The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1915-12-30
An Atlantic
Episode
By CHARLES LEWIS PIIIPPS

l confess that III going about my chief
pleasure is watching othsr persons.
Coming over the Atlantic ocean to
America on u liner picked out q moth
er and daughter as worthy OF my at
tention. A young man had been intro
duced to the daughter. who seemed to
be very well pleased with him. The
mother was also well pleased that the
daughter was we'll pleased. The young
man was well pleased too. What
struck my delicate pcrceptive faculties
was that the mothers pleasure In the
matter seemed to arise from sense OK
relief How or why inferred this !
can't explain. \ woman won!d under
stand II without an explanation. AS
Tor Il man. you couldn't stick ii into
him with Il hatpin.
These two young things were got
ting on like two mating turtlcdovcs
when one day, the girl being on deck
| saw her go to the stern of the
ship. The weather was bad, and /
was the only other woman Oh deck |
scuddcd along after the girl on the 9th
er side OF the smokeStack and deck
houses till she reached the limit to the
first class part Of the ship and she
stood looking out on to the second class
part. A young man appeared. He saw
the girl, but he didn't see me, for was
crouching under lfeboat He threw
kiss to the girl, who. after looking
around to see that she was not OBJ
served, returned it in kind.
Now, wasn't that interesting?
or roIyrca r. xUo,,llp,t I,,rn I>o,,, a., q
so Interesting if it hadn't been for the
other young man the girl had met on
the voyage She was fooling her moth.
cr with him. The real lover, whom the
mother condemned, was travelling sec.
ond class SO that it wouldn't be known
to the girls mamma that he was on the
ship.
Now. what was the upshot Of all
this? In order to keep track Of it
must be up and doing. mustn't let
the slightest incident escape me.
And | didn't.
y couple Of days after this, when it
was stormy, |. remembering that lovers
chose Just such weather to send kiss.
es. went on deck early and stayed all
day, having Il steward bring up my
lunch. About dusk the girl came up.
and | knew by her looks that some.
thing was up. She didn't know it, but
out Of the corner OF my eye saw her
scowl ut me. was the only woman
on deck She didn't care for the men.
She conld fool them. but She couldn't
fool me-
That girl scuddcd along to the after
part Of he ship without any one seeing
her except me, and just rs the dark.
ness was settling down she was lost
to view.
lD about an hour from that time
there was the biggest racket aboard
| that ship you ever saw. The girl had
disappeared and her mother was wild
about her One or two OF the men
who were on deck when she came m
reported having seen her. but mono OF
them saw the last OF her. But her
mother abused them so frightfully for
not keeping an eye on her. especially
as the ship was rolling badly. that aft,
or awhile one Of the sailors said:
"MissuS. We didn't want to hurt yer
feelln's. The truth IS saw the
young lady skiddin' along till she
struck the port rail about midship.
and afore / conld get my hands on her
she topplcd over"
This. if it had not been for the dis
tress it gave the poor mother, would
have been amusing was bound |
wouldn't give the girl away, and yet
couldn't bear to see the mother suf.
fer. We were to reach port the next
morning. and somehow 7 doubted IL
the mother believed her daughter had
gone overheard. The lattcrknew mighty
well that she was trying to keep her
from young man. and | don't doubt
that ii waS probable she was some.
where on the ship. She had n thorough
search nadc of the first class portion
and 81 rrrf,lnctOry search made OF the
Srrc:;l class. but none of the stcerage
Giln't know and | don't know now
how The lovers managed it. but know
what | would have done had been
on" OF them ! would have gone. at
least temporarily, from the second
class cabin Lu the stcerage and remain.
ed there Till the fuss blew over. They
could easily have got some cmigrant
clothes and, besides. could have dodg
cd amy one looking for them.
The next day nothing was said about
the girl who was seen to plunge into
the ocean. The passengers were busy
getting ready to go ashore. and perhaps
they hadn't time to concern them.
selves about a person they didn't even
know personally, Seeing group Of
three persons standing together wait
ing to go down the gangplank ap.
preached them. They were the mother
and daughter and a young man who
bore Il strong resemblance to the sec.
0nd class passenger who had been