The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1868-06-12

Cling and screaming with all hcrmight.
I ran to the door, intending to call for
help but the words "Mary, my wife,
don't you know me?" struck me dumb.
| turned in amazement. He still held
her in his arms. She had ceased strug-
Cling, and was looking at him with
strange, wild, lining eyes. Was her
mind shaken? Had the shock been too
much for her?
"Let her go; you will kill her"
cried, scarcely knowing what | said.
He put her down gently, still holding
her hand. She stood quite still and pas
sivc, as if frozen, the two fixed, bright
eyes staring from her death-white face.
The man looked from ono to the other
in frightened way.
"Do you think I've frightened her
out of her wits? he asked in an unea-
sy whisper, as she stood with her eyes
riveted on his face.
81 dare say you have" 7 blurted out
curtly, as turned TO Mrs. Robinson.
"Mary, my dear, what is it?" taking
utI lttSSlNt iluiibo III tNIit
no motion, not even shifting her eyes.
"Won't you speak to me, Nary" The
eye turned TO me, and, slipping her
hands from mine, she CROPPED in the air
likr q blind person. 1t was terrible to
sec
Mary" / said, desperately, "it is
your husband come back to you"-any-
thing, thought, to rouse her; "won't
you speak to him?"
eyes" said Mr.. Robinson, eagerly,
81 am your husband, don't You know
me, Mary? Amt you glad to see me
my dear? ?" The tears stood in his eyes,
and although they could not soften the
look of the Scared one, still could see
dina very dim-likeness to the
picture over the mantelpiecc, and could
no longer doubt his identity. Deep
lines seemed to grow in the little wo-
mans face as he spoke to her; the very
roundne3s appeared to fall into sharp,
angles, such as long years of sorrow had
failed to produce.
"Send him away; tell the man to go
away. Cannot he go awaye" cried she
piteously.
"No, my dear" said her husband
~ have come to stay, and l thought
you'd be glad to see me-" His rough
voice trembled little. "See, I've car
ried your picture with me thro' thick
and thin. When we were shipwreck-
ed thought about it, and tied it up
ater-proof, 50 ! should have that, any
way and all them long years, when
Tom Bright and George Griffith and
me used to sit in our hut o'nights and
: talk over our wives and homes, your
picture used to look SO hopeful like Just
like you Use to look them first two
months-I almost forgot | was a ship
f wrecked sailor thousands of miles away
, oh, Mary, the long days and the weary
e nights, and the weeks and the months
= and the years Yes child, it was awful
dreary-like, and your picture got dim
and blurred, and | grew old and gray
f afore my time and George, poor fell
= low he died of a queer kind of a fe-
vcr, and we buried him, decent as we
, could, under the big palm just above
, the hut. Then Tom and led rough
q kind Of life: we got savage like, ant
= didn't seem to care much about any
| thing"
. There he paused and looked at Mary
1 sitting motionless: 81 thought, some
I times, if ever did get back, it would
be kind ohard for you to get used tC
l. me and my ways, and I'd feel awkward
i with decent folks. 1t was nigh OF
II twenty years, think, before we wa
found; but ! thought, maybe you'd bt
II kind o'glad to see me any way" AnC
" the poor fellow broke down, and look
1t ed wistfully at his wife.
t. But the little woman's mind sccme'
e quite gone. She did not answer him t
e word, and had again fallen into tina
d fixed, unnatural stare. | thought
>, might rouse her by calling her thought
g, back to daily things. "Mary, dear,
# said, "Mr. Robinson must be hungr.
Y after his journey: wont you get hin
); some supper?"
" She left the room without wore
!" moving mechanically, like one in
ar dream. Half an hour passed, durin
which Robinson had given me sketc
A. of his shipwreck. 1t was the old stor
IS the same, with variations, that /
h. Foe and Tennyson and Adelaide Pro-
re tor have told. He and his two compal
n ions had been washed on an islant
ry rich in beautiful vegetation, but I'M
ne nitcly drcary in its solitude throug
cs the long, long years of watching
@, which the castaways were doomed. /
of told me how hope had died out, VIII,
ut one morning at sunrise, they saw
n ship steering for the island, signale
ne her, and were taken on board. She WI
,d "Thc Zephyr" bound for New lor
he and in little more than two months 81
ne brought them home.
ut When Robinson had finished i
story, went out to see what had /
.rt come ofhis wife. She was in the pa
tn try, standing before Willie's cup, ~
ler the blessed tears were streaming dow
OF her face. As soon rs she saw me s.
III, fell on my neck, sobbing cOnvulsivel
Die "Must give him Willie's cup?. J
we lips have touched it since he we
ng away. How can give 1t to that man
he | let her cry until she was exhauste
ias then raised her gently carried h
,rd to bed.
en-, "Lie there fifteen minutes, dear
,p- that time | shall have supper ready
ar, She obeyed rs n little child mig
G a When went to her she was white Il
red still, her lids closed. Alarmed, | Ct
for ed her hastily by name, and she rai'
he her eyes to mine. There was still
She same fixed glitter in them. | lif
nSe hnr from 1hn hnl and nrrnnppl