The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-12-10
Sclcttro Storu.
T U

THE CAPTAINS RETURN.
A long. low catch ofland, shelving down
gradually 10 the waters edge, covered with
shining shells, and glittering when the sun
shone on Il, with white sand left there by
the re0eding sea-waves, as they crept softly
and iusidiously upward, or sung in the
fummer sun their monotonous chant, tos-
sing their white, crisp waves joyously in
the morning sunshine, or aashing with re-
~sistless fury, when hunted by the sweep
ing hurricane, up, mp, till they lashed them
selves into snowy foam on the rocky pro-
j, elton of Eagle Crag, which stood, when
the water WIS at low tide, a mile and q half
from shore.
Upon the top of this point, known to the
villagers by the name Of Eagle Crag, stood
q cottage, q yeritable little nest, in fairy
like proportions, around which a garden
bloomed and blossomed like q paradise in
a.desert.
Where shall l build a little cage TO hold
You till / come baek?' asked brown aud
i~esolute John Danforih, the sailor, az he
looked on the bright face OF the newly
made Mrs. Daniorth, with all q lovers
ipudness shining in his honest face and
fearless eyes, transforming the hard lines
OF his weather-bronzed face into positive
tenderness.
''At the Eagle Crag," answered Robina
Danforth, usually known among her ac-
quaintances by the pet name of ROBIN"
sin that bleak place ?" said John, in his
astonishment. "Why, birdie, you would
die OF inconsistencies in a week"
20 John! please" ooaxed the little wo-
man, who, practical and h~ousewifely to,the
last degree, hid beneath il all q vein Of ro-
rance, none the less stonR or being hid
den. "In my lonely life before you found
me, John, n silly little thing AZ Iam"-here
tue lustrous eyes grew NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
You, with your experience, and wisdom,
and noble mauliness, took me TO be your
foolish little wife, and actually stopped TO
fall in love with me, a mere school girl, !
used to long so for a home, dear. Next to
the longing for a father and mother and a
sister to love and care for me, this other
longing for n home wns the strongest; and
after / saw you, John, here a bright blush
stained the clear brow of her sunburni
cheek-'I used TO think II the longing
should over grow to be q reality, and the
little home, whose picture grew brighter
every time / unused upon IL, should ever be
~mine-ours, / mean with another little
blush) -"how happy, how very happy ]
should be. l saw the place where il should
stand, this little home of ours, on a high
point overlooking the ocean, where We
could watch the white ships sail along the
CLASSY water or ride fearlessly upon the
bounding waves. 1 saw the roses and jas.
mine Irvine tenderly their wealth of bloom
around the little porch, and Ihave heard 9
thousand times the hum Of bees and SOM
Of birds, that darted in and out among the
vines and blossoms"
~. 81 LNATuaA..nr - 1T -
est John, in his amazement; "little woman
are you crazy2 l should like 10 see the vine
or blossom that would flourish within hal
a league of Eagle Crag, the most arid, bar,
zen waste conceivable"
30 Johnl is this true2" was all she said.
Int the smothered sigh attested the depth
Of her disappointment.
John made no reply; but, stimulated by
the sound OF that half-smothered sigh, and
the glimpse of glistening tears twinhinl
hastily from the curling, brown lashes, fell
10 studying wave and means; and the result
was ths pretty cottage, set IN the topmosI
point of Eagle Crag, while vines and flow,
ers aOurished and grew in the artifcia.
soil spread over the small inolosure which
defined the boundary Of his purchase.
Perched up there, like a mountain bird'i
nest, one could see from the perch. which
was on the north side, the village, with tn,
fshermen's cottages, the long, winding
steep road, whose tortuous descent Of tive
miles must be trayersed ere one could gain
the village. while from the west and soutl
one looked upon the sea from q heigh
which almost made the gaze giddy.
Roses and climbing plants adorned tn
trellises; beds of crimson verbenas, purpl
pansies, and snow-white daises made Tia
EttIa yarIap ra1o1apt IF napfnma
BY the second summer, so well domestic
ated had the flowers become hat they fair
ly ran wild and defied all boundaries; pun
pie pansies and golden nasturtiums escape
by the underground passage they hal
found together, nodded boldly from ID
walk, and looked with disdain upon thei
meek sisters, who tamely submitted 10 b
hemmed in by borders OF green box; an
trailing conyolyulus ran perfectly lawlesi
Haunting their seentless blossoms befoT
You in the most unlocked for places; peeI
ing through the garden palings, claspin
with their clinging tendrils the stone doc
step, RAINING races with the jasmine, whic
quietly plodded on toward the top of tn
poroh-in fact, setting all law and order &
defiance in the most rebelliOus mannel
but also in a way that would have don
Johns heart good 10 see.
But, alasl John had been gone thei
many days on a voyage 10 the China Sci
bearing with him, TO keep his heart warn
the memory of a sunny face, which smils
goodbye with fearful eyes one brightsun
mer morning, standing at the garden gait
Meanwhile, inside the cottage all weI
ON with the order, and neatness, aud n
Qularly, which riyaled that of tho clock o
the mantel, which seemed 10 take deligl
in tickling the minutes and striking ID
hours. TO such o busting, cheerful httl
mistress.
Little Hans, the poor, haf-staved, fol
Torn German boy, whom Robin had take
10 milk the COW and hoe the flower garden
and run of errands TO the village, gre
bright and cheerful under the influence c