The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-11-26

"nere the butterflies, bees. aud the brides
Are all in the height Of their JOY; ,
And this mag be what Jessie 10 heating q u
From that earnest and bright little boy. ~
}EhF
THE YOUNG DESERTER.
BY WILLIAM coNsTocK. @
1865. % I+Hi''~' ''''s
"A great favorite in our frigate and
particularly in the maintop, was Young
Paul Edwards-as he was registered on
the purser's books; though there were
hints now and then thrown out that his
real name was Stanley, and that he was
the scion of noted English family. 1t
was said that very early in life he had
auarreled with his high-born relatives
and left them. Since then he had our
sued a rowing life with little prospect
OF ever being other than "a poor nurs-
ling OF the storm" wearing out his life
on the rolling pillows, and finally sink
ing into an obscure grave, unhoncred
and unknown. ..0 "a
At least Paul seemed to have no am
bi6on to be anything more than An act.
i've and enterprising maintop-man, first
on the yard in a storm aud the last to
leave the post of danger, whatever it
0A1&n1 happen 10 Do. .g. ..... ....
He was still quite young, not more
than 49,. Had he no mother-no sisters
no brother? Had he no yearning for
the companions of his childhood?
II SO, he never mentioned them. 9th
er young seamen would sometimes
speak Of kind sister, q brother or
sweetheart whom they had left behind
them, but Paul Edwards was silent as
the grave in relation to his antecedents
and the people among whom his early
years had been passed. One might have
imagined that he was child of the
sea, one who had never been on shore
at all; for he never made mention of
the land or anything that grew upon it.
All his thoughts-al his conversation
were of the sea. ...
This might have continued to be the
case with Paul Edwards till old age
blunted his faculties, and the wheel at
the cistern could no longer turn round,
If nature had not implanted in the two
sexes q mutual regard. if feminine
beauty had not an attraction which
nothing else earthly can Withstand.
We lay at Callao. The crew had lib.
erty on shore. A part of them went at
time, spending forty-eight hours in
Callao and Lima. 49,: 5o. f.
When the maintop-men took their
turn on shore, Paul was of the number:
In the evening Paul and several 9TH
ers visited the theater in Lima and wit
messed the performance of g Rolla -
avery different play from our Pizarro;
or, the Death of Rolla." 80.
When, in the last scene, the High
Priest of the Sun stabbed himself with
an arrow, there was general laugh
among the audience, as the suicidal &c.
clesiastic had been from the first the
persistent enemy of Cora.
But Paul could easily distinguish
from this general merriment slight
cry as Of terror or sympathy, and, me-
chemically turning his head to see from
whom it proceeded, his eyes enooun-
tered the loveliest features that he had
ever looked upon. @.' 4.s.s IL
It was the countenance of q young
Spanish beauty from which the momen-
tary trouble was just passing away, like
thin cloud from the morning star and,
as If suddenly recollecting that what
she had witnessed was only simulated
suffering, her features were Lit up by .
smile. She would, probably, have said,
it questioned Oh the subject, tina. ate
was laughing at her own folly.
Paul did not speculate ON the subject.
He had simply witnessed Spanish
beauty in two phases-the sad and the
mirthful. All this passed in amoment,
and yet on the mind CT the young top
y Io$% Il
eradicated.
The immediate result was that when,
at the end of their forty eight hours,
the noaintopmen returned to tho ship,
Paul was not among them. At first it
was surmised that he had been robbed
and murdered, az the officers averred,
one and all, that he would never be a
voluntary deserter. i2 s..'l a-.. -s2l2 .
But scarcely two weeks had passed
when tall Spaniard or Cholar came
of to us in his canoe and obtained an
interview with the Captain of the frig-
ate. r....-.. 49,. .t. -., axis. =
"That man is after blood money"
said Bill Regain, Captain of the main
OPP, after having watched tho motions
OF the stranger few moments.
Scarcely had the informer left when
the boatswain's whistle rang through
the ship, and the name Of W. S. :
was loudly called. So, :.
W s. made his appearance in
the gangway, and the Captain conferred
with him long time. a'>' 2Ft8a&9 ii
As it was remembered that Paul Ed.
wards was last seen in the company of
this W = the crew inferred
that the Cholar in his canoe had come
on board to inform against Paul, and
had mentioned the fact that w -
s. knew where he was concealed
Be that as it may, the master at arms
and boatswain's mate went on shore
that very day, and returned in the
evening with Paul in their company.
Every one sympathized with the cap
tured youth; even the junior officers
seemed to be sorry that he had not
made his escape; but martial law knows
40 mercy, and young Edwards was i'm
mediately ironed and thrust into the
brig-a place on the forecastle, between