The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-12-23
of all, she wore the missing wedding.

unkempt locks, and glistening ant
twinkling from her brown hands.
Before any one could interfere or real
Use the situation, she had jostled in from
of the sober old minister, causing hi
respectable gold-rimmed glasses to top
pie over his nose, and was bowling t.
the bridegroom.
$50 YOU have come back, dear-comt
back to marry me. Glad to see you
Ha! ha! ha. You have made mistake
lady fair; you're in the wrong place
Come away" dragging Pearlie from he'
lovers side; "you are the bridesmaid,
and l am the bride. Fiends! leave us
Wonld you take him from me again!
To the ship, did you say? Ha! ha! ha
the ship lies deep, deep down. You can
not reach it. He came up out OF it to.
day. Will he go, too? All yes; to the
ship-to the ship in the sea! Come,
come, you and l, to the ship away I'M
der the seal
And amid her wild cries and mutter-
ings the poor daft creature was borne
from the room, and the service at last
finished, though the demoniacal laugh
ter of the crazy woman iloated in upon
them, above the solemn words that
united two young and happy souls.
Poor crittcr!' said the captain, three
hours later, when they were seated
quietly together, and the borrowed we'd
ding raiment had been secured and re-
turned. 'Tain't very often Wild Had
takes to rampagin'. She hain't now
for three years, | guess, and that was
when Young sea-captain come ashore
here for day to see some friends. She
tackled him just as she did you, Frank.
You see. she's always fancyin' some
body's Harry Lambert. the Young ship
mate she got so in love with long ago.
But she always quets right down. they
say, after one of those spells -"
Harry Lambert, ship-mate, did you
say?" cried Frank. starting at the name.
..Yes, have you heard of him? A
mighty nice boy. remember all the
affair very well. Madeline Earl-thats
Mad, you know-was bright pretty
girl, but there was insanity in the fami-
". Her mother had been insane before
she died.
"WelI, young Lambert came here to
visit just as you did, my son, and some
how them two was together great deal.
but | guess Harry never fell just in love
with her-liked her company, you know,
and so on. but she got wrapped up in
him, and he determined to marry her,
though he didn't noways like her moth
er being crazy.
"Well. the marriage was the talk OF
the town, and things was goin' on
smooth enough, when all of sudden
Harry disappeared and never come back.
Mad. she took on awful, and then she
fell to mopin', and finally lost her mind
entirely.
DAY after day, and night after night
they'd have to watch her, for she wonld
walk up and down the sands, looking
out to sea, or hide away in the rocks
somewhere for days, watching the ships
sailing by.
"At last we got news that his vessel
had gone down, and he was among the
lost; and not long after an old sailor
came here with some letters which Har-
ny had written and give to him, as he
was coming home a passage ahead OF
him. One was to his mother, and the
other to poor Mad.
'In the last he spoke of the message
he had sent her when he come away,
sayin' he was sorry that he hadto leave
so sudden, but he had been unexpected
ly ordered abroad. F.
"Then he said he hoped she would
wait patiently for him, for he would
surely be home again in two months.
Poor lad! Whatever had become of the
message we never knew. but poor Mad
has been demented critter ever since. "
As the captain finished, Frank spoke
through the hushed sad silence that fol-
lowed.
1T is strange" he said. II have. Of
ten wondered over the rumors of my
cousins love-aflair, for Harry Lambert
was my own cousin
He warn't now!" exclaimed the cap
tain bluntly.
Yes; but all this happened when
was quite II lad. | never knew just
where this Madeline lived, but | re-
member hearing about the story, am
lolu l HItuNll itSciiioic iiiih, oo eiaV Nv
counts for poor MAIDS raving to-day"
The rosy rays from the setting sun
shone across the crested waves, and fell
in shafts of brilliant light upon the
sandy beach, where she had played in
her rollicking childhood and dreamed
in her happy girlhood, as Pcarlie drove
to the little station, whence she was to
be conveyed from this home amid blue
sky and sunny sea. to the turbulent big
city.
To be sure she was to return every
month or two for long visits, but never
theless the separation nearly broke
Pearlie's soft little heart. So the cap
tain and she had nearly smothered them
selves in their parting embraces. And
her mother and staid married sister she
had left on the porch with their hand
kerchefs doing active service to eyes
watchful and tender.
There's Bimleck Finley DRAWN in
his iishin' boat" remarked the captain
more for the sake of breaking the OPP
pressive silence than out of any active
interest he felt in Bimleck's proceed.
ings at this particular juncture "Why,
what's that he's haulin' out of it?'' he
exclaimed, his attention now arrested.
Looks mighty like some one he's pull
ed out of Davy's Locker. Joe, whats
going on there?"