The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1872-11-09

iIt>''"t-> III MI iitA'N pun ShSGhs
I've come as | said" she murmured, drop.
ping at my feet again, and smiling no, rs though
she had got where she best loved to be-just
such a smile as she would have given to the
| ,troKers down In the engine room, or 10 the
ships cat But it Was lovely to look upon while
1t lasted; aid middle.aged people have
learned to warm ourselves in any chance ray of
sunlight, without stopping to consider whether
1t ia likely to be perpetual.
This time the bit of sunshine did not STAY
long; TOR there came up an artist with his sketch
book; and when Miss Armour had sufficiently
admired his graphic pencilings of the captain
and the quartermaster, and the sea-sics occu-
| pant OF an upper berth, it was time to throw the
log; ana so he bore her off, to find out bv her
own eyes whether we were actually going at
the rate of thirteen knots or twelve and half.
That was how the days went The passen-
gers read and paced the deck, played games and
guessed riddles, and we've always hungry; the
pilot stood steady and firm at the wheel; the
| sailors ran up and down about the rigging like
! overgrown SPIDERS and We're forever scourin. =.
tying and untyine, drawing up and letting
down. Thus at last we had come almost to our
desired haven. With fair sailing, We were only
one day ont from port; and, fond as we had
grown to be of each other, We were getting i'm
patient to part.
Miss Armour, during all the voyage had kept
on as she begun, beguing every one with her
trick of lip and eye They ran after her like
boys at the string of kite. Well they had
nothing better to do Just then and when she
faded out, as a rainbow fades, l made no doubt
she would be as easily forgotten or only remem.
6ered a. midsummers day dream, by all, un.
less 1t may be a solitary warm hearted man like
the New Zealander. To tell the truth, was a
little sorry for him. Evidently, life had not
brought him all it might; and he was hungry
for the love and confidence tina. had never been
his. SO l was afraid he would miss this little
sparkle of glrlhood and warm youth, and find
the void deeper when it had gone out.
10 the very last day Rosa kept her place by
my chair: and to the very lest the New Zea-
lander kept his place by her, when no one
younger stepped in to carry her off, which was
pretty Often to be sure. Then, he always went
quietly away himself, with kind of grave re.
greet IN his face On this last morning Miss Ar
mour had just left US, along with a young law.
yer, to drop oranges and lemons among the
storage passengers, when I noticed the New
Zealander looking after her with sadder re.
greet than lsual-almost psin-in his eyes
de had such handsome dark eyes could see
that without my glasses.
"Now," said to myself, II hope he isn't going
to get soft-A sensible, gentleman, agreeable man
like him, aid quite old enough to be her father"
And so looked at him to SEQ if he was, when
suddenly he turned upon me.
AT least you might have written, Agatha
Wells" said he sharply.
started, AS YOU may think, to hear my own
name spoken Familiarity by stranger; when
looking again, behold saw beneath the bronze,
and under the wrinkles and behind the beard a
lace that twenty years before was the dearest in
the world to me-the face of Duncan Ashley
we parted one day expecting to meet on the
hat La Had 4
wrote Instead OF coming. In the letter he said
what he had said before, with his eyes-that !
was the choice Of his heart, and the desire Of his
life.
"Apswer me-" said he; ~ cannot wait till ]
see you
SO answered. long, foolish letter, though
there War 10 need Of writing for he had read
all could say long before, with those ewes of
his; then watched and waited for him but
never saw him or heard one word more. II you
are young, you can imagine the slow dying out
OF hope and expectations and if YOU are old,
yon know how such things can be leveled over,
and hidden 10 secret graves.
But now, ~ though the graves had been open
ed, and the judgment set, came this sudden ,e-
proachiui question from the buried past. | fair
ly caught my bre th. as ! turned back my eyes,
and looked him in the face again.
"torgive me- sid he directly, in a gcntler
tone, ~ did not mean to speak. You brought *
out with your eyes; that questioning turn was
similar or course you were quite right, and I
never blamed you. / never meant that YOU
should see ne again; but the temptation 20 feel
m!'ei. beside you, only to he in the soothing
charm 0. yvar presence was too great. /. has
been blessing sAn c.rev with inc all the
rest Of my lite"
Ho WIS Ring 70 go way, bur put out my
hand. II did WRITE Duncan Ashley id /;
"tho lette. must have gone wrong
"lou did You wrote" lie cried, sinking
back in his chair a.; in, and looking at me cigcr-
ly. wv hat did you say +"
"Ihero VS. only Que thing could say; and
SAID that, answered, blLshing AS though had
just written the letter.
A middie-aged woman in hood and waterproof.
But dear me, it W.. only my face thu, was mid.
dle'ogcG after all; my heart was us Young as
ever. And as for Duncan's face, the marks of
care, nud thought and time, fell OIL LEAVING in
it Gully the eternal youth of love.
l. was the OLD stl.y OF lost letter, and the
older story Of Il proud IN IN believing himself re.
Jcci,l and Inundated, and fleeing 10 the ends Of
OF tie earth with his pain.
twenty precious years wasted I" said my
New Healander. Ave will not be separated an.
other day while We both live. There is clergy.
man among our passengers, and we will be mar.
red this very hour.'
This was so like his headlong decisions. Ger.
family he did need sober second thought like
me Tor ballast "lt.t cannot be. / cried, 1.-The
ceremony wouldn't be legal without a license or
something. Aud would by TO me-ns do any,
thing so sensational md conspicuous"
But, bless your heart might as well have
tried to wipe mp the Atlantic with my pocket
handkerchief lie was so grieyed, and SO impa.
tient and 80 ro-olute and inbred, when one comes
IN lI,,l. ng 1