The Washington herald., 1912-04-07
what do you wish me to dor

nothing added and nothing taken of.
| know so much already that if you go
one inch off the straight, I'll blow this
police whistle from my window and the
affair goes out of my hands forever"
The sailor thought for little. Then
he struck his leg with his great sun
burned hand.
"I'll chance it," he cried, 81 believe
you are a man of your word, and
white man, and I'll tell you the whole
story. But one thing | will say first.
So far as / am concerned, ] regret moth
ing and fear nothing, and would do
il all again, and be proud Of the job.
Damn the beast, If he had as many lives
as a cat, he would owe them all to me
But it's the lady, Mary-Mary Fraser
for never will ] call her by that ac-
cursed name. When | think of getting
her into trouble, | who would give my
life just to bring one smile TO her dear
face, it's that that turns my soul into
water. And yet-and yet-what less
could | do? I'll tell you my story, gen.
tlemen, and then III ask you, as man to
man, what less could do
Il must go back bit. You seem to
know everything, so | expect that you
know that | met her when she was a
passenger and | was first officer Of the
Rock of Gibraltar. F. m the first day
/ met her, she was the only woman to
me. Every day of that voyage loved
her more, and many time since have
kneeled down in the darkness of the
night watch and kiss the deck Of that
ship because | knew her dear feet had
trod it. She was never engaged to me.
She treated me as fairly as ever wom-
an treated a man. | have no complaint
TO make. II was all love on my side,
and all good comradeship and friendship
on hers. When we parted she was a
free woman, but | could never again be
a free man.
Next time ! came back from sea,
heard of her marriage. Well, why
shouldn't she marry whom she liked?
Title and money-who could carry them
better than she9 She was born for all
that is beautiful and dainty. l didn't
grieve over her marriage. / was not
such selfish hound as that. ! just
rejoiced that good luck had come her
way, and that she had not thrown her
self away on a penniless sailor. That's
how l loved Mary Fraser.
well, l never thought to see her
again, but last voyage l was promoted,
and the new boat was not yet launched,
so had to wait for couple of months
with my people at Sydenham. One day
out in a country lane | met Theresa
Wright, her old maid. She told me all
about her, about him, about everything.
| tell you, gentlemen, il nearly drove
me mad. This drunken hound, that he
should dare to raise his hand to her,
whose boots he was not worthy to lick
met Theresa again. Then l met Mary
herself-and met her again. Then she
would meet me no more. But the other
day | had notice that / was to start
on my voyage within a week, and de-
termined that would see her once be-
fore | left. Theresa was always my
friend, for she loved Mary and hated
this villain almost as much as did.
From her learned the ways of the
house. Mary used to sit up reading in
her own little room downstairs. crept
round there last night and scratched at
the window At first she would not open
to me, but in her heart i know that
now she loves me, and she could not
leave me in the frosty night. She whis-
pered to me to come round to the big
front window, and found it open be-
fore me, so as to let ME into the dining
room. Again | heard from her own
lips things that made my blood boil, and
again | cGsed this brute who mishan-
died the woman ! loved. Well, gentle
men, was standing with her just in
side the window, in all innocence, as God
is my judge, when he rushed like a
madman into the room, called her the
vilest name that man could use to a
woman, and welted her across the face
with a stick he had in his hand. / had
sprung for the poker, and, it was fair
fight between us. See here, on my arm,
where his first blow fell Then it was
my turn, and ! went through him as il
he had been a rotten pumpkin Do you
think ] was sorry? Not / 1t was his
life or mine, but far more than that, it
was his life or hers, for how could
leave her in the power of this madman
That was howl killed him. Was /
wrong? Well, then, what would either
of you gentlemen have done, if you
had been in my position?
"She had screamed when he struck
her and that brought old Theraea dour