The Delaware farmer., 1883-09-21


vigorous young life, sustained by might
of purpose, does not succumb quite so
readily as rotten old timber. For two
, nights and two days, awful privation
and suffering are his; but at length
numbed, bruised, larcerated, and with
the death-stupor stealing upon him-he
is observed and picked up by an out
ward bound vessel.
In due course he RECEIVERS; and. en-
rolled as one of the hands, proceeds with
the ship to Valparaiso, whittier she is
bound direct There, with the present
of silver coin and many elaborate di-
rectiOns, he entrusts to a hanger-on of
the harbor an English letter-a wild
outpouring of all the long -pent passion
of his heart-to be posted in the town.
What eventually became of the poor,
painfully produced sheet no one living
knows. Possibly the drunken tatterde-
malion to whom it was handed-a Span
ish half-caste-put it to practical use as
a cigarette-paper, and its rhapsodies,
Like many other lovers rhaphsodies, |
drifted away in smoke; more probably |
it lies embedded in the greasy lining of |
his jacket to this day. One thing is
certain; that it never reached the sup
plant hand stretched forth to receive it.
or brought relief to the soul famishing
for news in the little old-world village
beyond the Atlantic.
From Valparaiso, the ship at length
to Lisbon with copper-ore, and
from Lisbon she starts with a general
cargo for-word most musical to one. at
least, of the crew-Ipswich. Once more
in the Downs, where she lies three days
English newspapers are
received aboard; and in one of these, in
4 column devoted to local intelligence, a !
young sailor spells out, amongst other
items, that a marriage has been solem-
lized, just three weeks previously, be- q
ween one Thomas Gordon and one :
Rachel Cheal.
And the fair maid of Cherbury-what 7
# her? Verify she, too, like her lover. =
las passed through the Valley of the i
shadow of Death, as her wasted face and -
reat lustrous eyes bear record. Day .
4, day out, fair weather or foul, she =
aust needs stray aimlessly to the beach !,
there the last kiss fingered upon her II
heck, and the last good-by was whis- u
cred. She is never alone. Honest &c
[umphrey-broken in spirit now, and o.,
owed with grief, yet loving his poor -,
loTn lamb still more tenderly than of CO
ore-is ever at her side; and to MUIR AZ
ured questions-thee expression Of pas of
onate yearning that is within her as she ~,
'zes beyond the waters of the bay and II,
9yond the horizon-wil give answer in -.
ftened words, hopeless himself, yet re- %
Giant to crush the last futtering YES 1o
ge of hope. ~,
1t IS in the gladstone sunshine of ON
'ung May morning that gallant ship, ff
lich has voyaged from afar, bears up 10,
Harwich roadstead, and signals for a an,
lot. Not long has she to wait for a 60,
sponse. A trim little craft comes . =
ncing over the waves like a white 90,
nged gull, and swings up gayIy along so1
le. In another minute George Cheal ouo ,u
s swung himself aboard, and little -
n prepares to put about and return. -
But on the deck of that gallant ship it -
uld seem, in good sooth, that the sea "a
5 given up her dead; for stalwart r..
Orge, gazing with startled eye on a
e which greets his sight, staggers .n9
TX and grasps the taffrail for support. ,'iil'
" words pass between the Iong-parted 1'ou nUo
'nds, for their feelings are too deep 91O
utterance; but moment or two af- "Hs
ward there is a wild scream of coal
lght from alongside, for Harry Reed llin
descended into the boat. and core
taken the tiller. A little coal
r the boy Jim has unloosed the arms lest
has thrown about his old comrades not
k, and scrambling forward strains OF a
eyes toward the harbor which the exec
e craft is now rapidly nearing, and caue
very fever of excitement imparts the abol
lligence that Humphrey and Rachel Veg
e come over from Cherbury, and are mari
iting his return. pOta
alting of speech, mechanical of ac- Onic
, stony-eyed as one who dreams. bage
ry Reed sits with his hands on the boug
r, asking no questions; hearing forty
ing beyond the quick throb of his more
es, and the surging of the blood in be b
'ars. So the moments pass, and the bette
is brought up alongside the harbor be tn