Year: 1875

glance and ready smile upon hin
she had been giving to US.


~ am going to leave my rug will
, you +; l shall come back" said she
beaming over her shoulder upon M
as she took the surgeons arm ant
went away.


J The New Zcalander looked aftel
her, tried to console himself by
drawing his wrap in another fol(
across his knees, did not succeed,
and Gnally got up aud went away.
OF course it was not worth his while
to make himself agreeable to u mid
dle.aged woman in hood and water
proof. So sat, and looked ut the
likeness of q lake among the sunset
clouds, and tried to decide whether
l had better take oatmeal cruel OF
biscuit tea for my supper, wondering
the while, half unconSciously, about
the old chord in my memory that
was always being struck by II GER
tain musical ring in the New Zea
lander's voice.


After an hour or SO the gun was
fired, and presently Miss Armour
came back. with the disorder of the
strong sea-wind in her hair, and its
freshness in her pretty pink cheeks


"rve come as l said," she mur.
mured. dropping at my feet again,
and smiling up, as though she had
got where she best loved to bc-just
such a smile as she would have Civ
Ell to the strOkers down the engine
room, or to the ships cat. But it
was lovely to look upon while it
lasted ; and we middle,aged people
have learned to warm ourselves in
any chance ray of sunlight, without
stopping to consider whether it is
likely to be perpetual.


This time the bit of sunshine did
not stay long. for there came up an
artist with his sketch book. and
when Miss Armour ha sufficiently
admired his graphic pencilings of
the captain and the quartcrmaster,
and the seasick occupant of the up.
per berth, it was time to throw the
log, and 50 he bore her off, to find
out by her own eyes whether we
were actually going at the rate of
thirteen knots or twelve and a half.


That was how the days went.
The passengers read and paced the
deck, played games and guessed
riddles, and were always hungry /;
the pilot stood sready and firm at
the wheel the sailors ran up and
down about the rigging like over
grown spiders, and were forever
securing and scrubbing, tying and
untying, drawing up and letting
down. Thus ut last we had come
safely almost to our desired haven.
With fair sailing we were only one
day out from port, and, fond as we
had grown to be of each other, we
were getting impatient to part.


Miss Armour, during all the voy
age, had kept on as she begun. be.
guiIing every one with her trick Of
lip and eye. They ran after her like
boys at the string of a kite. Well,
they had nothing better to do just
then, and when she had faded out,
as a rainbow fades, | made no doubt
she would be as easily forgotten or
only remembered as midsummer'S
day dream, by all, unless it be SOL
itary warm hearted man like the
New Zealander. 10 tell the truth, |
was a little sorry for him. Evident
ly life had not brought him all it
might, and he was hungry for the
love and confidence that had never
| been his. So | was afrail he would
miss this little sparkle of girlhOod
and warm youth, and find the void
deeper when it had gone out.


TO the very last day Rosa kept
her place by my chair, and to the
very last the New Zealander kept
his place by her, when no one
younger stepped in to carry her off,
which was pretty often, to be sure.
Then he always went quietly away
himself, with a kind of grave regret
in his face. On that last morning
Miss Armour had just left us, along
with young lawyer, to drop Or
anges and lemons among the steer
age passengers, when noticed the
New Zealander looking after her
with sadder regret than usual-al.
most a pain-in his eyes. He had
such handsome dark eyes. could
see that without my glasses.


"Now, said l to myself, 81 hope he
isn't going to get sofia sensible,
gentlemanly, agreeable man like