Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1880-12-08
Answer to Prayer,
A LEGEND OF GoUROCK.

A LEGEND OF GoUROCK.
! The village of Gourock is situated on the
| shore of a line bay, about two miles from
the town of Greenock. was taken with
| the pleasantness of the situation, when one
day viewing it little distance on the
| Greenock road, and sat down on the dyke
by the roadside to enjoy the prospect at
my leisure.
Presently an elderly man, of a grave
aspect and a maratime appearance, passing
! slowly along the road, came and sat down
near the same place. / guessed him to be
! one of the better class of fishermen, who
| had purchased, with toll of his youth and
J his manhood, q little breathing time to
/ look about IN the evening of life. After
/ the usual salutatiOns, we fell into discourse
! together, and found him to be a man who
had looked well about him in his pilgrim.
age, and reasoned on things and feelings
not living as the brutes that perish. After
a pause in the conversation, he remarked,
to my thinking, in disjointed manner:
:" Is it not strange, sir, that the thoughts
that sometimes come into the brain of q
man sleeping or waking-like a wind that
| blows across his bosom, coming he knows
not whence, and going be knows not
| whither-leave behind them an impression
! and feeling, and become the springs of
! human destiny?"
"Strange, indeed" said |. "What YOU
J say has more than once occurred to me;
but being unable TO reason satisfactorily on
the subject, set down altogether such
ideas AS having no better foundation than
the fears and superstitons of the ignorant
But it seems TO me that your remark
though of general nature, must have been
made in mental reference to some partcu
lar thing; and | would iain crave to know
what it is"
"You are right" said he; 81 was think.
ing at the moment of something which has
sat, for some days past, like milestone on
my mind; and | will tell it to you with
pleasure"
So edged myself closer to him on the
stones, that l might hear the better; and
without more ado he began to discourse as
follows:
About six months ago a wedding took
place in the village, and a more comedy
and sociable couple never came together.
Mr.. Douglas, though the son of poor man,
had been an officer in the army-an ensign,
| believe-and when his regiment was dis.
banded, he came to live here on half pay,
and whatever little else he might have
Jeanie Stuart at the time was staying with
an uncle, one of our own folk, her parents
having been taken away from her; and she
made up, as far as she could, for her board,
by going in the Summer season to sew in
the families that came from the great towns
for the sea bathing. So gentle she was, and
so calm in her department, and so fair to
look on withal, that even these nobility Of
the loom and the sugar hogshead thought
it no dishonor to have her among them;
and unconsciously, as it were, they treated
her just as if she had been of the same
human mold with themselves.
"Well they soon got acquainted-our
Jeanne and Mr.. Douglass-and drew kindly
together; and the end of it was they were
married. They lived in a house there, just
beyond the point that you may see forms the
opposite angle of the bay, not far from a
place called Kempock; and Mr.. Douglass
Just employed himself, like any. of us, in
fishing and laundering about, and mending
his nets, and such like. Jeanne was the
happy woman now, for she had aye mind
above the commonalty; and am bold to
say, though her stay long enough among
these would.be.gentry, where she sat many
a wearisome day for no use and would fain
have retired from their foolishness into the
strength and greenness of her own soul.
But now she had a companion and an
equal, and indeed a superior; for Mr.. Doug
lass had seen the world, and had read both
books and men, and could vile away the
time in discoursing of what he had seen
and heard tell of in foreign lands, among
strange people and unknown tongues.
And Jeanne listened, and listened, and
thought her husband the first of mankind.
She chung to him as the honey-suckle
clings to the tree; his pleasure was her
pleasure-his sorrow was her sorrow-his
bare word was her law.
zone day about two weeks ago, she ap.
peared dull and and dispirited, and com.
planned of slight headache; on which Mr..
Douglass advised her to go to bed and rest
herself awhile; and having some business
in the village he went out. On coming
back, however, in the forenoon, he found
her in the same spot, leaning her head on
her hand but she told him she was better,
and that it was nothing at all. He then
4 began to get his nets ready, saying he was
! going out with some lads of the village to
| the deep sea fishing, and would be back
the next day. She looked at him, but said
4 nothing; long and strangely she looked, as
4 if wondering what he was doing, and not
understanding anything that was going on.
But finally when he came to kiss her and
bid her goodbye, she threw her arms round
4
held him fast, and her bosom heaved as if
her heart would break; but still she said
nothing.
"'What can be the matter with you,
Jeanief'' said Mr.. Douglas.
"'Stay with me to day said she at last
depart not this night, just this one night
it is not much to ask-tomorrow you may
go where you please. and will not be your
hindrance moment
" But Mr.. Douglass was vexed at such
folly, and she could answer nothing TO his
questions, except that thought had come
] in her head, and she could not help it. So
be was resolved to 60, and kissing her
fondly, he threw his nets on his shoulders
and went away.
A (" For some minutes after his departure
Jeanie did not move from the spot, but
stood looking at the door whence he had
gone cut, and then began te tremble all