The Prescott daily news., 1908-11-03
A STOWAWAY.

Copyright l90S by American Press Asso-
 ciation.1
 We were but a day out from Ere. men when a seaman stepped up to me and, saluting, said, "Mr Warren, one of the men on the lower deck heard a cough among the freight and after a search for stowaways pulled out a girl"
 "A girl"' l exclaimed, surprised.
 "Yes, sir; girl"
 1 directed the stowaway to be brought up on deck in order to look her over with a view to determining how much work she could stand and what kind of work to give her, for our orders were to work stowaways so hard as to render that method of gain ing free transportation undesirable The girl came up frightened, but after a glance at the ocean, seeing that we were well away from land, look of triumph crossed her features. Know ing by my uniform that was an off cer, she stood demurely before me, with her eyes on the deck. She was very fair-indeed, so fair that knew she came from my native north
 What have you done this for?' I asked her. Don't you know that we work stowaways harder than those who hire themselves to us honestly?"
 She did not reply. Only faint flush passed over her face. The longer looked at her the more her delicate beauty grew upon me. Her features, especially her mouth, could not have been more exquisite if they had been chiseled by an artist, and, though her clothes were soiled and torn, she had not been long enough in the hold to show the effects usual to stowaways There was something piteous about the slender, shrinking figure that deterred me from visiting the usual hardships due to such offenders.
 What's your name" asked.
 Gretchen
 "Well Gretchen. you have been a very foolish girl You'll be worked hard, and if you cant show that you can support yourself when you get to New York you will be sent back"
 At that moment the captain came along aud, taking in the situation, re lieved me of all responsibility. He was terror to stowaways and sent the girl away to be worked day and night. l shuddered, for l knew the delicate frame before me could scarcely stand the ordeal. Any word of protest from me would only result in a heavier strain for the girl.
 We had stormy weather all the way over. Gretchen, though seasick, was forced to continue at her duties Ev- cry moment of the day and much of the night she was either at work in the galley under the head cook or In the cabins under the stewardess, and both were ordered to make her life misera- ble. The weather kept us all busy, and 1 saw nothing of her till we reached New York. Then on the day of our arrival 1 saw-well, it was what remained of the poor girl. In five
  cheeks were sunken and had taken on a bluish white tint. Her eyes wore a hunted look; her arms were bones covered only with bloodlesS skin. She was tottering to the gangway to go ashore with the immigrants. She carried no bags or bundles like the rest-indeed, she would not have been able to carry them if she had pos sessed them
 was off duty and, going up to her, took her arm and steadied her down the gangway. I went with her into the room where the disembarked i'm migrants assembled for examination. Suddenly she gave cry and, break ing away from me, ran toward young man standing with his hands in his pockets watching the crowd come into the room.
 "Hans." she called, "I am herev'
 The young man drew back from this skeleton of a girl in filthy rags and with unkempt hair.
 T am Gretchen. Oh, Hans. don't you know meT'
 Hans stared at her curiously. Grad ually he showed signs of recognizing her She was his betrothed and had come as stowaway to marry him. He knew of her coming and was there to meet her. But the sight of her after her torture was too much for him Without word he turned and left the place.
 Gretchen fell fainting into my arms