Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-01-15
The Story Of an Ancient Mariners fiut
Love

him tell the story Of has FIRST love Thus 4
came about. We were wont 10 meet him a,
the house of mutual friend, where he VA
always welcome guest; came and went as be
listed, and had bis hammock swung in cham.
Der where the temperature suited him best
Tor he loved a cold clear atmosphere. In q
word, he was the centre of as charming q
household group as shall be seen any day in
the great metropolis Blooming faces shope
upon nim, merry songs greeted him ss he took
nis place beside the CHEEKY hearth in those
colo evenings in spring. One bright b aired
creature, with rosy lips, claimed him ever ss
ner own, seated him beside her on the velvet
couch, called him 50 her dear boy" which de-
lighted the ancient mariner beyopd ali tbine,.
and at last drew from him the tale referred 10
had been reminding him of a very old
friend now dead, and Of whom we had heard
nothing for many years. As 1 spoke tide Of
early recollections SWEPT up and filed the old
mans eyes with tears "Ah," said he. u he
was a very kind friend to me. We had been
schoolmates, and then We went to Sea together.
| Alter while We parted, and entered the
royal navy. Whom 1 next saw o. was
commandant on board the -. He was on the
| quay at Greenock when sailed in, and little
thought that the vessel carrying a royal pen
nant was commanded by Johnnie Ross. I
landed and went mp 70 him with q man who
| knew Us both
@" said the latter, edo you reuem.
| Der little JOHNNIE Ross 2''
We'll, answered o; and q precious
little scamp he was ~
"On this, observed Sir John, eve shook
| hands, and renewed our acqusin,ance, and L
had reason to be glad Of il, for, he repeated,
% was very kind to me-"
Now about Margaret" said the bonny
/ creature beside him.
>"Ah; she was a noble girl, When nrst
Kna h. IL.
years old We used TO walk home together
from the school, and at first were very Happy,
but before long the children began to watch
| US, and We wero obliged to make signs TO one
| another about meeting / mind well how
| shamefaced We were when the others caught
us making signals before breaking up; and
| one day the master saw Us, and it was on that
| occasion Margaret showed such spirit and
| courage as made me never forget her.
81 had got out Of school," he continued,
| after a short pause, A" and was waiting for her,
never needing the children laughing at me,
as stood watching for the sight Of her bonny
face, for she was very fair" 1 can by no
means describe the pathos Of the old mans
tone as be said this. when began to think
she was in trouble, and kept in, hid my
self till the place was clear Of ither folk, and
then l creepit round and keeked in at the
window Of a sids-room where scholars in dis
grace were put sometimes. Poor Margaret
was indeed there, sitting upon q box, very
forlorn, and crying bitterly. She Frightened
up at seeing my face in the window-pane, and
smiled when told her had been waiting for
her. Then declared / would be revenged
on our hard master and went at once to the
school room TO carry out nv plan this was
easy, for there was no one there.
Just over the masters desk was a shelf,
on which stood large ink bottle, and near TO
this again was the hat with which the dominic
always crowned himself when he assumed the
seat Of authority. L mounted the desk, took
piece Of string from my pocket, tied the ink
jar and hat together, then descending from
my porch, left the room, and ran around again
to the side window to prepare Margaret for
the result Of my device. Then 1 ran home to
dinner, and returned to school in the after
noon.
I was late. All the children were in the
room and at the masters desk stood Marga-
ret, with scarlet cheeks, but triumphant eyes,
just receiving the last blow Ct the leather
strap n her open hand The punishment of
my mischievous revenge had been visited
upon her. Streams Of ink discolored the mas
ter's face; and books and desk, on which
last lay the broken ink.jsr were saturated
with it. The master himself was furious and
the more so that Margaret had borne the in
Fiction like heroine. in perfect silence, reso
lutely resolutely refusing to give up the name
OF the delinq quent, whose sccomplice she was
accused of being She looked at me as she
moved defantly away, and the expression Of
her eye warned me not 70 speak 1t was, in
deed, too late. 1 hurried from the room be-
fore was observed; Margaret walked proudly
after NE and for the last time We took our
way home together from the school,"
l cannot do justice to this story, as told by
the old navigator. Nearly seventy years had
passed away, and yet the memory of his child
love was still the green spot in his heart.
lie and Margaret met but twice afterwards
He dwelt most on the first Of these meetings.
4" 1 was travelling" be said, "in Scotland,
when the coach stopped to take up passen-
ger. The moment the door opened, k1asy
her at once, but-she didns remember me 80
he sighed IS he said this Then" be con-
tinued, 9 told her who was, and reminded
her Of old times thirty years before, and of
that story of the ink. bottle and the beating
she had go: for my sake She had almost for
cotton it, but neuer had" Margaret, the
mother Of large family, is now an aged wo
man, and probably thought little of Johnnie
Ross after parting with him in childhood
while be, literally voysging from pole to pole,
and having but passing glimpse Of her from
time TO time, may be said to have carried the
memory of bis child love to the grave.
Among other pleasant records of my life
will rest the memory Of Z" many an ancient
story, told in his eightieth year, by Sir John
Ross Some modern ones there were, too, in
which patbos and bathos were exquisitely
blended. There was one Of the discovery st
sea, by the Isabella, of himself and his shin
mates. He had once commanded this ship,
and be knew her Immediately, half blind with
weakness and starvation as he was and there
was another of mis- meeting in London With
his son, who. through good report and evil 70
port, had never given him up" These might
find place In these pages, but that think
it would be unfair to trench upon the domain
of whomsoever shall be selected as editor of
the autobiography which Sir John was oocu
pied in compiling up to the last few weeks of
his eventful life.-ChamberS' Journal
g John Phenix,. was at the fremont