Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-05-20

he ran along at her side.
The officers gently tried to take her away
from him. He would not part with her
for one moment till the plank was being
drawn up from the shore. She said good
bye mechanically. She seemed not to quite
feel or to wholly understand how dreadful
it was. She sat gazing out at sea as her
father and brother said farewell and tore
themselves away. Her eyes were quite
dry.
Let US hope for her hearts sake that the
good God had made it numb and incapable
of feeling all that her father and brother
felt. And yet had a half suspicion, as she
held her face still and steadily to the sea,
that she was only assuming not to feel, in
order that they might not suffer so much.
The ship turned around as it swung out to
sea, and she was hidden from view for
while as she sat in her little chair on deck.
Then we saw her once more, and for the
last time. Her little muffied hand cameup
and she turned her face down and in against
the back of the chair, and did not move
any more.
"Oh, if could only have buried her in
the ground! Oh, if could only have kept
her here till l died! I will not, 1 cannot
stay here, will 60 and die with my little
girl" murmured the poor man, as he at
last left the wharf and wandered on up to-
wards his home.
The little brother still clutched his coat
and ran alongside of his father sobbing at
every step.
Soon after this the father, in the hope of
finding some relief, took service under the
Government, and went off on a mission
somewhere, and l saw him no more for
years.
But in few days after the ship sailed
away for the leper colony, l wentup to see
the boy. What was my horror to find that
he, too, had hand bandaged! He seemed
disinclined to talk, and l went away, leav-
| ing him trying to amuse himself with the
two big black dogs in the backyard by a
pond of water. I saw him, 1 think, only
twice after that. The first time very soon,
but he seemed to be nursing a grief too
great for words, and l did not venture to
talk to him about his sister.
| 1t is said that he reported himself to the
Government as leper, and by some means
he was enabled to leave on the same ship
on which his sister had gone.
You can we'll imagine the meeting of
brother and sister in that strange place.
These gentle islanders are great letter-wri-
ters, and you may be sure she knew of his
coming.
was up at the house the day before he
was to sail for the colony. had never seen
him looking so we'll. He was in better
spirits than he had been since his sister had
been taken from him, and for the first time
he talked to me freely. He was going to
take the two big dogs with him. This he
told me with infinite glee, and brought in
the dogs from the back yard and showed me
how he would couple them together so that
they would not leap from the ship and swim
back to shore. And I admit that almost
cried with delight with him thinking how
happy she would be to see the great strong,
painting, red-mouthed dogs once more, and
ride on their backs with her brother.
/ did not see him sail away. The depar-
ture of his little sister had been quite
enough for me. And then l never abso-
lutely loved him as loved her.
After about five years Of wandering
through the world, l met the father of these
children in San Francisco, whittier he had
now been sent in the service Of his Govern
ment, and / eagerly asked about his chill
dren in the leper colony.
"Dead!"
"Yes"
"They were drowned. You see he was
all right, ,-but'--
"What! He all right? He not leper?"
"No, my friend. No more a leper than
you or l. did not know what he was do
ing, for wasn't there. But know now.
1t is supposed that he was trying to steal
his sister away by some floating contri-
vance he had made, and both were drown
ed, and their faithful dogs with them. All!
but they were good children, and may the
Lord keep them, where disease can never
come with Him forever.'