The Magnolia gazette., 1883-02-22


your MANI pointing to a dark-skinred
dark haired man who was just crossing
the plank 10 20 on board tie steamer
No; ! told you there was woman
with hin, and this one is alone "
Yes: but suppose you go on after
him, the officer said, carelessly; g ]
viii Keep a good look out
1t useless; but can 60 was the
rather nngracious answer, as he fol-
lowed the man on board rather re-
luctantll.
! Alvord that was the officers name
watched him moment, till he went
round on the other side Of the steamer.
and then walked across the wharf and
looked up toward the street Suddenly
a sharp cry, followed By chorus OF
shrieks came from the steamer He
| hurried forward, and Just then some
body shouted: "a man oyerboardn'
AMI " Man the boatsH Somebody
save himi and score OF other direc-
tion- an eNclamations followed in rap Il
succession.
Alyorl went hastily on board the
steamer. where everything now was in
the widest confusion. and found his
friend leaning over the side Of the boat,
n strange hal-angry hal'-awed look
on his e4lorless face. He touched his
arm,
(" Yes he said, glancing Up hastily,
''it mas him; you were right
" Howdid il happen?n asked Alyord,
in low, quick way.
AS ! came up near him saw. All at
oncr. that il was him DeNries YOU
, know. | called his name in a sharp, sud
den way, suppose He turned Instantly
he was at the extreme edge of the for
ward deck threw up his hand, with a
motion as II he would keep me from
touching him, and staggered back and
fell over inan instant, He never spoke,
but his face was full Of wild. mortal
toror-the el they have rot him. ho
cried, abruptly, RISING to his feet, and
standing with white, compressed lps
and folded arms while the boat pulled
in shore,
Tie cannot be drowned, said some
one; che hasn't been in the water five
minutes.
But as the boat drew in. a cry rose up
like a wind and spread itself in every
direction dead dead il said
"Come, Montford, said Alvord, tax
ing his arm and leading him 10 the
whari. I'VE must see to this business,
and tind hcr 10 YOU suppose the
seoundrel meant to desert her at the
lust2'
Hushr' said Montford, "ho is
dead
But that don't make him any the
less q scoundrel, the way look at it,
was The dogged answer.
There was 4 coach driven rapidly on
to The wharf, directly in front of them,
and a wOman's face, full Of terrible,
wild excitement, loo ed ont and asked:
/" las the boat gone? 0, am | too
late
Alyorl stepped to the door, and put
his hand on hers, and whispered:
There has been terrible accident
which has delayed the boat. A man ac-
cidentally fell overheard from the steam
er's dc k, and was killed shall tell
you his namc?n
She threw OF his hand, and pushed
open the door with sudden, sharp force,
and sprang 10 the ground.
"Where is he? Quiclln she cried,
iiercely, the veins in her temples swell !
ing to lnottcd cords.
AlvOrd tried to draw her arm through |
his, TO assist her, but she broke from
him, and, pushing her way through the |
crowd TO whore little group was
standing, fell, with u long. wild shrek |
OF horror aud despair, beside the drip
ping form, and the dcathly-whte face,
with its CHASTITY wound on The left
temple, and its strange opal eyes,
with a look Of unearlhly horror in
them.
Poor Althea Heaven Lad pity on
her, and took away her reason, and to- |
day in Il Western ASYLUM, she dres es
herself, and watches and waits hour
after hour, working herself sometimes
into frenzy because "Alfred doesn't |
come, and the boat viii be goner' But |
generally she is mild, and tells to who |
ever will listen of how happy they will |
be when they get to France, for nothing |
on earth can separate them, now
Happily, she forgets his last hcartless- |
ness, when he would have deserted her
so cruelty.
New Years Day! Beautiful, happy, |
happy New Year, In all the pleasant,
happy West, no home was so happy or
blessed that day as the pretty prairie
home Of the Andersons. You never
saw such happy company as was
gathered there, because there never was
such happy people beiore-at least
they thought so, and they ought to
know.
First, there is honest, grave Ben
Anderson, Just little less set and strict
in outward observances, perhaps, than
when he left the shores of the Puritans,
bu, none the less true and pure and
sound OF heart; then there is his good /
wi e, Myra; the same gentle, tender,
loving lit Z women as ever, but with a
strange confusion of smiles and tears on
her face as she turns every other mo.
ment to the pretty flushed face living
against the soft crimson folds of the 4
shawl draped across the slight shoulders,
and oyer thp hoels nf tho ,r,...t ,,.... !