The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1880-04-09
THE YOUNG DEsERTER.
BIZ WILLIAM coMsTooK,

A great tayorlWS IN our frlgate an
particularly in the maintop, was yonii
Paul Edwayds-as he was registered o.
the purseys books; though there wer,
hints now and then thrown out that hi.
real nlme was Stanley, and that he wa
the scion Of noted English family.
WIS said that very early in life he ha
quarreled with his high-born relative
and left them. Since then he had pul
sued rowing life with little prospee
Of ever being other than a poor nurs
ling Of the Storm" wearing out his lii
on the rolling pillows, and finally sink
ing into an obscure grave, unhonered
and unknown.
at least Paul seemed TO have no am
bition to be anything more than an act
i've and enterprisiRg maintop-man, first
on the yard in o storm and the last to
leave the pos. OF danger, whatever it
might happen to be.
He Was still quite young, not more
than ~. Had he no mother-no sisters
mo brother2 Had he no yearning for
the companions of his childhood2
If SO, he never mentioned them. 9th
or young seamen would sometimes
speak Of kind sister, a brother or a
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 a child Of the
sea, one who had never been on shore
at all; for he never made mention of
the lanH or anything that grew upon it.
all mis- thoughts-all his conversation
weDe 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,
Il nature had not implanted in the two
sexes 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
a time, spending forty-eight hours in
OaOao and Lima.
When the maintop-men hook theil
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 Rolla -
avery different play from our Pizarro
or: the Death OF Rolla."
When, in the last scene, the High
Priest Of the Sun stabbed himself w;tl
an arrow, there was q general laugI
among the audience, as the suicidal ec
clesiastic had been from the first the
Persistent enemy OF Cora.
But Paul could easily distinguish
from this general merriment Sigh
cry as OF terror or sympathy, and, me
chanieally turning his head to see from
whom it proceeded, his eyes encoun
tered the loveliest features that he hat
ever looked upon.
IL was the countenance Of a youni
Spanish beauty from which the momen
tary trouble was just passing away, ik
tmn cloud from the morning star; anG
as Il suddenly recollecting that wha
sne had Witnessed was only simulate
suffering, her features were Lit up by
smile. She would, probably, have sale
Questioned on the subject, that sh
was laughing at her own folly.
Paul did not speculate on the subiec
ne had simply Witnessed Spanis
beauty in two phases-the sad and th
mirthiul. All this passed in amomen
and yet on the mind Of the young toI
man It LETT an impression never tc b
eradicated.
The immediate result was that whel
a. ~ the end of their forty-eight hour
ae malatopmen returned to the shil
raul was not among them. at first
was surmised that he had been robbie
and murdered, as the officers averre,
one and all, that he would never be
voluntary deserter.
but scarcely two weeks had passt
wnen tall Spaniard or Cholar can
On 10 us in his canoe and obtained {
ate.
That man is after blood money
Aald Bill Regan, Captain of the mai
op, after having watched the motto
oi tne stranger few moments.
=, Scarcely had the informer left VIII
sne boatswain's whistle rang throul
lne ship, and the name Of W s.
was loudly called.
W. S. made his appearance
me gangway, and the Captain conferr
with him long time.
as 1t was remembered that Paul Z
WARDS was last seen in the company
snls W S., the crew inferr
lnas the Cholar in his canoe had COZ
IN board to inform against Paul. a
Sao mentioned the fact that W.
knew where he was concealed
Be that as it may, the master-at-arl
am ana a boatswain'a mate went on sht
snas very day, and returned In I
evening with Paul in their company.