Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1880-02-12

No cunning diver shall descend the main.
And bring single jewel from It's breast.
..-.------
OLD ROGER B0ScAWAR.
It was stormy night on bleak New
England coast. The wind and rain KEEP,
driving piteously, and the white hungry
waves came laundering over the sand.
hills and breaking in cataracts of foam
upon the desolate, rocky shore. In aroom
OF little cottage, built so close to the sea
that some of the breakers, more aggres-
sive than the rest, seemed almost to
threaten to overwhelm it, old Roger
Boscawan sat smoking his pipe beside
the fire that roared up the wide, old
fashioned chimney as if in defiance of the
tempest of wind and rain outside.
"Bless me! Leah, do you hear the
storm?"
eyes, father"
It was strangely beautiful face that
looked up into the weather beaten one of
the old man from the shadow of the pro-
jecting angle of the fireplace, and
strangely out of place 1t seemed among
the rough surroundings Of the fisher
mans cabin. Large and lustrous were
the eyes of Oriental midnight darkness,
white idded and long-lashed. The fore
head low but broad, around which the
luxuriant hair was braided in heavy
classic coils; the cheek of dusky carmine,
and the mouth, sweet and expressive, and
the dimples that it showed when it
parted in smile. Many people had
often wondered how old Roger came to
have daughter equally unlike himself
and her brother.
~ pity any craft that is out to-
night" the old man went on. 81 have
lived on this coast for more than fifty
years, man and boy, and never saw a
wilder night than this"
Leah did not answer. She had risen
from her seat, and crossing the
room, was looking out of the window
seward. She could see nothing through
the pane except the driving storm, and
the red, lurid lamp of the lighthouse,
but in the other direction could be dis
cerned few twinkling lights of the fish
ing village, and further down the town,
among its dark clump of evergreens, the
windows Of Hallam Lodge we're ablaze
with lights. Hallam Lodge was the
Oldest and grandest house for miles
around, and was owned by the man
whose name it bore, the direct descend
ant of Ralph Hallam, colonel in the
parliamentary armies, who had crossed
the ocean for his principles, and laid the
first stone Of this new dwelling place
more than 200 years ago.
Suddenly the tramp of approaching
feet was heard through the storm out
side, and the next minute the door open
ed to admit Stephen, old Rogers son,
and three other men, who carried the in
sensible body of man between them.
He was fine, handsome fellow, this son
Of the old fisherman, but utterly unlike
his sister, both in feature and in complex
ion, having clear, ruddy skin, though
somewhat Drowned by exposure to the
weather; honest blue eyes, and curling
chestnut hair. He might have sat to an
artist for some old Morse vikings son,
but tender look came into his face, and
his voice assumed softer tone as he
spoke to the girl.
It is the young gentleman that they
say is soon going to marry Miss Edith
Hallam, he said, as they laid theuncon-
scious man upon the warm hearthstone
before the fire.
His yacht struck on the rocks below
the lighthouse, and all hands were lost
but him. He has breath of life in him
yet, though, and we may pull him
Of the closet, little sister,"
She did SO in silence, and then, in
obedience to her brothers command, she
knelt down and began to chafe the wet,
white hands of the unconscious man,
while Stephen poured some of the warm
spirits down his throat. ~
She could not help admiring the hand
some face, 80 still and pallid, supported
on her brothers knee. The features were
regular and highbred, with dark, black
curls falling over the high, white fore
head. She was thinking, too, what
handsome hands they were, into which
she was trying to rub returning life
almost as small as her own-when sharp
knock came to the door, and young
Lady, tall but stately, swept into the cabin
and knelt beside him.
" am his cousin, and it is my right, y
she said sweetly, yet decisively, as she
took the hands, to which the warmth of
lite was slowly beginning to return, be-
tween her own.
Leah relinquished them at once, and
ahrank to her position in the shadow of
the fireplace, with feeling in her breast
she had never known before. This tall,
stately young lady was Miss Edith Hal
lam, the heiress Of the lodge, and she
was only Leah Boscawan, fsherman's
daughter. She could not analyze the
cause that made her mind dwell SO bitter
" on the fact, yet it did in spite of her.
sell, and the knowledge OF the great
social gulf fixed between them filed her
With great vague regret.
In less than half an hour the young
man was sufficiently revived to thank his
preservers and accompany his cousin. il
her carriage, which waited outside the
lodge. He thanked them al most COR
daily. To the three men who had as
sisted him he gave money, and to
Stephen his card, which showed his name
to be Frank Vernon,ap promised to
call the next day and thank them again.
Both the old man and his son were taken
with his manner, and spoke in favor Of
him and his supposed betrothed; but
Leah, sitting silent in the shadow, said
nothing, brooding in silence over her
wly-awakened thoughts, with vague,
rebellious feelings against her destiny
surging in her heart. %. :st.'I
The storm did not abate that night,
nor the next day Neither did the next
day bring Frank Vernon to the cottage,
but he sent message stating that lie
was too unweu to leave the house.
When night again fell the wind was still
driving the heavy rain along the shore,
and the fury Of h sea seeamed undated.
The old man and his daughter sat in
8 their old positions beside the fire and
listened to: the storm without. 49,
:, Leah the old man said, breaking
the silence, g where il Stephen to