The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-03-24

what | might say this sort of exile
from all that | felt was relationship
amo:e powerful feeling than friend
ship--'blood,' as some book says, i.
thicker than watcr'---in all this time
Notwithstanding the warm affection
had for many friends who had becl
cndearcd 10 me by various acts O
kindness, vet the longing desire tc
see my brother face to face and TAX,
his hand had been upcrmost. OF my
father | must say that he had beer
gradually fading from memory. !
may say that he was almost forgot
ten. Indeed, ! thought that he had
ceased to exist. tried to recall his
face, his features; all in vain. But
Robert, my playmate and brother, a.
saw him last. was rs fresh as if
mad seen him yesterday. To see him
again, TO get money enough to gc
down the rlver, to trace HIM out il
/ New Orleans, was the guiding star
of my life. So | began to hoard for
that purpose. In those days money
was not abundant in kcntucky. but
in the course of a few years ] saved
from my scanty income a few hun
dred dollars so notified my en-
| ploycrs that ! intended to go down
I the river. and took leave of them aud
of my fellow clerks.
But a pair OF bright eyes had cross
cd my path, and nothing shook my
resolution, when stepped on board
the steamer, as the thought of leaving
those eyes behind me. But the fur
thcr we moved from dear old Louis
vile the more they seemed to follow
me.
\ most frutlcss search made
through New Orleans for my broth
er | supposed the name of Robert
Christie was repeated there until it
became well known through the city.
found several of the name, but
none had any such history as the one
had treasured up. Now the idea
of Roberts having been left "A lone
orphan like myself had long possess
ed my mind, and then this idea forced
itself upon me, that perhaps our cir
cunstances had been diil'crcnt-that
| had been the fortunate onc--that !
had schooling, education and easy cir
cumstances in life, while he had been
struggling with penury, ignorance,
and it might be with degredations
even lower than these. In my bitter
disappointment at finding no trace of
him, the image OF IA prison had gre wn
upon me in which ! fancied he might
be found, and by day and night graf
cl windows, iron gates and massive
walls formed the greater part of my
waking dreams. And so | formed
resolution to visit some of the gloomy
cdiiiccs, in the hope, if hope it may
be called, of finding him.
How strange it seems to me now
that IN the course of my search
through the city, that actually met
people who knew him--that | actu-
ALL saw his handwriting--his sigaa-
ture to seveal letters written by him,
and yet by some peryersity of intel
lect, or want OF it, would not believe
it to be his. One gentleman told me
that he was acquainted with my
brother and described him. When
he asked me if that answered the dis
crption, what answer could | make?
| could not tell every one our history.
| could only answer mo- to that, for
in one point it failed utterly He
said that in comparing me with his
friend, that he was much the shorter
of the two. Now Robert was head
taller than was when | left him.
la the midst of my perpiexities,
one day met the captain of the
steamer which had brought me down
the river. He, like myself, had been
in New Orleans several weeks trying
to sell his vessel, and had finally
made ii contract to run her on the
Alabama River, between Mobile and
Montgomery. He had to make the
outside voyage to the former place,
and invited me to go with him as a
free passenger. Some vague notion
of finding my brother there had been
floating in my mind, and dispirited as
! was, accepted his offer. thought
perhaps, as | had made the name of
Cristy SO familiar in New Orleans
that, for my own sake, | had better
begin review of prison life in Mo-
bile, where | was unknown. We
steamed gaily down the river with
the warm sunshine on our decks, past
the old battle-grounds and the forts,
and frally emerged upon the Gulf
just at sunset. 1t was a placid and
beautiful evening, and the night
which followed was holy, calm, and
sweet. | could not satisfy my eyes
with gazing at this vast expanse--
the immeasurablc world of waters
the illimitable distance. ! gazed and
gazed until deep feeling OF tran
guilty came over me--a serene, hap
py repose OF the soul such as | had
never before experienced in the pent
up inland during the whole course of
my struggles through life.
Ny whole soul seemed suflused
with an unknown JOY. felt now
that every pulsation of the engine
was bearing me nearer to my brother
that even the waves were yielding
and dividing, and opening path
way to him. So ! devouty said my
prayers, and sleep gradually cncom-