Excerpt from Bequeathed Mid-Ocean O'er Bath's fair city shone the noon's hot sun; Christina Bruce her rest had just begun, When to her room a postal message came From her brave husband, Captain Bruce of fame. His ship, the Perseverance, his command, Had during last night safely reached the land. She read the written words with puzzled look, And fast aside she cast her favoured book. 'What can he mean?' as reading them again She hopes to solve the riddle, but in vain. 'Expect me home to-night, - the train to meet Arrives at seven, and with a stranger, sweet, I come.' Strange, very strange, Christina thought, And with fast rising jealous feelings fought. The train she met, and much she wondered then To see the Captain, bravest, best of men, Forth bearing in his arms a little child With wrappings rich and eyes of hazel mild. A fairy, golden-headed thing of three Whose fondness for the Captain all might see. The greetings o'er, - by eager questions plied The Captain thus unto his wife replied: 'Christina, dear! I cannot tell you much. Her mothers dead, will you to her be such? Give her a mothers love and tender care, She'll cheer on home and spread contentment there. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.