Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-02-16

wearer was not wholly free from sensi-
tiveness to sun and heat-the Reverend
| Meekin tripped daintily to the postoffice,
| and deposited his letter. Two ladies met
| him as he turned.
Mr.. Meekin's elegant hat was raised
| from his intellectual brow and lowered
| in the air, like some courteous blackbird,
| for an instant Mrs. Jellicoe! Mrs.
Protherick! My dear leddies, this is
an unexpected pleasure! And where
pray, are you going on this lovely after
! noon? To stay in the house is positive
| ly sinful. All! what a climate; but the
trail of the serpent my dear Mrs. Proth-
| erick-the trail of the serpent" And
| he sighed.
| "Why, you are going our way" said
| Mrs Jellicoe. eve can walk together"
Delighted! 1 am going to call on
| Major Vickers."
''And I live within a stones throw,
returned Mrs. Protherick. what a
| charming little creature-his daughter.
A sad thing Quite romance if it were
not so had. you know. His wife, poor
! Mrs Vickersn'
| Indeed! What of her." asked Meek
in, bestowing condescending bow on a
1
'She is dead, poor soul, returned jolly
| Mrs. Jellicoe with fat sigh. "You
| don't mean to say that you haven {
heard the story, Mr.. Meekin"
MY dear leddies, I have only been IN
Hobart Town week, and l have not
heard the story"
cts about the mutiny you know, the
mutiny at Macquarie Harbor. The prls-
oners took the ship and put Mrs. vlck-
ers and Sylvia ashore somewhere. Cap
tain Frere was with them, too. The
poor things had dreadful tlme ana
nearly died Captain Frere made boat
at last, and they were picked up by a
ship. Poor Mrs. Vickers only lived
few hours, and little Sylvia-she was
only twelve years old then-Was quite
lightheaded. They thought she wouldn't
recover She's quite strong now; but her
memory's gone She doesn't remember
anything about the three or four weeks
thev were ashore-at least not distinct
ly"
cts a great mercy" interrupted Mrs
Protherick, determined to keep the posi-
of honor. "Who wants her to remem-
her these horrors? From Captain trere,
account, it was positively awful. a
sholter'-that's what we call an escaped
prisoner, Mr.. Meekin-happened to be
| left behind and he found them out, and
insisted on sharing the provisions-the
! wretch! Captain Frere was obliged tc
watch him constantly for fear he should
murder them. Even in the boat he tried
| to RIM them out to sea and escape. lie
was one of the worst men in the Harbor
thew say. But you should hear Captain
Frere tell the story"
"And where is he now?" asked Mr.
Meekin, with interest.
Captain Frere!'
''No, the prisoner"
sob, goodness, l don't know-at Port
Arthur, / think. l know that he was
| tried for boiling and would have been
hanged but for Captain Frere's exer'
| tons"
Dear, dear! strange story, indeed, >
| said Mr.. Meekin. ''And so the young
lady doesn't know anything about it,?
"Only what she's been told, of course
| moor dear. She's engaged to Captain
| Frere."
Really! To the man who saved her
How charming-quite a romance! He1
girlish love clings to her heroic protec
for. Remarkable and beautiful. Quite
| the-hem.-the ivy and oak, dear led
| dies All. in our fallen nature, what
sweet spots- l think this is the
gate"
A smart convict servant-he had been
pickpocket of note in days gone by
left the clergyman to repQse in hand
| somely furnished drawing room, whose
| sun blinds revealed a wealth of bright
garden f1ecked with shadows, while he
went in search of Miss Vickers. The
| major was out, his duties as superln
tendent of convicts rendering such alb
sences necessary; but Miss Vickers was
in the garden, and could be called in al
| once The Reverend Meekin, wipine
his heated brow, and pulling down his
| spotless wristbands, laid himself back
on the soft sofa, soothed by the elegant
| surroundings no less than by the cool
ness of the atmosphere. He was dis
turbed by the sound Of voices in the gar
den; and going outside saw a young
girl talking to one of the servants. She
turned, and Mr. Meekin, bowling his
| apologies, became conscious that the
| young lady was about seventeen years OF
| age, that her eyes were large and soft
her hair plentiful and bright, and that
the hand which held the little book she
had been reading was white and small.
Miss Vickers, think. My name is
| Meekin-the Rev. Arthur Meekin.'
How do you do, Mr.. Meekin?" said
Sylvia, putting out one of her small
hands, and looking straight at him.
Papa will be in directly"
His daughter more than compensates
for his absence, my dear Miss Vickers. "
Il don't like fattery. Mr.. Meekin, SO
don't use it. At least" she added, with
delicious frankness that seemed boEn
of her very brightness and beauty, mot
that sort of fattery. Young girls do
like fattery, of course. Don't you think
500"
This rapid attack quite disconnected
Mr. Meekin, and he could only bow and
| Smila at the Self-nnsSnSSnd Young lady