The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1885-08-20
Fourth Cousins.
gY GORDON STABLES. NJ. D.,

BY GORDON STABLES, NJ, D., i. n.
In the early Summer OF lo6D. | went
upon a visit to distant relative of mine,
who lived on one of the Shetland Islands.
1t was early summer with myself. then;
| WAS medical student with life all be-
fore me.
The steamboat landed me at Lerwieh,
and l completed MY journey with my
boxes next day in an open boat. 1t was
a very cold morning, with q gray, cold,
choppv sea on, the spray from which
dashed over the boat, wettng me thor
oughiy, and making me fell pinchcd,
blcaI-eye ana miserable.
An opening in wall of rock, took us
at length into long, winding ford, or
arm of the sea, with green, bare fields
on every side, and wild, weird like sheep
that gazed on us for a moment, then
beated and fled. Right at the end of this
rock stood my friends house comfortable
and solid looking but unsheltered by a
single tree.
81 shan't stay long here" said to my
Stll uS ldllIcN.
An hour or two afterward had chang
ed my mind entirely was seated in a
charningly and colilN furnished drawing
room upstairs. The windows looked out
to and away across the broad Atlantic.
How very strange it was; for the loch
that had led me to the front of the house,
and the waters Of which rippled up to the
edge Of the lawn, was part Of the German
Ocean, and here at the back, and not
stones throw distant, was the Atlantic
Beside the fire, in an easy chair, sat my
gray haired relation and host, and, not
tar off, his wife Presently Cousin Mag
Gle entered, smiling to me as she did so;
her left hand fingered for moment on
her fathers gray locks, then she sat down
uubidden. to the piano. On the strength
of my blood relationship, distant though
it Was, for we We're really only third or
fourth cousins, was made a member of
this family from the first, and Maggie
treated me as a brother. was not en-
tirelv pleased with the latter arrange
m ent, because many days had net passed
ere | concluded it would be a pleasant
pastime for me to make love to Cousin
Maggie.
But weeks went by, and my love max
ing was still postponed it became a SINE
die kind Of a probability. Maggie was
constantly with me when out OF doors
my companion in my fishing and shooting
trips. Bat she carried not only a rod,
but even rifle, herself; she could give
lessons in casting the fly and did; she
often shot dead the seals that | had
nd in
ing astOnished me, and her daring in ven
turing so very far out to sea in our broad,
open boat, often made me tremhle for
our safety.
One day Maggie and I We're together
in a cave close by the ocean, taVorlte
haunt of ours on hot afternoons. Our
boat was drawn up close by. The day
was bright, and the sea calm, its tiny
wavelets making drowsy, dreamy music
on the yellow sands, She had been read
ing aloud, and was gazing at her face.
II begin to think you are very beauti
full said
She looked down at me where lay,
with those innocent eyes of hers, that al
ways looked into mine as frankly as lit
tie child's would.
L III llol Sulc, Co'ltluupO, ti'hp
shan't commence making love to you,
and perhaps | might marry you. What
would you think of that ~
'.Love 2" she laughed, as musicalIy as
a sca-nymph. "Love betwiXt a cousin
and cousin ? Preposterous
81 dare say" resumed, pretending 10
pout, ''you wouldn't marry me because
fm poor"
'Poor," she repeated, looking very firm
and earnest now, ''if the man | loved
were poor, I'd carry creel for him Td
gather shells for his sake. But | don't
love anybody, and don't mean to. Come"
So that was the beginning and end of
my love-making with Maggie.
And Maggie had said she never meant
to love any one. Well, we can never 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 rutfle the water. They
came in from the West and before we
had got halfway to the distant head
land, a steady breeze was blowing. We
had hoisted our SAIL and were running
before it with the speed of gull on the
wing.
Once round the point, we had a beam
wind till we entered the ford, then we
had to beat to windward all the way
home, 10y which time it was blowing quite
gale.
1t went round more to the north about
sunset, and then, for the first time, we
noticed yacht of small dimensions, on
the distant horizon. Her intention ap
peared to be that of rounding the island,
and probably anchoring on the lee side
of it. She was in an ugly position, how
ever, and we all watched her very anXi
ously till darkness hid her from our view.
Iretired early, but sleep was out of the
question, for the wind ragged and howled
around the house like wild wolves. About
twelve O'clock the sound of gun fell on
my ears. | could not be mistaken, for the
windows ratified in sharp response.
| sprang from my couch, and began to
dress, and Immediately after my aged
relative entered my room. He looked
very serious.
"The yacht is on the Ba," he said, SOL
emnly.
They were words to me of fearful sig
nificance. The yacht, | knew, must soon
break up, and nothing could save the
crew.
Iquickly followed my relative into the
back drawing-room, where Maggie was
with her mother We gazed out into the