Butte record., 1855-10-27

the heart of him who reads; for if he
feel not, he DIES not real in vain.
-"The ship sails this day, to day, al
last said Hunila to herself; "this gives
me certain time to stand on; without
certainty l go mad. In loose ignorance
| have hoped and hoped; now in fin
knowledge l will but wait. Now 1 live
and no longer perish in bewiiderings
Holy Virgin, aid me! Thou wilt wait
back the ship. Oh, past length of weary
weeks-alI to drag oyer-io buy The
certainty of today, [ freely give ye.
though l tear We from mel"
Truly Hunilla leaned upon a reed,
real one; no metaphor; real Eastern
reed. A p'ece of hollow cane, dliftcd
from unknown les, and found upon the
beach, its once jagged ends rubbed
smoothly even as by sand-paper; its
gold 81 zing gore. Long ground be-
tween the sea and land upper ard neither
ston", the unvarnished substance was
fled bare, and wore another dish now,
one with itself, the polish of its agony
Circular lines at intervals cut all round
this surface, divided it into six panels of
unequal length. In the first were scored
the days, each tenth one marked by a
longer and d eper n tch; the second was
scored for the number of sea-fowI eggs
for sustenancc picked out from the rocky
nests; the third, how many fish had been
caught from the shore; the fourth, how
many small tortoi>es found inland; the
fifth, how many days of sun; the sixth,
Of clouds; which last of the two, was the
greater one. Long night of busy num-
bering; misery's math' mates, to weary
her too wakeful soul to s'eep, yet slecp
for that was none.
The panel Of the days was deeply
worn, the long tenth notches half eff,ced
as alphabets af the blind. Ten thousand
times the longing widow had traced her
finger over the bamboo; dull flute, which
played on gave no sound-as if counting
birds flown by in air, would hasten tor
toiscs creeping through The woods.
After tn one hundred and eighi,th
day no further mark was seen; that last
one was the faintest, as the first the
deepest.
''lhere were more days. said our
captain; many, many more, why did
YOU not go on and notch them too, HUI
nilla'"
"Senor, ask ne not"
"And meantime, did no other vessel
pass the isle:'
"Nay, Seuor-but-'
"You do not speak; but what, Hu-
ni.la:''
"Scnor, be it as You say"
Braced against her woe, Hunilla wouli
not, burst not trust the weakness of her
tongue. Then when our captain asked
whether any whale boats had
But no, will not file this thing com
plete for scofiing souls to quote, and call
1t firm proof upon their side. The half
shall remain untold Those two un-
named events which befel Hunilla on
this .sle, let them abide between her and
her God. In nature, as in law, it may
be lib lous to speak some truths.
Sill, how it was that although our
vessel had Lid three days anchored nigh
the isle, It's one human tenant should not
have discovered us till just on the point
of sailing, never TO revisit 50 lone and
far spot-this needs explaining ere the
sequel come.
The place where the French captain
had landed the little party was on the
farther and opposite End of the isle
There too it WAS that they had after
wards built their hut. Nor did the Wild
ow in her soiitune desert the spot where
her loved ones had dwrlt with her, and
where the dearest Of the twain now slep,
his last long sleep, and all her plants
awaked him not, and he of husbands the
most faithful during life
Now, high broken land rises between
the opposite extremities of tbs isle. A
ship anchored at one side is invisible from
the other. Neither is the isle so small,
but considerable company might wan
der for days through the wilderness Of
one side, and never be seen or their hal
loos heard, BY any stranger holding a aloof
on the other. Hence, HuniIla, who
naturally associated the possible coming