Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-10-24
WINNY

First visi; to Ontario? Well, you're heart
lily welcome 10 Indian Creek. Take Q
chair On the piazza till dinners ready-we
dine early in these new world parts.
Fine farm? Well. yes; Indian Creek is
nice place, if do own it. All, as far as
you can see-grass lands, cornfelds, woods
and creeks-all' belong 10 it. Stock too
they call it the best stocked farm in Onta-
rio, believe, and dare say they're right.
All mine; and YET I came to Canada twelve
years ago without even the traditional half
crown in NV trousers pocket You look
surprised. Would You Ike to hear the
story? There's good half hour to dinner
tune yet, ana its story never tire of tell
ing, somehow.
1 began life as the son of a village car
penter in the south of England. You know
that class pretty well, dare say, and what
gulf was fixed between me and the vicar
OF the parish. And yet-and yet-from the
time she was years old and H. and she
tell down III the dusty road outside the car
penter's shop and cried, and l picked her
up and smoothed the little crumpled pima
fore and kissed the dust out of her golden
curls, loved but one girl in the world, and
that was the wears daughter, Ninny Brans-
come.
Madness, you'll say. Well, perhaps so,
and yet man is but man. and woman
q woman and love comes whatever one
may do. There's no class distinction recog-
nized by childhood, and we were playmates
and friends till she went to boarding school.
II Miss Winny had had a mother, no doubt
things would have been different; but we
were alike III never having known wom-
ans care, and the old vicar was blind to
everything bat his theological treatises.
But when she came back from her Lon
don boarding school beautiful young
lady, all smiles and laces. and little lovely
.ays-then l knew. l had tried my best
70 study and work, and make myself more
like the men she would meet but what
can lad in an English village do? | Just
had enough education to make every other
lad IN the place hate me; and beside the
men OF her world l suppose | cut rather an
astonishing figure. Yet the love of her was
so beyond all else in me, that mad, hope
less, as felt it, l had no power over my
self; and the first time l caught her alone
in the woods-she avoided me, / saw, and
[ had to watch for q chance told her the
whole story, and waited for heI answer
She grew scarlet-a rush of color that dyed
her fair sweet face-then deathly white
Dick," she said. and she was trembling
from head TO foot. you know it can never.
never be; you know you are wrong even to
dream of such thing. Some girls would
think it an INSULT know you better; but
if my father heard of this he would say you
had abused his kindness TO you he would
never forgive you. Forget your madness"
And she ran away.
I let her 90. | had seen the blush and
the tremor, and ] guessed that if | had
been Mr.. LOTUS, the young squire, instead
of Dick Lawtry, the carpenters son, her
answer might have been different A great
resolve sprang up in my soul, and l took
a solemn VOW in those June woods. That
very night | sold the old shop my father
was dead, and had taken to the businessl,
and with the money | bought an outfit and
started straight for Canada. 1t was pretty
tough work at first, but l worked like a
galley slaye-starved, pinched, saved and
never spent penny on myself except for
the books / sat up half the night to read
and study. Well, in this country the man
who works and doesn't drink is sure to get
on; and | had mighty purpose in my
head. BY and by | bought some land dirt
cheap, and sold it for three times what
gave for it. then began to make money
fast. should call my luck wonderful if
believed in luck, and didn't prefer to think
1 was helped by power far ADLER than my
own. At last, ten years to the very day
sfter / set foot on Canadian soil. bought
Indian Creek farm and began to build this
house. All the neghbors thought my good
fortune had turned my brain, for l fitted it
up and furnished il for lady, down to a
little rocking chair by my study table, and
work basket with tiny gold thimble in
IT, And when all that was finished | took
the first ship for Liverpool.
Ten years builds city over here 1t
doesn't make much change in Devonshire
village. The very gates were still half off
their hinges as l left them, only the people
were a little Older and trifle more stupid
and there was new vicar. Old Mr.. Brans.
come had been dead six months; died very
poor they told me; there was nothing left
Cor Miss Winny. My heart gave one great
leap when heard that. And Miss Winny
Oh, she had gone gevernessing with some
people who were Just off TO Canada, and the
ship sailed tomorrow from Liverpool.
The Liverpool express never seemed to
crawl so slowly before. | got there to find
every berth taken on board the Antarctic,
and the Captain raging at the non-appear-
auce of two of the crew. Without q sec
ond's pause l offered for one OF the vacant
places. was as strong as horse, and ac-
tive enough, and though the Captain eyed
me rather askance-I had been to West
End tailor on my way through London
he was too glad to get me to ask any ques-
tons. So / sailed on the ship with my
girl, little as she knew it. l saw her the
FIRST day or two looking 80 pale and thin
that she WAS like the ghost of her own self,
and yet sweeter TO my eyes than ever be-
fore. The children she had charge of were
troublesome little creatures, who worried
and badgered her till longed to cuff them
well But there was q gentleness and a
patience about her quite new TO my idea of
Miss Winny, and only loved her the more
for It. After the second day out the wind
heshened and saw no more of her.
We had an awful passage. 1t was late in
November-an early winter and the cold
was intense. 1t blew one continuous gale,
sud some of our machinery was broken
the screw damaged-and we could not keep
our course. As we drew near the other
side OF the Atlantic we got more and more
out of our bearing and at last the fogs told
Us we were somewhere off the banks of
Newfoundland, bat where no one was quite
cure. 1t seemed to me it had all happened
before, or had read it, or dreamed it. At
all events, It was hardly surprise to me
when on the tenth night. Just after mid
night, the awful crash and shock took
place, 8 sensation which no one who has
uOt lett ~ C<til III the tcdSt, and we
knew that the Antarctic had struck.
It's fearful thing if you come TO think
Of il, great steamer filled with living souls
in the full flow of life and health, and in
one moment the call coming to each of
them to die. Before you could have struck
match the whole ship was in panic
cries, terror, confusion, agony. Oh, 1t was
swfull l trust never to see such scene
again. made my way through it all as il
L had neither eyes nor ears, and got to the
stateroom had long ago found out was the
one which belonged to my girl. knocked
at the door with heavy hand even at
tia. awful moment thnll ran through me
at the thought of standing fsce to face with
her sgain.
Winny" cried, come outl make
bsste there is not q moment to losev