Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1909-04-30
A STOWAWAY.

ciation.1 tHst
We were but a day out from Bre-
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 girlr' l exclaimed. surprised.
Eyes, sir; a girl"
l directed the stowaway TO be
brought up on deck in order to look
her yer 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. a look of
triumph crossed her features. Know
ing by my uniform hat | was an Off
Ger, she stood demurely before me,
with her eyes on the deck. She was
very fair-indeed, so fair that l 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 a faint flush
passed over her face. The longer I
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 deferred
me from visiting the usual hardships
due to such offenders.
whats your name?" l asked.
Gretchen"
well, Gretchen, you have been a
very foolish girl You'll be worked
hard, and If you can't show that you
can support yourself when you get to
New York you will be sent back"
At that moment the captain came
ufOD6 dAdt tdhAh6 Al lhC bANoutiOhy "
lieved me of all responsibility. He
was a terror to stowaways and sent
the girl away to be worked day and
night. / shuddered, for / 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.
W. I.oA koxo, x,ookkn~ oil tho 80
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-
BILE. The weather kept US all busy,
and l saw nothing of her till we
reached New York. Then on the day
Of our arrival / saw-well, 1t was what
remained of the poor girl. In FIVE
days her beauty had departed. Her
cheeks were sunken and had taken OF
a blush white tint. Her eyes wore
a hunted look; her arms were bones
covered only with a 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.
1 was off duty and, going up to her,
took her arm and steadied her down
the gangway. l went with her into
the room where the disembarked i'm
migrants assembled for examination.
Suddenly she gave a cry and, break
ing away from me, ran toward a young
man standing with his hands In his
pockets watching the crowd come into
the room.
Hans" she called, II am here"
The young man drew back from this
skeleton of a girl In filthy rags and
with unkempt hair.
81 am Gretchen. Oh. Hans, don't
you know meY'
Hans stared at her obviously. Grad
ually he showed signs of recognizing
her. She was his betrothed and had
come as a 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 a word he turned and left the
place.
Gretchen fell fainting into my arms.
She was deported in the same ship
in which she had come over, but she
did not work her passage. The gov
eminent attended to that.
One night while l was on duty I saw
a woman's figure come up a compan-
ionway and make a dash for the gun
vale. She was half over when !
caught her and dragged her back.
She was Gretchen.
l placed her in a deck chair and
questioned her. l learne that she had
lived in the German province from
which l had come. I secured a prom
Use that she would make no further
attempt on her life. l also got some
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