The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1913-10-09

| am come 10 TAKE you 10 tDe snip,
| said to her I'VE must get there to-
night to sail with the beginning of the
ebb tomorrow morning"
II am ready" she said, putting her
hand upon my arm.
We went into the house and from
her baggage. after making her fare
well to her kind hostess. In the even
ing we got aboard the ship. where
saw her safely bestowed in the COM
Portable cabin l had arranged for her
and for her woman When day broke
and she came on deck we were under
way for the Island of the Stairs. The
great adventure had begun.
| ] pass over the events of the next
six months. but not because they were
uninteresting. Oh, no One could not
sail from Plymouth, England. to the
south seas, touching at Madeira. the
Canaries. Rio and Buenos Aires and
rounding the mighty and fearsome
Cape Horn. without seeing many
! things of interest and participating in
scenes as dangerous as they were ex-
citing But am not writing book
of travels.
We were drawing near to the island
we sought according to the calcula-
tions of good Captain Matthews and
myself, when something happened.
! had brought it on myself realized,
but that made it no more bearable,
! Indeed. | was mad. mad all through;
outraged in dignity, humiliated in self
respect. and were it not foolish to
speak so Of man of my years and
sturdiness | should say ( was broken
In heart
My mistress had been so kind to me
that had dwelt in a FOOLS paradise.
] awoke to realize that she had not
forgotten the difference between our
stations. | had forgotten it in these
long months at sea. BY heavens. the
sight of her was enough to make a
man forget anything If he loved her
as !!
There! The secret is out. but make
no doubt you guessed 1t long before.
But she had not. There was no mirror
in the cabin. but | could well guess
that the sight of me was not sufficient
ly prepossessing to make any woman
forget Yet she had been so kind.
was her only confidant or companion
in the ship had forgotten. l had
endeavored to leap the gap. had
fondly hoped that the one thing in me
that was truly great-my passion for
her-would land me safely by her side.
did not see how she could fail to
comprehend it, though l did try to dis
guise it.
Well, that love of mine, it had not
brought her nearer. On the contrary,
1t had put me under lock and key.
And here l was, shut up like crimi-
nal in my own cabin in her ship, or
mine, for that matter Come to think
Of it, that moment l believe love had
completely disappeared. could recall
and can to this day. for that matter
the fierce, burning rush of color to her
cheek where | had kissed it; the fire
of rage and surprise mingled which
sparkled in her eyes. The Duke of
Arcester | had marked for life for less
than this, recalled in shame. /
hardly recollected the fierce blow of
her hand upon my face. That was
nothing. But was undone. All the
patient devotion of years, all the re-
straint Of the long voyage, had come
to naught.
There was plenty of bright starlight
on deck. She had stepped out from
the dark shadow of the spencer, and l
had followed on her heels. The first
hight watch had not yet been called,
and the men, idled about the decks
waiting the boatswain's shrill whistle,
had noted it all can see their sneer-
ing, laughing faces even now.
AS it was, l drew myself up and
waited while she sent for good old
Captain Matthews and, vouchsafing no
explanations, imperiously bade him
stow me below as prisoner in my
cabin. He didn't relish the job, but
went about it forthwith. Indeed,
did not wait for further orders after
her look and glance. | stalked below
as haughtily as you please. 1t was her
ship, as she had said and as she GER
tainly believed. and had it not been,
who could deny her anything? Not |,
forsoOth. | could steal kiss, but not
balk her will. And here l was the
mate of the Rose of Devon. and but
for my own remuneration | had been
her captain, engaged in this wild
goose chase, this foolish search for
treasure, for so it seemed to me then,
locked up below like any mutinous
dog at the behest of a woman that /
could have broken between my thumb
and finger. And after all / had done
and sacrificed for her too.
Come to think of it, | had always
loved her, ever since those days when
/, the gardeners boy, had been her
faithful and devoted slave. And
through the long years when l had
been far voyaging in distant seas had
kept her memory fresh and sweet and
true. Although INhad been in many
rough places | had seen life from the