CHAPTER LXII.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 233, 17 December 1887, Page 7

CHAPTER LXII.

' aitwi Tin-: wiircK. When JUavimon's late remorse slnll }\>ikc, , , v < SCOTT* '•'Hutr, sir, here '"cried the sailors in the boat, as (jerald 'VitzgcwM, suppotting Ucraldine, warn toward it. • Then the men, leaning forwaul, 1 held out their hands to' receive tho almost Hfdoss foim ot the \k\y, whom they lifted and oarefdlly lnia irt the *tern, where she reclined in> her cold and wefc clothing, *M*oi'itfg', gasping,-- fainting,- Uwn the temble 01 deal of the sea. Then they assisted Gerald •FJtagciald to climb on board, where ho dropped into hi* place utterly otha-u-sted, speechless, iovorv, helmed. • '- The boat, one of the four that had beeu. sent out by the relief ship was ;ww full' o£ rec-cued pa^-engert., uml as there was not another living" ercatmo to be socn '01V the surface of tho flame-lit sea, and nob another voice crying for help to be heard, the oau-iuan turned and pulled swiftly foi' their ship. One man on board, chat seemed a little les^ worsted than his companions, found strength to inquire of the man at the tiller: *■> What is the name of the craft that has «ent out the boats to pick us up_? * "The Mary Jane,-Smith, master, with a caigo of silks and \elvctv -irom Havie to London. v "We thai] bo taken to London, then. That is not so bad., after all. Wemight have been bound for Yokohama or "Honolulu," said the first speaker. And the conversation dropped, Meanwhile, Gerald Fitzgerald sat with his chin upon hid hinds, oblivious of all aiound him, g.wmg out upon the novt"lonely sea, lighted up by the flames of the binning ship, and gioaning in the depths of his bpirit : _, ' ,' ' ' " Oh, Gertrude ! Gertrude i Oh, 'my lost j lovq ' my meek-eyed darling ! Oh, my truehearted, lon ing wife! My betrayed and abandoned wife ! I failed you at your utmost need. I failed you, traitor ■and hwr'- " dei or that T am ! accursed and dishonoured fehafc 1 am ! How did all this happen ? What happened V Gertrude— lot . mo- think—Gertrude was holding on to a part, of my clothing in a way not to embarrass my motion^ ami I was swimming to reach one of the the lelief .boats. Then Geraldine floated,' by, clinging to a plank that she had lo^t. She ciied to me to save her. What' happened then ? All my senses seemed iri a whiilpool. I 10-t my self - possession. What next? Was I so crUel, so mad, so. idiotic, as to drop her? Or did she /let 'go her hold ? How was it ? Heaven help me/ 1 know not. I only know that t saved Goral- 1 dine and left Gertrude to thown, accursed , traitor that Lam !" < <' ,< , Geraldine, 1 seeing his absorbed, despairing look,' roused h'cvfeelf from her, benumbed weariness, bent over him', "put lier'arnis! around him, and ' whi&pered softly, fer-, vently : , . 1 'Gerald ! my deliverer! my ; preserves !. you have saved^my Jife I I 'owe,' my I'ife'^o, you !" , , I . , - i . i He did not answer her or even seem -to gee her, but still groaned in the .depths of his wounded .heart. , .. , . - , ,: -, "Gertrude? Gevtrqde I ,oh, ( Ujitle, dove-eyed J ! Oh* ont^v - b ; etrfyed, deserted^ angel I How coulc} I have.leffcyou to perish? How could, I, acquraed wretch that lam ?" and. more bitter unspoken setfreproaches of the same sort, while Geraldine contemplated him. in dismay. , ;' , r t ) At length phe.again bent p,ver h.irajkeep*, ing;her avn^s* around him,, and , whispered, earnestly ; -, , , ,■- 1 ,''■"< "Gerald, deadest Geraldy >vhy:do f you, not'spea^to m,e ?' J • ( . „< , .-,,';■ "| Be silent, Geraldine !'' he an^\yer:ed, in sb deep andrfitern a-tone that shfc.shrankback aghast/ M ■ ~.,,\ ,>. ; it j • , d^,, , v-> ■ Their, boalrhad^ by this time^reaoae.d-.ibhe side! of the Mary Jane, wliose a.nd matep w.erO/St^pding.^.^he, stanb|oard,,niain port,, : eager t*> ; welaoine L and 7 Buccord , t)iis boat-load-, of shipwrcqHe"d r ßU:ffeVfirj3. „„* i „ <.r [ thQ,r^sgued pasieengeveiand. crew,, df'bjhe b^tj^tQainer jy^r^iadrea^y oik bpa4s« having been picked up. by { ' p]}e jthvee ,o L ther. 'ott^ie j[pur l i)oq.t?jt J haj;.4 l^t^ e^ £^ft*' 9 l t^ hy,itheiM^ryjiJ^neforfthfiirrelioff /IUX ?_„,., „ ,\ , ,An)on« xtheze . wq< ,tq . ibej^eep panbffinc .G,rey a,ud h\§ pfjjopr^, tyas&a\e t 4$ Valetta, Jubal, Meta, the 7 , e'sfc! aS^tJ>odpti iPfie^erj.^t^ftiffbenjaKolQ l^! CfttiUoli)B w prie^,,an4 tt%itlßQpri|feßjffjftv.^fci 'huab^pd, o ,_§t;ll- f aarryjng v in^^sv-arois „tb^ mpih§i?le^s^ h&PuwUsbikpfi ■ b fienj t reec^qU -by | ftn4 in whiq^ n H^ell(- ?Y^s,,i,jpQ^i'wnipp.d^P ift^|l«Wgft W9Wfn^n«S^ ,},.*> of . / Cm peeing* Gdldml kMtiigfaalfaa&fo&wol* Aim eome^onf'boariJ, Uie' abmtf6eoti6dop;inBe.di the} former, bntiv niifetooU'-'Jthff'oldttjer ffdr). Ge^tnid^j '«ittd!ihe>iuirviea {O*s^ar^<it6s .^atiriafce> vtlißm .t6i¥>!*hfeit» '<3af€*X5 n *^ d ' !^ lihdnkitlife y6Kh<&itkxbt4oY bfe^Hpi'eieeifetibno jbf X'J J c"A y .fxffr.l". s orsfjjfl ,mtts\ '* -s Bufe^me^id^Bf m^'wa^ffi'^es^bi/s 1 ] ofT#a*ilu^fcle» I g^dde%^ r lW6^e^u"]S 3 ana f peJceiv^FW «ta wildefea ms* iM%x4f^m^rim^ 1 bivfem liflfflw Ji^miHtSkW^Snd'Sftfeiife MSk

life.ofcmy^mptl^erl^^liijd^ JLam sure you r QojOTpi;^t%^d ( l^,Yfed f ;Bpeppy /i , -„ tK . .ijmik Hbr properly, Birf I hope.4 kust M Jotjshe. umMi, by r toys time, Uriip.Jj^Y^ v .implied Col.pnel Fit&erald, solemn^ ■ „ '„ " "{ln' heaven !" softly, reverently repeated fclielman, pressing his rescued child closer to ljiis bosom. ■ , t , £-„(./< „ . , I* l Yes, in heaven, as 'sure' as there is a '^eavon !" earnestly repeated ' Fitzgerald: ' , ,i .M The young -lady was a ! n^ai' volation'of' 'y^urs,'sii', J I» fcakl ■ th<<> uian ? in -a' "fconb ; of l'esptfcfcfdl ßynipatliyi 1 • ' ' ""'J ■ ' ■'' • ' "MSho* Was my 'bolovbtV Wife,'" t^piiedseuald fioleiniily^, tendetly.^ •' , /'| Ay, ay 5 ' one event hap]^eAOth to all,' ypu see, my* motherless little • bnii"n," f , muj-nltued the man, dropping a'^e'avtipon 'his (child's head. Cjolonel Fitngcrald tighed, Ijufc mado no [other reply.- ' ; -. •'jSir, lam sorry for t/t»; not for her, for she| was an angel ht lor heaven ; but lam soi'ty W-you, rfir," murmured the man, bonding i Ids head o\ci, tho face ,of ,-tho ' sieciping babe. " Ye^, I beg paulon, but; I am very sorry for you !"' "iYou may very well be to, friend, replied Gerald Fitzgerald, in a giieved, and humbled tone, as ho turned awv.y his head. (jeraldine, with a' gestmc of wild impatience, turned and fojloved. the .stevvaidess down to Lhercai'in. • .Colonel Fitzgerald and hi^ ix_\v iccjuntnlancp were left fotanding' alone, in their wefc ciofclies. "I Come, pir," feaid the kiud iiearbed e.tr.'inger, '" the cabin ib choke full of women and children. lam {;oing to the cookY galley. We'll find, a ihe theie «ny "ay,; and can djty our clothe^, it we can't get a change. fiiend. Go on. I \» ill follow, pief^ently," leplicd Fi ygoiald. " Poor fellow, ho tal.es, hif- ufi'iction \ay haul," mutteicd the t.LKii.gei, ab j^c nio\cd on.) ' ' (icrald Fit/geraldj iega.Ucu> of hi* web ajut dripping and lii^. ccid aud fchuddcrin^" foim— scaKely conscious indeed, of hia phyhioal condition— wci.t to the d'avn of the .ship, leaned o-m tho bnlv.ark^, arid' ga/cd out upon the &tcue of tho great \ d,Uaster— tho my /night <ea, tt.c\Mi \siih fragments of the wieck, and redly lighted ■\Vith 'the flames of the thc-'tiiiu tiiat h.'td bu'rhed down nearly to the 1^ ccl.cc. , .'" Where; did -she . ; What pait of 't^ie sea holds hey. My dove, my an^el , child)' Oh, no\or, never v. i.ile I lue, .shall I firget the IOOL ! All, J.Va\en ! ;he la^t- , loolt of her .sweet, dai k eyea t as, »ht> turned the|ir on mo wlion nhe sank bcnef.th the A\a\{efi. Slw. did Tiol tcteam i«»r hi ip '' She , ,j,aV me rchcuc hey rhn\, ar.d *\w eloped her incqk biov.p eyes and ) »olae(i up Lei >oi u% 'life.!"