The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-09-12
MY WINNY.
How I Won a Wife Amid the
Oceans Surges.

Oceans Surges.
Stranger TO Canada, l think you said
First visit to Ontario? Well, you're
heartily welcome to Indian Creek Take
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 land, corn
fields. woods and creeks-all belong to
it. Stock, too-thev call it the best
stocked farm in Ontario, / believe, and
dare say they're right All mine; and
yet came to Canada twelve years ago.
without even the traditional half-crown
in my trousers pocket. You look sur
prised. Would you like to hear the
story? There's good half-hour to
dinner-time yet, and it's story never
tire of telling somehow.
! began life as the son of q village
carpenter 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 seven
years old and eleven, and she fell
down in the dusty road outside the
carpenters shop, and cried, and |
picked her up, and smoothed the little
crumpled pinafore, and kissed the dust
out OF her golden curls. loved but one
girl in the world, and that was the
wears daughter, Winny Branscome.
Madness, you'll say Well, perhaps
so, and yet man is but a man, and a
woman a woman; and love comes,
whatever one may do There's no class
distinction recognized by childhood, and
we were playmates and friends till she
went to boarding-sohool If Miss Win
ny had had mother, no doubt things
would have been very different; but we
were alike in never having known a
woman's care, and the old vicar was
blind to everything but his theological
treatises.
But when she came back from her
London boarding-school. beautiful
young lady all smiles and laces and lit
tie lovely ways-then | knew. | had
tried my best to study and work. and
make myself more like the men she
would meet but what can a lad In an
English village dop lust had enough
education to make every other lad in
the place hate mo; and beside the men
OF her world ! suppose cut rather an
astonishing figure. Yet the love of her
was SO beyond all else in me, that mad
hopeless as | felt it, had no power
over myself; and the first time caught
her alone in the woods--she avoided
me. | saw, and | had to watch for a
chance-l told her the whole story. and
waited for her answer. She grew scar
let-a rush of color that dyed her fair
sweet face then deathly white.
Dick, she said, and she was trem-
bling from head to foot, ''you know it
can never. never be; you know YOU are
wrong even to dream of such a 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 for
give you. Forget your madness" And
she ran from me.
let her 60. had seen the blush
and the tremor and guessed that if |
had been Mr. LOTUS, the young Squire,
instead OF Dick Hawtry, the carpenters
son, her answer might have been diff
iefent. "A great resolve, sprang up in
my soul, and took solemn VOW in
those june woods. That very night |
sold the old shop (my father was dead.
and had taken to the business), and
with the money bought an outfit. and
started straight for Canada. 1t was
pretty tough work at first, but worked
like galley-slave-starved and pinched
ana saved. and never spent a penny on
myself except for the books | sat up
nall the night to read and study Well,
IN this country the man who works and
doesn't drink is sure to get on; and I
had mighty purpose in my head. Bv
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
II believed in luck, and didn't prefer
to think | was helped by Power far
ADLER than my own. At last. ten wears
TO the very day after l set foot on Cana
Il an soil, bought Indian Creek Farm,
and began to build this house All the
neighbors thought my good fortune had
turned my brain. for fitted it up and
furnished it for lady, down to little
rocking-chair by my study-table, and
work-basket with tiny gold thimble
in it. And when all that was finished.
l took the first ship for Liverpool.
len yeaN builds city over here. 1t
doesn't make much change in Devon
shire village. The very gates were still
half oil their hinges, as | left them, only
the people were little older and trihe
more stupid. and there was new vicar.
Old Mr.. Branscome had been dead six
months; died very poor. they told me,
there was nothing left for Miss Winny.
My heart gave one great leap when /
heard that. And Miss WinnyP o, she
had gone governessing with some peo-
pie who were just off to Canada. and
the ship sailed tomorrow from Liver
pool.
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-appearance of two of the crew.
Without seconds pause l offered for
one of the vacant places. l was as
strong as horse. and active enough,
and though the Captain eyed me rather
askarce-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. saw her
the first day or two, looking so pale and
thin that she was like the ghost of her
old self, and yet sweeter to my eyes
than ever before. The children she had
charge of were troublesome little crea-
lures, who worried and badgered her
till l longed to cuff them well. But
there was gentleness and patience
about her quite new to my idea Of Miss
Wipny, and l only loved her the more
for it, After the second day out the
wind freshened. and saw no more of
her.
We had an awful passage. 1t was
hate in November-an early winter, and
the cold was intense II blew one con-
tinuous gale, and some Of our machin-
cry was broken-the screw damaged
and wc could not keep our course. A.