Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1881-11-10
3; BRENDA Johnson.
By v. 6. NJ.
CHATTER i.

one OF the remotest islands of the Shetland |
group, was the home of our heroine. II |
the truth must be told, Alstene was not the |
kind Of place where novelists of the ro-
mantle school would be likely TO seek for |
heroine. A little hamlet, for 1t deserved
no more dignifed title, consisting of clus. |
ter OF fishermen's huts, exhaling the pun. |
gent odor characteristic Of the pursuits Of |
its inhabitants, its most prominent features |
being the usual implements of the fisher. |
mans trade, its first impression upon |
stranger was one nearly akin to repug- |
nance. Nevertheless, such was the place |
selected by Brenda's father, an old halfpay |
naval lieutenant in which to spend the |
evening of his life. If any one had sug- |
gested to the good old man that there was |
touch of sel6shness in his choice, he |
would have been no less shocked than |
grieved. Yet no one, contemplating the |
youthful beauty and growing charms of
the old lieutenant's darling Brenda, could |
arrive at any other conclusion. To young
girl of her age and education, Alstene and |
its surroundings could be no more than a
prison. Yet here she had dwelt in almost
entire seclusion for more than seven years,
and, while her heart had many times
yearned for something, she scarcely knew
what, beyond the narrow limits of her
home, her filial love had effectually con.
cealed from her father any of these natural
aspirations.
For the old gentleman himself, this iao-
lated island home had many attractions.
All around him lay the element on which
he had passed so many years Of his life.
Next to pacing the quarterback of some
staunch frigate, he enjoyed nothing so we'll
as brisk walk to and fro along the mar.
:. row ridge of rock, which, forming a sort
of backbone to the island, extended out
several hundred yards into the great ocean,
affording a natural protection to the ham.
let and its pebbly beach from the northern
blasts, and forming Sort of roadstead, in
which, however high the waves outside
might rise, the fishing smacks hugging
closely under its lee, might ride in com.
parative safety.
The little cottage which was Lieutenant
Johnson's home was by far the most pre-.
tentious domicile in the place. 1t stood in
the center of little garden, the only cul.
tivated spot on the island, its wicket gate
opening on to a narrow pathway leading
downward on the left, to the village, and
upward, on the right, to the SUBMITS of
the rocky eminence described above. Here
some five years before the date at which
a. our story begins, Brenda's mother died,
and, looking southwark from the cottage
4 door, across the narrow channel which
. separated Alstene from its nearest island
neighbor, the old man could distinguish
the steeple of the little church in whose
graveyard she had been laid away to rest
on his return from his last and longest sea
voyage, Brendas father had found his
child motherless. Six months before, his
wife had died leaving her little girl, then
scarcely more than twelve years old, in the
care of Grannie Saunders, fisherman's
widow, and the good angel of all the viii
layers in times of sickness or trouble.
Grannie Saunders had faithfully tended
Mrs. johnson during her illness, and com.
forted her dying hours by the assurance
that Brenda should be cared for until her
fathers return. ...e.-..,.
Amongst all the children of the village,
but one had ever thought of Brenda as q
companion. Her fathers social position
had been regarded by these simple.minded
villagers as a very lofty one, and this, added
to the education which Mrs. Johnson's ac-
complishments had enabled her to impart
to her daughter, had caused their children
to regard her with no feeling of compan-
lonship, even though she was accustomed,
in her childhood, to join familiarly in their
play. The one exception was an orphan
boy whose sad condition and singularly
engaging disposition had attracted Mrs.
Johnson's attention and sympathy. His
quickness and intelligence had induced
her to educate him as far as her ability
went, and, when the old lieutenant re.
turned after his wife's death, he sought to
continue what she had begun by impart-
ing to him what knowledge lie himself
possessed in the line of classics and mathe-
matina woo ccarooly 10 m vunpiarnd of
then, that Stephen Kerr, or Stcenic, as he was
generally called should have felt somewhat
differently toward Brenda, and that her
childish heart in its utter loneliness should
have clung fondly to the only companion.
snip she possessed. OF one near her own
age. ##@ a& M&# #
Experience might have taught the old
man that such companionship could end
only in one way, but experience in such
matters the old sailor had none. Love
affairs he knew nothing Of He had found
himself at forty, after spending nearly
thirty years at sea, heart free and guardian
to the amiable and lovely daughter of an
old chum. Discouraged at his slow pro.
motion in his country's service, for promo
tion in those days was q matter of favor
more than merit, he determined to retire
on his little accumulation of prize-money
and halfpay, and very much surprised his
ward, more than twenty years his Junior,
by bluntly inviting her to relieve him of
his embarrassing Office as her guardian by
becoming Mrs. johnson. Her peculiar
circumstances and the elderly lovers per.
sistence favored his suit, however, and
the sailors frankness won the day. That
was all the experience Lieutenant John.
son had in love matters and it proved
as useless as it was peculiar. Accord.
ingly when some very plain hints
from Grannie Saunders at last opened his
eyes to the fact that Steenie Kerr and his
darling Brenda were in love, the old gen.
teman's astonishment and dismay were
extreme. For half the night after this
wonderful revelation the poor old man
paced up and down on the rocky ridge,
which was his favorite promenade, and
pipe after pipe of strong black cavendish
was consumed in his vain cndeavor to
decide what was to be done. AS to the
young people getting married, that thought
never entered his head. The truth was, the
idea that Brenda ever should, would, or
could follow her mothers example, had
never occurred to him. Besides Nhe old
folks usual argument) they were mere
children. Stcenic was scarcely seventeen,
his Brenda was year younger. Moreover,
Stecnie was not half good enough for her,
in fact, where did there live a man that
was? and indeed there was feeling in the
old gentleman's mind that, he being an
officer in the navy, while Steenie, though
very fine, intelligent boy no doubt was
vet but tisherman's son, such marriage