The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-02-05

faces in tho CLEANS Of the starlight as If Ii
We were the two only people on the 6
planet. Alas, we were not! .
For Maskelyn was still very young, b
and the traveller for commercial house; b
he had his way to make. It was the 0
morning after that night in the dark 9
and the dew and the honeysuckle odor
that he left the ring on my finger, and e
went off on one of his Journeys. He !
was to 20 down the river to New Or I
leans before he returned; and he took '
the steamer Beauxtemps at St. Louis
and it was thirty years before 1 heard !
from him how it all happened. But the
world is full of tongues, and heard it,
all the same, on the four winds that
blow no one knows whittier.
There had taken passage on that
fatal steamer wealthy planter of Lou
isiana, with his wife, an invalid French
lady, and their young daughter, Adele.
She was a lovely little thing, this Adele,
and she sang like a bird. Maskely!n
theard her singing one evening, and,
passionately fond of music, he soon
made her acquaintance, and was sing
ing with her. She was as child-hke'
too, as she was young and pretty; she
had soon con6ded to him all her at
fairs, and he, secure in his plighted love-
and never dreaming of misconstructlon
or trouble, became her hourly associate,
| and took pleasure in her innocent COM
partnership.
One afternoon they sat in their accus'
! toned seat, reading, as it CHANGED, from
the same book. In their occupation
, and their talk they had taken no notice
c of the excitement of the people about
= them; and if they knew they were racing
the Charon, so they had been doing nail
. the week, and thought nothing OF It,
And all at once shrek of countless
IT voices rent the air; there was shock
!, and an explosion, as If the bottomless
- pit had broken through the bed OF the
&c river. The air was full Of flying beams
ID and falling men and women; the river
~ was full Of them; and they were two
In among them all, afoat but alive.
to Afloat in the branches of huge tre'
- that was sailing and swirling down tn
" river, and in no immediate danger 0
ks destruction, but exhausted, and unabl
". to do more than keep the breath the.
had for a while. If others had bee
all saved, they had reached one OF tn
he banks, or had been picked up by tn
Charon's boats. The quick Souther
Ter dusk was upon them before Adele ha
nd done more than open her eyes and clos
=, them again. Neither she nor he ha
"'' been seriously hurt, but they were abs
yer lutely alone in the thick night and II
rushing river. What else could they
as but comfort one another, poor children
49,, sitting side by side in the cradle MAJ
'n' by the big branches, and trembling
all the dark, unknown tumult OF the to
we'd rent, till suddenly, with . shock tn
rom might have wrecked them had not tht
clothes been caught on the branch'
"''' they were anchored on mud-splt' q
title the stream was sweeping bT?
ne,n The morning dawned redly over
great sea-like river. Flat.boat and n
aren and, steamer went along; but no Q
ind saw their signals, or seeing, no {
!, needed them. Another weary mig
chill famished and faint, but keeping Ct
nn1 others courage up; and at noon OF
. Ut next day they were taken Oft. But
" NV two DAYS and nights Maskelyn !
con. learned that she loved him. And VIII
Won in turn, she learned that her love wa
vain, it was only by force of arms t
nmie' he hindered her from seeking the wat
n On death from which he had rescued
The poor little passionate, tropical q
.o,,,a ture! q :.
co''o He saw her, however, no more Il
lid do month after the time that he LETT
at her fathers door in New Orle
ought where he found the black -robed pare
latter who had themselves been saved,
,r,, as who had thought their child lost,
received her o one raised from
storm grave, and would have given Mask
ms of their I'LL as her preserver. But Ms
lyn did not present himself there az
scarce and it was not till his return from
i'd she through the neighboring region
Adele's father was able to find him.
. "'"' to beseech him to accompany him
would save his child . second time
eheveo death. And be found her on the
out on of madness.
mid We Compelled by their kindness and
'"'N grief. he could do nothing but rel
or, and and add his efforts to theirs. 1t
poem. superb home; wealth and art an
mate could hardly do more to mi
perfect. Perhaps the sense OF it,
and luxury were delicious 10 tne
and almc It penniless young man.
. seem then thu % were always flowers, I
nays paintings, servants moving like
years; ovs. Cordial warmth and ,
ciety Of .ns, " ~ho.a +ronhle , Lis pr
J. ., TGen was beginning to tighten. All, ye
Pono s see I am excusing Maskelyn-try1
:, anu; make YOU excuse him. But it wa
arms VI be forcseen. Three against ont
yesta1;;., WAS the world against one.
snu !. here at home was an obscure your
o'o no' man, with her barely comfortab
,.o-,.~ port; and there, on the other
. .I"4 were beauty, wealth, distinction,
. .ns: the promotion and success that Q
' sSSn, ,q3 the train Of such things.
y '.'. ~ NV NV But Il was none of these that Y
V OF my MS.s.S.-;IL x..lolvr t.
stead Of sumcien'1y W.. 1aa a.' s;s ~ ~;
70 to the one tn1u9n' .a"t -; W. ,,. 49, ~.,
g used tnougntlsss1oss, n1 1. ~ 1 @..
snmuiaoe9, tne p.s'. s;r, . ~ a m.a
the plCllQA young klE1 " a1s'
=. o,a He felt that the sacrifice OF b
MAS. dreamy o. a.ip,neI Al 1 for me- ne.
by with way OF SAp's. .In ;aa. . hel .ome,
ing me, no. sml .,. ~ ' ~. la'' :. snd '
shook q ulely lels ~: .I ny mia
daskelyl q one; snss IL, :. .hso,ve e'
erhaps aeAre .no u.xe d h,n ~ :, ths ~,