Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-07-24

s. = Ns 4 z
who came in his boat from neighbor-
/ ing island, always accompanied by his
sister and they usually stayed a day or
two. was not long in perce1vlng that
this MIR. Thorforth was deeply in loye
with my cousin; the state Of her feel
ing toward him it was some time be-
fore could fathom, but the revelation
came at last and quite unexpectedly.
| There was an old ruin some distance
from the house, where, one lovely
moonlight night, ! happened to be
seated alone. was not alone, how
ever; from window / could see my
! cousin and Thorf0rth coming toward
the place. and thinking to surprise
them, drew back under the shadow
of a portion Of the wall. But I was
not to be an actor in that scene, though
it was one I shall never forget. I
could not see his face, but hers, on
which the moonbeams fell, was panied,
half-frightened, impatient. He was
pleading his cause, he was telling the
old, old story, with an carnestncss and
| eloquence had never heard surpassed.
She stopped it at last.
"Ob! Magnus," she cried. ooh!
Magnus Thorforth, I never dreamed it
would come to this! Oh! what grief
you cause me, my poor Magnus. my
poor Magnus, my more than friend!'
What more was said need not be
told. In a few moments he was gone..
and she was knecling on the green
sward, just on the spot where he lad
left her, her hands clasped, and her
face upturned to heaven.
Next day, Magnus Thorforth went
sadly away: even his sister looked
sad. She must have known it all. I
never saw them again.
One day, about !: month after this,
Maggie and / were together in cave
close by the ocean-a favorite haunt
of ours Oh hot afternoons. Our boat
was drawn up close by. The day was
bright ard the sea calm, its tiny wave
let's making drowsy, dreamy music on
the yellow sands.
She had been reading aloud, and
was gazing at her face.
II begin to think you are beautiful"
| said.
She looked down at me where | Law
with those innocent eyes of hers that
always looked into mine as frankly as
a child's would.
I'm not sure,' I continued, :sthatI
shan't commence making love to you,
and perhaps might marry you. What
would you think OF that?'
''Love!" she laughed, as musically
as q sea-ny ''love? Love betwixt
a cousin and COUSIN? Prepos-
terousn'
IL dare say resumed, pretending
to pout, YOU wouldn't marry me be-
cause I'm poor
''Poor!' she repeated, looking very
firm and earnest now. E'lf the man [
loved were poor I'd carry a creel for
him. I'd gather shells for his sake;
but don't love anybody and don't
mean to. Gomez
So that was the beginning and the
end OF my love-making with Cousin
Maggie.
And Maggie had said she had never
meant to love anyone. Well, we never
can tell what may be in our immediate
future.
Hardly had we left the cave that day,
and put OFT from the shore, ere cats
paws began TO rut1le the water. They
came in from the west, and before we
had got half way to the distant head
land, a steady breeze was blowing.
We had hoisted our sail and were run
ming before it with the speed Of :. gull
on the wing. 49,, .,
Once round the point we had a beam
wind trll we entered the ford, then we
had TO beat to windward all the way
home, by which time it was blowing
quite gale.
1t went round. more to the north
about sunset. and then, for the first
time, we noticed a yacht Of small dimen-
sions on the distant horizon. Her in
tention appeared to be that of rounding
the island and probably anchoring on
the lee side of it. She was in an ugly
position, however, and we all watched
her -anxiously till nightfall hid her
from our view.
retired early, but sleep was out of
the question, for the wind ragged and
howled around the house like wild
wolves. About II o'clock the sound
of gun fell on my cars. l could not
be mistaken, for the window ratified in
sharp response.
Isprany from my couch and began
to dress, and immediately after, my
aged relative entered the room. He
looked younger and taller than I had
seen him, but very serious.
''The yacht is on the Ba,' he said
solemnly.
They were words to me of fearful
significance. The yacht, knew, must
soon break up, and nothing could save
the crew. q;
Iquicklv followed my relative into
the back awing-room, where Mag
gle was with her mother We gazed
out into the night. out and across the
sea. At the same moment, out there
on the terrible Ba, blue light sprang
up, revealing the yacht and even it's
people Oh board. She was leaning
well over to one side, her masts gone,
and the spray dashing over her.
Come" cried Maggie. "there is
no time to loose. We can guide their
boat to the cave. Come, cousin!''
l feltdazed, thunderstruck. Was I
to take part in forlorn hope? Was
Maggie--how beautiful and darling
she looked now to assume the robe of
a modern Grace Darlingp So tap
peared. .-.4 =
The events of that hight came back
to my memory now us if they had hap
pened but yesterday. 1t is a page in my
past life that can never be obliterated.
We pulled out the ford, Maggie
and I, and up under the lee Of the is
land, then, on rounding the point, we
encountered the whole force of the
sea and wind. There was a glimmer-