Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1874-08-22

W He ol IT, il PUNISH ler LOT III
now."
And away she ran back to Nellie, but
my tears were all dried up, and my
heart was gall. She was engaged to
some one else, this girl who was SO dear
to me. Some one had been before me,
and she wore his portrait next to her
heart. Fool that / was not to guess it..
never asked whose portrait it was.
Tom Armstrong; or Jack Mayden's, I
did not care. When Nellie was we'll
enough to go, in the course of an hour
or two, ] drove her home and hade her
goodbye.
I said, II regret that I should have
been the meaus of alarming you so,
Miss Brodie."
And she looked up into my face with
her great'blue eyes, and said, cit was
not your fault !; you could not help it,
1t was so foolish to faint away"
And thought to myself, "what de,
ceitful creatures women are" for the
look she gave me was as sweet as if she
had not worn another mans portrait in
her bosom.
A week from that day / went to New
York, and sought out an old ship,owner
who had been my fathers friend.
"I'm tired of farming" l said, "and
want to try the sea as common sailor. "
The old man would have laughed me
out of the notion; but when he found
me firm, he gave me what help he
could.
went on board vessel bound for
China, and wrote to sister Jennie, tell
ing her to send for Uncle William and
his wife to man ge the farm, which |
knew they would be glad to do; but |
never told where I was or what / had
done. l meant, you see, to throw my
self away, and be heard of no more by
any one. OF course was mad, for the
time; that is the only excuse for me-
SO I led the sort of life sailor in
the merchant service leads-no very
pleasant one, / can tell you-for year
or two. I grew no better for it, and no
happier. The other men had mostly
some one at home-mOther or sister,
wife or sweetheart-to get letter or
message from at times; /, of my own
act, had no one. Aud all the while, at
work or at mess, or in the hours when
watch was kept on deck, thought of
Nellie; saw her as she looked when she
sat by her fathers side in the summer
moonlight; saw her smiling up at me,
rs she whirled through the snow-drlfts
that last bright day, and saw her as she
lay like a dead thing in my arms. And
fancy painted other pictures. | saw her
as Tom Armstrong; wife. saw her
oh, good heavens with his child on
her knee.
I am not sure but that I should have
turned idiot, had not something lap
pened to alter the circumstances of my
position. This was nothing else than
the total wreck of our vessel, and my
narrow escape from drowning, but with
an arm broken by the falling of spar.
For month l lay on sick bed and
then with a softened heart and feel
ing that was sick of the sea, went
home to sister Jennie, to be farmer
again, if could.
In those two years she had never had
line from me. Not an angry word
did she give me, but ran into my arms
and wept on my bosom like child (;
and then she showed the wedding ring
on her finger, and the baby lying asleep
in the cradle, and told me whose wife
she was.
She was Mrs. Armstrong, and l had
never guessed they liked each other.
"And I'm happy as the day is long,
said she, "only fretting about you.
How could you go away so, Ned? if you
did not think of my feelings, you might
have remembered Nellie Brodie's."
Nellie Brodie's feelings" | cried.
"Nellie Brodie's Don't laugh at me,
Je' ME-"
"Laugh at you !" she cried. Laugh
at you my dear I haven't thought OF
it. Did yon quarrel that nightP II
must have been quarrel l think
Whose fault was it, yours or hers?"
"Miss Brodie and | never had quar-.
rel" I said.
ooh, Ned" she resumed, softly,
"don't try to hide it from me, when
saw your portrait in her bosom. ltold
YOU SO, know, and thought it was all
settled and was so glad"
I started up and caught Jennie's wrist
"My portrait?" cried.
"Why, Ned, don't look at me so,
screamed Jennie "what does it al
meanP Your portrait, of course one
of those photographs you had taken
I found the rest after you went away
Oh, Ned, don't, don't look so, dear"
"thought you told me she wore an
other mans picture,"1 said. "Tha
drove me away that, and nothing else
Oh, what wretched fool I've been.
did not know she had my picture ant
I might have cast her away |, wit
loved her SO, and have pined for her al
these years."
But Jennie, dear Jennie, with he
kind, motherly face and loving woman
ewes, came close to me, and put he
arms about my neck, and whispered
"don't despair, Ned. She mas neVe
liked any one else, and know, for Gel
tain, that she wears your picture still.
And those words brought my yout
back to me; and the years SCENE
blotted out and I saw the Ned Brow
who fell in love with Nellie BrodiC
once more.
Well, Jennie told the truth; | went {
see Nellie Brodie, and ioun her sweC
and beautiful as ever and we were maj
ried when the spring came and the bird