1906-04-13
FOR The Term of Ills Natural Life
BY MARCUS CLARKE

CLARkE

Thank you, Mr.. Frere These hor-
rible ladders. l really-he, he!-quite
tremble at them. Hot! Yes, dear me,
most oppressive. John, the camp stool.
Pray, Mr.. Frere-Oh. thank you! Syl-
via! Sylvia! John, have you my SMELL
ing salts? Still a calm, supposeN
These dreadful calms!"
Vickers, with a bow to Frere. saw his
wife up the ladder, and then turned
for his daughter. She was a delicate
looking child of six years old. with blue
eyes and bright hair. Little Miss Syl-
via was privileged to go anywhere and
do anything, and even cOnvictism shut
its foul mouth in her presence. Run
ming to her fathers side, the child chat
tered with all the volubility of fattered
self-esteem. She ran hither and thither,
asked questions, invented answers,
laughed, sung, gamboled, peered into the
compass case, felt in the pockets of the
man at the helm, put her tiny hand
into the big palm of the officer of the
watch, even ran down to the quarter
deck and pulled the coat tails Of the
sentry on duty.
At last, tired of running about, she
took a little striped leather ball from
the bosom of her frock, and, calling to
her father, threw it up to him. He
returned it, and shouting with laugh
ter, clapping her hands between each
throw, the child kept up the game.
In the midst of this mirth the officer
of the watch, glancing round the fast
crimsoning horizon, paused abruptly,
and shading his eyes with his hand,
looked out intently to the westward.
Frere, who found Mrs Vicker's CONVEX
sation a little tiresome, and had been
glancing from time to time at the com
panion, as though in expectation of
some one appearing, noticed the action.
What is it, Mr.. Best?'
Il don't know exactly. 1t looks to me
like a cloud of smoke" And taking the
glass, he swept the horizon.
Let me See" said Frere, and he
looked also.
On the extreme horizon, just to the
left of the sinking sun, rested tiny
black cloud. The gold and crimson,
splashed' all about the sky, had over
flowed around 1t, and rendered a clear
view almost impossible.
81 can't quite make it OUT says
Frere, handing back the telescope. 1--WE
a little"
BY and by Captain Blunt appeared,
and taking the glass from his officer.
looked through it long and carefully.
Then the mizzen top was appealed to,
and declared that he could see nothing;
and at last the sun went down with a
jerk, as though it had slipped through a
slit in the sea, and the black spot, swal-
lowed up in the gathering haze, was
seen no more.
As the sun sank, the relief guard came
up the after hatchway, and the relieved
guard prepared to superintend the de-
scent of the convicts. At this moment
Sylvia missed her ball, which, taking
advantage of a sudden lurch of the yes
sci, hoped over the barricade, and roll
ed to the feet of Rufus Dawes.
The bright spot of color rolling across
the white deck caught his eye; stoop-
ing mechanically, he picked up the ball
and stepped forward to return it. The
door of the barricade was open, and the
sentry did not notice the prisoner pass
through it. In another instant he was
on the sacred quarter deck.
Heated with the game, her cheeks
aglow, her eyes sparkling. her golden
hair afloat, Sylvia had turned to leap
after her plaything, but even as she
turned, from under the shadow of the
cuddy glided a round white arm; and a
shapely hand caught the child by the
sash and drew her back. The next mo-
ment the young man in gray had placed
the toy in her hand.
Maurice Frere. descending the lad
der, had not witnessed this little incl
dent; on reaching the deck, he saw only
the unexplained presence of the convict
uniform.
THANK you" said a voice, as Rufus
Dawes stopped before the pouting Syl-
via.
The convict raised his eyes and saw
young girl of eighteen or nineteen
years Of age, tall and well developed
who, dressed in a lOOse-sleeved robe of
some white material, was standing in
the doorway. She had black hair, coiled
around a narrow and fiat head, a small
foot, white skin, well-shaped hands, and
large, brown eyes; and as she smiled at
him her scarlet lips showed her white.
even teeth.
He knew her at once She was Sarah
PurfOy, Mrs. Vicker's maid, but he new
eF had been so close to her before; and
it seemed to him that he was in the pres
ence of some strange tropical flower,
which exhaled a heavy and intoxicating
perfume
Rufus Dawes was seized from behind
by his collar and flung with a shock
upon the deck. Leaping to his feet. his
first impulse was to rush upon his as
sailant, but he saw the ready bayonet
of the sentry CLEAN, and he checked him
self with an effort, for his assailant was
Mr.. Maurice Frere.
What do you hereT' asked that gen.
tleman. You lazy, skulking hound.
what brings you here2 If catch you
putting your foot on the quarter deck