The Portland daily press., 1878-02-23

happened. 1t had early transpired that Ro.
sannah, poor suffering orphan, had neither re-
turned to her grandmother in Portland, Ore
gon, nor sent any word to her save dupli-
cate of the woetul note she had left in the
mansion on Telegraph Hill. Whosoever was
sheltering her-if she was still alive-had
been persuaded not to betray her where
abouts. without doubt; for all efforts to find
her had failed.
Did Alonzo give her up? Not he. He
said to himself: "She will sing that sweet
song when she is sad; shall find her," So
he took his carpet sack aud portable tele-
phone land shook the snow of his native city
from bis arctics, and went forth into the
world. He wandered far and wide and in
many states. Time and again, strangers were
astounded to see wasted, pale and woe worn
man laboriously climb a telegraph pole in
wintry and lonely places, perch sadly there an
hour, with his ear at little box, then come
signing down, and wander YEARLY away.
Sometimes they shot at him, as peasants do
at aeronauts, thinking him mad and danger
Gus. Thus his clothes were much shredded
by bullets and his person grievousy lacerated.
But he bore it all patiently.
In the beginning of his pilgrimage he used
often to say, "Ah, if 1 could but hear the
Sweet By and ByW But towards the end of
it he used to shed tears of anguish and say,
"Ah, it could but hear something elsev'
Thus month and three weeks drifted by,
and at last some humane people seized him
and confined him in private mad-house in
New York. He made no moan, fer his
strength was all gone, and with it all heart
and all hope. The Superintendent, IN pity,
gave up his own comfortable parlor and bed
chamber to him and nursed him with affec-
tionate devotion.
At the end of a week the patient was able
to leave his bed for the first time. He was
lying, comfortably pillowed, on sofa, listen
ing to the plaintive Miserere of the bleak
March winds, and the muff1ed sound OF
tramping feet in the street below,--for it was
about six in the evening, and New York was
going home from work. He had bright fire
and the added cheer of couple of student
lamps. SO it was warm and snug within,
though bleak and raw without; it was light
and bright within, though outside it was as
dark and dreary as if the world had been lit
up with Hartford gas. Alonzo smiled feebly
to think how his loving vagaries had made
him maniac in the eyes of the world, and
was proceeding to pursue his line of thought
further, when faint, sweet strain, the very
ghost OF a sound, so remote and attenuated
it seemed, struck upon his ear. His nulses
stood still; he listened with parted lips and
bated breath. The song flowed on,-he
waiting, listening, rising slowly aud uncon-
sciousy from his recumbent position. Al
last he eXclaimed,-
SIT is! it is she! Oh the divine falted
notes !"
He dragged himself eagerly to the corner
whence the sounds proceeded, tore aside a
curtain, and discovered a telephone. He
bent over, and as the last note died away he
burst forth with the exclamation
"Oh, thank Heaven, found at last! Speak
to me, Rosannah, dearest! The cruel mystery
has been unravelled; it was that villain Bur-
ley who mimicked my voice and wounded YOU
with insolent speechp
There was breathless pause, waiting age
to Alonzo; then faint sound came, framing
itself into language
"Oh, say those precious words again,
Alonzor
"They are the truth, the veritable truth,
my Rosannah, and you shall have the proof,
ample and abundant proofv'
'Oh Alonzo, stay by me! Leave me not
Tor moment! Let me feel that you are near
me! Tell nae we shall never be parted more
Oh, this happy hour, this blessed hour, this
mem orable hOurv'
I'VE will make record of it, my dear Ro.
sannaa; every year, as this dear hour chimes
from the clock, we will celebrate it with
thanksgivings, all the years of our life."
I'VE will. we will, Alonzo!'
-Four minutes after six in the evening my
Rosannah, shall henceforth'--
Twenty -three minutes after twelve, after.
noon shalr'-
Why, Rosannah, darling, where are you ?''
I'm Honolulu, Sandwich Islands. And
where are you? Stay by me; do not leave me
TOR moment. I cannot bear it, Are you at
home?"
''No, dear, am in New York,-a patient
in doctors hands,
An agonizng shrek came buzzng to Alon.
EOS ear, like sharp buzzing of hurt gnat
it lost power in travelling five thousand miles.
Alonzo fastened to say
calm yourself, my child. 1t is nothing.
Already | am getting well underline sweet
healing of your presence. Rosannah ?"
'Yes, Alonzs? Oh, how you terrified me.
Say on.''
Name the happy day, Rosannah!"
Inere was a little pause. Then a diffident
small voice replied. 81 blush but it is with
pleasure, it is with happiness. Would
ould you like to have it soon?'
This very night, Rosannah! Oh, let us
risk no more delays. Let it be now This
very night, this very momentp'
"Oh, you impatient creature! I have no.
BODY here but my good old uncle, mission
airy for generation, and now retired from
service, nobody but him and his wife. |
would so dearly like it if your mother and
your aunt Susan
"Our mother and cur aunt Susan, my Ro-
sannah."
YES our mother and our aunt Susan,-I
am content to word it so if it pleases you;
would so like to have them present."
$50 would |. Suppose you telegraph aunt
Susan. How long would it take her to come ?''
1.-The steamer leaves San Francisco day
after tomorrow. The passage is eight days.
She would be here the 31st. OF March,"
linen name the 1st. of April: do, Rosan-
nah, DEAR
mercy, it would make US April fools,
Alonzo!'
$50 we be the happiest ones that that days
sun looks down upon in the whole broad ex-
panse of the globe, why need we care? Call
it the LIST. of April, dear"
"Then the 1st. of April it shall be with all
my heartw
"Oh happiness! Name the hour, too, Rs
sannah."
81 like the morning, it is SO blithe. Will
n 10 ninfr n