River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1875-01-15

furniture shutting out the cold light OF
the dying day up stairs, the strong
dose Of brandy dispelling all fears OF
mlasma, Ralph and disposed Of cur
selves in couple of arm.chairs in the
cabin. and resolved to remain there for
the rest of The trip. lie closed his
eyes, and thought he fell asleep, but
as for me, never was more wide awake
in my life.
What wonderful destiny brought that
woman here at this moment So many
years had gone by without a word OF
communication between them, began
to hope that the gap would never be
filled up, in this world at least.
In the other world there might some.
thing be done, perhaps, for the two
struggling, helpless souls; but here,
hemmed in by circumstances unrelent-
ing and even blamelesS, there was not
even room for complaint.
1t was not the fault Of Ralph that he
loved her. don't believe he knew it
himself till it was too late.
When we came down here long ago
for that summer vacation, Heaven
knows the place had charms enough to
allure us. The broad waters of the
bay were filed with game for our pisca.
torial fancy the beautiful grouping of
the clouds, the filtering of sunshine
down through the leaves Of woods, then
untouched by the spoiler, the cloudless
heaven. bright days of a summer on the
wave, were filled with food for our
yearning for the beautiful.
If we had only never met Capt. Jack!
Yet Capt. Jack alone would have
been an adultcrated element Of ioy.
lie was as clever, honest, and genial a
fellow as ever went in pursuit of oysters
in these waters or those Of Virginia.
His fishing. smack might well have been
called yacht, it was so handsome and
complete. But, being the soul of hos
pitality, and generous to fault, he
would insist upon our sharing his house
and home, and seeing his Mary.
"If you call the scow handsome,
don't know what you'll say to her !"
he chuckled, with infinite delight and
pride.
We said nothing. How he got her,
and where, was useless to ask; but had
he plunged to the neither deep and
fished up a mermaid, the most b:auti.
full in that watery kingdom, had he
mounted in balloon to the stars and
picked her off from one of those bits of
fire, had he ransacke1 the elements
themselves for prodigy of beauty and
grace, he could not have gone beyond
little May. Jack always called her
Mary, but Ralph said she must be
called May, because she was the EN-
bOdment of spring-of all that was
fresh, and bright, and beautiful.
81 told you so!'' said Capt. Jack,
winkiig and nodding with all his might.
The poor fellow seemed heartily to
enjoy the homage we paid tc his wife
and child,--for there was baby in the
boatman's home, yellow haired, blue
eyed infant, some such child as would
delight the eye and heart of a painter.
Ralph, unconsciously enough, fell
into habit of lOunging away the best
part of his time in the house by the
shore. At almost any hour in the day
one might hear his pleasant voice read
ing bits of poetry to May, or caroling
out snatches of song to the child. After
a time all this changed; he grew moody
and restless; a shadow fell on the
young wOman's face; and Capt. Jack
would insist upon my going off with
him for hours together-fishing, oyster
ing, up to the market, anywhere and
everywhere, so that it was not in the
open air or on the free glad waters OF
the bay.
Ileay en- knows tried to stay at home
with them, but Capt. Jack would have
me 90. was afraid to openly rebel,
because--well. because did not care
to breed devil in that dormant but
powerful BRAN.
thus | was tied, rendered helpless by
the honesty and confidence of Jack, the
innocence Of May, and the ungoyern-
able passion Of Ralph. | became vic
tim to all these terrible agencies for
evil, without being able to think of a
plan for ameliOrating them.
Suddenly, and without any previous
warning, the knot in this tangle became
unraveled. There was only one way
out Of this whirlpool, and Ralph pro-
posed it himself.
lie care to me one night, pale as a
spectre, and said in hoarse whisper
that we must go at daybreak.
"Go!" ! said. go where-to the
city!"
ITO the cily-tae devil-to the far
thest ends Of the earth!" he cried,
raising his hands in spasm Of agony.
said no more, but packed our port
manteaus and got to bed, while poor
Ralph walked the floor till morning.
With the first beam of the sun came
the cry If the baby in the adjoining
room, and Ralph came over to the
bed.
eff it hadn't been for the child
he said, and paused.
"Well, thank God, then,for the child,
Ralph" said. you'll say so your
self some day"
We were aboard a steamer the next
weak, bound for the Spanish Main.
From thence we set sail for Egypt
and heaven knows where the restless
soul fmy comradc had not drawn
me. .
AT last he came 10 me himself