Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-06-19


all the misery happened.
Nor was there any very giddy variety
in Eorman's days-out of sight of shore,
the sun coming up and going down az i;
by machinery, and he only glad to be in
harbor for the sake Of putting to sea
again. Indeed, it sometimes made him
furious to see the eagerness of the young
men for the pleasures of the shore, and
it was so seldom that he joined them
that he earned mention with the com.
mander as the most morose man afoat.
One day, being in Asiatic waters, the
officers of the Attaseck, that had paused
on her way from = more southerly har.
Dor, came on board, and as they stepped
on the deck, almost the first person that
Norman saw was tall, dark, handsome
fellow with a scar across his forehead.
In an instant he had turned upon his
heel and was striding upon to another
part of the ship, before he knew what ne
was doing, or could make up his bewil-
dered mind to action in relation to this
man, who must long since have been
Emily's husband, as he reasoned. But
he was not so quick that another foot
did not come striding after, and a hand
was laid upon his shoulder in a manner
that made him wheel about at once.
swell, Mr.. Macpherson" said the
stranger, in a great honest voice, "ac.
cording to all the laws of society, I be-
lieve you owe me some satisfaction, and
I have come to claim it,
"By all means, sir" said Mr.. Mac.
pheraon, mechanically, with a bow.
And then the stranger broke into a
hearty laugh. 'And I won't say any.
thing" he exclaimed, "about your out
rage to your superior officer, but, by
Jove," he cried, with another peal OF
laughter, cit serves you right. Did you
suppose all the world wanted to marry
your Emily, your conceited monkey?
Sophy was a girl much more to my
mind, let me tell you. Sophy has been
my wife this many a month. And it
was of Sophy that Emily was speaking
when you took the law into your hands.
I suppose sir" ran on the stranger, "that
I oug ht to give you a good thrashing;
but all the satisfaction l want is to hear
you say that you are ashamed of your
SELF" And you may be sure he had it.
But there was no time for converse
ton before they were Joined by others,
and the courtesies of the exceedingly
brief occasion occupied the time of hosts
and guests till the boat put off again, and
the Attaseck received her own. But a
letter to the department, requesting a
leave of absence from his ship, went into
the mail from the next harbor they en-.
tered, and the time that passed before
an answer came and the request was
granted was longer than all the rest OF
Norman Macpherson's life. And al.
though he travelled homeward as fast as
steam could carry him, to his frame OF
mind electricity would have seemed
slow.
With what elation he saw at last, the
long, long miles having raveled out be.
hind him like the clearing of tangled
skein, the lights of the city stretching
on all the radiation of its avenues! How
gladly and eagerly, two hours after that
he hurried up the street of the little
suburban town, picturing to himself the
sight OF Emily, the sparkle of her sur
prise, the next moment when he should
feel her arms around him, the way in
which she would forgive him, hardly
daring to look up, bis heart was beating
so. And when he did at last look up, il
was only to see blinds closed and paths
|oyergrown, and the latch of the gate tct
rusted to. lift easily-only to find, with
Q benumbed sense of the world baviD@
come 10: an end, that Emily and hel
mother had gone; and, as his own people
had scattered long ago, there was nobody
IN that neighborhood to tell him where
s.aB But after 8 few hours his wits return.
ed 70 Mr.. Macpherson; he remembered
;that the family had friends, and from
one to another he went then in the fol
lowing weeks, but to no purpose; al
Eshat hes could discover was that Emily
and her mother were in Europe, but il
Whist portion sof it nobody seemed t.
know. For little while he experienced
all the black despair of such revulsior
from hope. But there was nothing tt
do. He nursed his ill fortune, and con
trived to get transferred to the European
squadron, and then began his search
anew. As fate had ordered it, perhaps
in mockery of his impulsiveness, he hac
not even learned the name of the Officer
who had demanded satisfaction: he die
not even know if the officer belonged t.
the Attaseck; but he wrote to one of hi
old comrades to learn about him if DOS
sible, and meantime he waited anc
watched.
MI. Macpherson's habits changed, too
somewhat. From having never come
ashore, he now never staid on ship, if he
could get away, when shore was in sight.
Town after town he secured, journey
after journey he managed to make, ban1
after bank he visited, at post. after post
he asked. But he found MO trace o1
what he sought; and as the year closed
he said to himself that it was of no use
and that he was q man with a memory
and without hope. Still he continued t.
90 ashore when in the harbor, although
more from habit now than from expec
station, sunshine or STORM making little
difference. : + = - q .
He had come ashore one day as usual,
on the afternoon of the morning when
the frigate entered port, and had taken
q stroll through the little town, and had
lost himself in the upper part Of it.
The lowering weather of the morning
had ripened to a drizzling mist at last,
and now it was raining in a steady
down.pour that the wind caught up in
sl&nting sheets. He had, however,
boqght an umbrella ct some shop, aud