Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1878-11-02
A ROMANTIC STORY.


had in it elements of romance as pow
erful as any thing ever Matched behind
the spectacles of Wilkie Collins. Elab-
orately worked up, it would furnish
fine basis for novel in itself, or play
for theater languishing for something
besides French adaptations and Eng
lish classics. Many years ago Charles
X. Power was sailor lad of II or IS
years. With only his youth and good
looks to advance his interests, he fell in
love with a bright, attractive young wom-
an, whom he met at social gathering
of the younger members of the Salem
Street Orthodox Church in this city.
Her name was Amelia, and she was the
only daughther and heiress of old DR..
Hollis, well known in the North End,
and indeed throughout this whole neigh
borhood. The doctor was rich; the
rowing suitor was poor and without
profession; but love smoothed out these
inequalities. Miss Hollis fancied the
young mariner, and when he left Boston
in certain memorable month at the
age of 10, no prouder or happier NOR
tai ever breathed on this mundane plan
ct, for Amelia was his affianced wife
and he was the first mate of a Liver
pool packet, staunch and goodly ves
sci belonging to strong firm and en-
gagged in a profitable trade. This was
the time when hotels lined our wharf
streets, whose registers were never bare
of the names of guests; when sailors
boarding-houses prospered at the
North End; when all over
our harbor foreign flags fioated at
the peaks of trading vessels, and the
star-spangled banner could be found
similarly upfurled in every civilized
port of the then known world. There
were no quarrels over the American
registry of foreign iron bottoms, for it
was long prior. to the advent of compet-
ing lines of steamers, which have since
reduced the ocean to q ferry crossing.
The voyage to Liverpool was long
and weary one, but the lovers conf
dence diminished the suspense he felt.
His ship did not return Immediately,
but carried freight to various parts of
Europe. In the meantime he received
news from home, and learned that
Amelia Hollis had given her hand to
gentleman whose acquaintance, it was
said, she formed after Powers depart
ure. His grief and disappointment
nearly crushed him. He left the sea,
and for eight years led wild sort of a
life on the continent, got into horrible
habits of dissipation, and probably per-
mitted his passions to reign unchecked.
After the lapse of this period of eight
years he Strengthened up, reformed his
ways and determined to be man. He
shipped on vessel bound for Boston,
unable to resist the temptation of be-
holding the happiness of her who was
to have been his. On-his arrival in this
city he went to his old home, visited all
his old haunts and was as nice and exem-
plary young man as you would meet
between this and East Boston. His old
associates gathered about him, and they
attended social entertainments and led
a gay life. She heard of him, but they
never met. Presently he grew restless
again; the old feeling gnawing at his
heart would not let him remain in Bos-
ton, and down to the sea he went
again. The "briny" was his home
after that. He crossed and recrossed
the ocean, and in the course of few
years left Boston as master of the good
Ship Archer. Years and years went by.
This young man had become bronZed
and grizzled and spoke in a deep tone.
He was still captain of the Archer when
twenty-five years had elapsed since his
engagement with Amelia Hollis. One
day, while he was at his lodgings in this
city, he received letter in woman's
handwriting, inviting him to meet her al
the store of Crosby & Lane at a certain
time. The letter was not signed. The
thought flashed upon him that it was
from his old love, who, in all thess
twenty y-five years he had not forgotten
The widest scene at sea had not dim
med her image in his heart, where hi
still carr ed it. He compared the hand
writing with that in the letters of ault
{ lang syne, and had lis suspicious de
veloped in. conviction. He visited tn,
. store at the specified time, and ther,
met her for the first time since the,
, parted as lovers. After the greeting
were over, and they had talked of thei
) mutual experience during the quarte
, of century, the lady informed hum tina
1 she had been divorced from her hus
> band. What he learned at that inter
view convinced him that she ha alway
loved him, and that her marriage wa
not the result of any GOODNESS toward
; him. Within three or four weeks O
this meeting they were married, and tn
3 long delayed happiness of the Captain
| was realized at last. They went to liv
at her fathers on Salem Street, but sub
seguently removed to Rowe Street
Somerville. The lady was then tn
mother of two grown young people,
! ! son and daughter. The Captain ha
\ i abandoned the sea at his wife's urgen
> request and was without an occupatio
L except that which the management c
some property he owned in Colorad
3 supplied him with. Finally the DoctO
i died and left large sum of money t
$ his daughter. The Captains famil
u circle was for some time after this
}. happy one, but the want of settled OF
:: cupation at last produced its invariabl
9 effects upon him, and shadows began
: creep across the threshold of his con
Portable home. The time came whe
y dreadful evil had to be acknow
It edged rs forming a part of the
y married life, and incompatibility {
% temper compelled Il separation. II
d Captain went to Colorado, and spen
g some weeks trying to drown his unhal
q piness in the cares of property, but
failed, and dissipation laid his kanC
r upon him. He shook off the tempt'
" tion, however, after yielding to it for
d brief while, and, returning to the Eas
n managed, after three months had pas
a ed, to effect Il reconciliation with h
rs wife. But the old evil again visite
- the household, and after long and il
effectual struggles to destroy its inf
~ ence, Mrs. Power suddenly left her hu
y band and took up her residence wi
n her daughter, in Newton. CAPITA
~ Power at once fell into the deepe
q melancholy, condition in which he 7
at manned intermittently up to the peric
IA Of his death. He met his wife on Il
~ ~ street some months ago, and endea
y ored to obtain an interview with he
40 but her son, who accompani
Is his mother, possibly dreading
" scene, tried equally hard to pr
vent the interview. A polio
man, who happened to be standi