The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1872-12-13
A Middle-Aged Love Story.

anu MiNli8 DaChs III tic slGlluGI swept
down the river out of their sight.
1 knew / should have their prayers
that the great sea might be gentle with
me; ] knew they would watch the
weather, and look for the telegram of
the arrival of our ship; yet knew was
taking nothing from their lives, and
that they each would go home hardly
missing me; so it was with no great
wrench Of heart that saw the pilot put
off from Us, and took the last look at my
native shores.
During most of the passage l was just
comfortably sea-sick, so l sat all the day
long in a reclining-chair on deck,
watching the white caps on the purple
and green and blue waves, that mounted
and fell, down and up, up and down,
away out TO the far horizon. / saw the
shining nautiluses float by, and now
and then a whale, or a shOal of pOr-
poises, or sail, speeding white and full
across the water.
1 saw also a good many things nearer
by, for / didn't put my eyes in my
pocket along with my short-sighted
glasses; and nobody was very likely to
mind amiddle-aged woman in hood and
waterproof.
The first thing l saw was young girl,
with dark eyes and brown hair that rip
pied into a tangle of rough curls when
ever she took off her net. She was not
so very pretty, nor so very brilliant; but
there was a piquant charm about her
that attracted half the passengers before
the first day was over. By the end of
the second day, everybody, from the
captain to the ships surgeon, and from
the surgeon to the cabin boy, was eager
to show her attention; and everybody
was met by the same genial smile and
lively retOrt.
She won her way at once into my
heart by the kindly thought that led her
to bring little relishes from the table to
tempt my sickly appetite, and 10 soOthe
my forehead with bay water and gentle
touches of her shapely brown hands,
where a great emerald glittered, encir-
cled by diamonds. Very soon she got
into the habit of drawing her rug beside
my chair, and sitting on the deck lean
ing against me, so that l might ''pet
her" rs she said.
This was how it happened that my
quiet, out-Of-the-way corner came TO be
the center of the life, and gayety, and
romance of the whole shipboard.
1t seems this young girl, Rosa Armour,
was an only child and an orphan, going
TO an uncle i'm Germany, her nearest of
kin.
Dear heartl I hope her uncle will be
wise as well as loving,n said / to myself
very often; for she seemed too fragile
bubble Of humanity to drift Oh through
life alone.
The tips Of her brown curls were
lighter than the rest; and here and there
were little bright touches all ovel her
hair, as though the sun was shining in
spots on it. One morning / sat cOiling
these CLEANS of sunshine around my
fingers, and watching a flock of Mother
Cary's chickens skim restlessly over the
restless water, thinking these thoughts
about Rosa, and having her soft pres
ence alone for a few moments. Not
long, however; soon, up came New
Zealander (Of course there was New
Zealander or an Australian on our boat.
You are very lOwly, Miss Armour"
said he, ''let me bring you chair"
"Thank you; l prefer TO sit here on
my rug, and have Miss Wells pet me-"
replied Rosa, turning up her eyes
languidly. "Hhe deck is my favOrite
seat, if l can only have an excuse to sit
on it.n
"But you need something over yOu,"
persisted the New Zealander, going
away, and coming back directly with
ms own heavy gray wrap.
Inen he seated himself on low camp
stool beside her, folding the wrap over
the two. 81 never saw so rough a sea
as this all the way from Honolulu to
San Francisco" ," said he, looking out
upon the gentle swell of the laZily
mounting waves.
"ROughm cried Miss Armour 81 am
sure the ocean is as smooth as q mill
pOndr'
"Oh! but not as compared to the
Pacitic-peaceful: it was rightly named.
We have never such gales on that as
sweep the Atlantic, but only the gentlest
westerly breeZes.u The New Zealander
shivered as he spoke, and drew his wrap
closer over his knees. 1--WE have the
most charming climate in New Zeal
anu" he went on; ''we are never too
not and never too cold. In fact, we
never thlnk of the weather. And the
SOIL IS the most fertile in the world.n
"Flty II Is IN such an out-of-the-way
part OF the earth that nobody can live
there,n said Miss ArmourTi y
beg your pardon, miss; there are
several English towns of thirty thousand
inhabitants each; and we never think OF
ourselves as being out-of-the-way. but
rather feel sorry for those who live SC
far Off" returned the other, bending hi:
tall figure earnestly forward.
Rosa leaned her pretty head toward:
him in a cOnfiding attitude of interest
and laughed. 80 you are the people
and wisdom is going to die with you,
said She "But what do you do out
there in the heart of the universe ?'
ave dig gold for one thing, and raist
sheep for ranOther-milliOns and millions
go 81 70,
constantly plying TO England with the
tallOw and pressed wool"
"What do you do with all that NUT
ton?n asked Rosa, looking idly at the
light in her ring, and then as idly at the
hght IN the speakers eyes.
We use what we ean,u was the re-
plSi ana sometimes, / am sorry to say,
We pury the hesh-not usually; but
Sollle1Inles Sles an order will come to one
~ a. ~nlel Ior a thousand sheen, il YOU
hlease, anu all he can do is 10 clip of
.,esSoii oie Mool' get out the fat, and bury the
What pity the meat can't no san,
70 JHe i,IIisy nulisry poor at home! Wby
don't somebody condense il as H., y -
the beef in Texas 2n L said in NJ ,iiey uo
teal way. PIae-
'In good time, dare say son,ahos.
will; but we can't do evervfbi1,o, :,
once,U replied the New Zealander 80 a
ing with sudden interest at the s,a11l n
sl61ffie-boar being played beside Us =
Just then along came the ship's sur
peon. a blonde youth in uniform, witt
his hair parted in the middle.
trMiss Armour said he, "the gun
TO be fired off at the bow; viii you com
and see it done Y'
Miss Armour started up at once, turn
ing the same half-confding glance an