“HIS ISLAND PRINCESS.”

Thames Star, Volume LXV, Issue 18239, 13 July 1931, Page 4

“HIS ISLAND PRINCESS.”

OUR SERIAL STORY

BY W. CLARK RUSSELL.

CHAPTER Vl.—Continued,

LOOBOO. cesf'o, Wif6 ’ S In ° thei: was «ie prinqueen of her island. She '° S * handsome woman A fZf -w at Z, her officers was of eScended from an ancient line **■* m Z”f and the queen with him FT, behind a ■ and was left “t*' <*• s its ££*,£?- ° f So that you have Scotch Sn, ls h> and Kanaka blond ’ Span ' madam,” said / bl °° d Ia you, Cap. my dab. are T „‘°„ W of England?” he savsVV ' lL ' head, and 100 kin- a f ’ his that me ° y6S tamlv would j,o ut ’ and eer- « tapertiaeace ta anfbut aTT •‘“'l- “Know, sir that r blo< *’ «»t descendant of i„„ “ m “ d ‘- Countess of r , , ne ’ second ried a 1663 ,marmouth, soft/Sef? f f"ZTZ Jamos took the name of Scott, and he and Duchess oTr Duke and ess of Buccleuch. The duk, “ d Wo honours for! eited, but they were perpetuated in £iITV C J iS d “ ChMS - “d m” maim to the throne,” says he in n SnT d r T’ <<iS based « 4 union gh tbe issua of that keith ” I)ame JameS ’ Earl of Dal - WaS 1 *?. sa^? As I have y u , I readily understood that he was mad, and this notion of beina king is a somewhat common property amongst persons whose brains are distempered. Yet though I rnigli be sure he had no right to the throne of England, I was equally mtain that his genealogy was no • He was the completest copy of a gentleman you ' could conceive saving that he was a little roughened by the stern usage of the sea. 1 could imperfecUy recall portraits of the Stuarts, especially Charles fl., and did conceive, shall I say or really witness in Captain Scott" a very strong resemblance to the lover of that jade, Lucy Walters. On his ceasing I contented myself with bowing, colouring the action with all the respect I could infuse. Tell Mr de la Touche your story, father,” says Eulalie, breaking in a little impatiently upon her own silence, which she had filled by a constant, innocent, wondering gaze at me, as though s ,she could "not make sure of me yet. Indeed, had she never seen & man in her life save her father, she could not have viewed me with more ingenuous astonishment. Thus in my sight was her freshness flavoured with sweetnes, and if she thought she had never seen anybody like me, I could have vowed I had never seen any girl like her, no, not even the poor beaiitiful convict girl. Captain Scott disengaged his attention from his wife’s grave, at which he had been gazing, and said: “I owned the schooner Eulalie and made several voyages in her, trading, as I have explained. In every voyage I took my wife and child. Our home was at Lima, wife re we used to reside after our long excursions amongst the islands. In my last voyage, influenced by the whispers of the devil, I determined to steer south, and in thick weather, and at midnight, struck upon that reef which you see there,” says he, pointing a little, to the north of the lu'o'utii of the creek. “The sea broke with weight upon the rocks. The ship was hard and fast. Our masts went, and one in falling must have killed my beloved wife, who was on deck. I knew not where she was. I believed she had remained in the cabin with Eulalie, -but when day broke,” he exclaimed, in a deep, sweet voice of affecting melancholy, “the light told me in the body. of my cherished wife, that the sun had passed from my skies for ever, that the night was come, and my spirit was to sit alone in darkness.” “But you had your daughter, sir,” said I, gently. “Qh, yes, oh, yes!” he answered. “God is good. He giveth and he taketh.” He shook his head, sighing.

I now began to think that the pain of his wife’s death was one of his crazes, and ranged with his dream of the throne of Britain and the like. To help him on with his story, I said: “Then, sir, I take it that the conveniences I notice in your house you saved from the wreck.” “That is so,” he answered. ‘The vessel did not break up for many days, though we could not budge her, do what we could. We brought her cargo ashore, and my crew, who were Kanakas, built that house. It was erected close to where my deal one lies, that in the night I might have her near me, that in the day I never could look forth without seeing where she rests.” “Ten years ago, sir,” says I. “Ay,” says he. “Ten years, as I tell you.” (To bo continued).