The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-08-27
nina and the East Indies, from the

not feel satisfied to become hsnermen
AS their fathers before them. 1t never
| seems to enter into any Of their heads
that there are other means OF !lyeli-
hood than these two Calllngs. Ihey
| cannot teal themselves away from
the sea altogether, however they may
abuse it. They inhale its salt breeze
with their earliest breathS, its foam
and spray beat on them, until 1t be-
comes part OF them, as 1t were, ara
they are as much creatures OF the
waves as the fishes that swim beneath
or the gulls that float above. SO 1t
was that when Willie grew discOntent-
ed with his earnings as a tisherman'ne
went to sea to make more money IN
the hope of wedding me the sooner
Il was not strong enough for Il hSh-
erman's wife, he said, "and he hoped
to be able to keep me like a lady,
Just asst | cared!
Though / was small | was not dell
cate, and could, and indeed did, car:
ry the creel as well as the best OF
them. For my mother married
again, and when she died there were
more little mouths to fill, and no one
but me to do it; for their father vas
a lazy, drunken gOod-for.nOthing, who
fell over the cliff one night when he
was rolling home from the "Old SHIP
Inn",and did no good after. Lucky
for them and for me, though it sounds
queer to say it, he did not live long
to be a burden; but we had some hard
times now and then, when the weather
was rough and there was no hsh to
sell. Only for the BARNS ! would
have been housemaid at the viCarage,
for which Miss Ashford had had me
trained before mother died, but |
could carr more money doing as the
rest did, and look after the little ones
at the same time.
The men favored me in the matter
of fish, because they thought | had a
stifish hill to climb, and | will say
that nobody was kinder than Edam
Carr. / believe he was really fond OF
me, and l often ~reproached myself
that l could not help shrinking from
him. But | was not alone III that
dread. They called him BLACK
Edam' for a nickname, because he
looked so grim and dour. None ofthe
men exchanged greetings with him
when he stalked along past their
friendly groups; nor did any of the
girls laugh and joke with him. With
one consent he was left alone.
Well. you see, here was a bond of
union between us in his eyes. They
looked on me as on one doomed, and
on him as one unlucky, or unhappy,
which means the same to them. Its
no use fightin' fate, Elsie!" he would
say, looking down at me with his
great gloomy eyes; 1--WE were made for
one another, WI two"
But | used to shake my head and
run away, though l dared not offend
him by contradicting him otherwise.
He got grimmer and blacker as time
went on, and l did not forget my
Willie, as perhaps Edam hoped |
should.
The weather was uncertain that
Autumn, and there was little depend
Enc on the fish. Somedays the boats
were not off at all, some days they
had nc fish when they landed. Igot
work where | could, but those three
mouths at nome took a lot of salts
Tying, and / often went to bed hungry
and cold along with them.
One afternoon Twas wandering rath-
er disconsolately on the beach, feeling
low and hopeless, wishing for Willie
and better days, when Edam, who was
busy in his boat, called me as | pass
ed by. elsie, come here and tell me
what you think o. my boat?" he cried
in a CHEEKY voice than usual,
and, glad to be good-natured when /
could, | stopped and admired the fine
new boat he had just bought with the
money an unlce had left him.
"But you've got no name for her,
| said at last; "what r you going to
call herr"
"That depends on you," he replied,
looking up quickly; eff yedon't object
/ would name her The Bonnie
Elsie?'n
That would never do / thought in a
minute, it would be all over the place
at once that Edam Carr had called
his boat after Elsie Wilson, and that
she vas "off with the old love and on
with the new
"You mustn't do that / demurred
as gently as / could; there's prettier
names and lasses, too, for that mat
ter, in the place."
His face changed for the worse in a
moment, and an angry light blazed in
his eyes.
"Ism not TO heve yer name, then,
forbye y~erself7"
ct wouldn't do, Edam; folks would
talk, and-and Willie might be vexed,o
| went on hesitatingly. What a cow
ard ! was to be sureI 1t was with the
greatest difficulty in the world / man
aged to bring out my real objection
Ard yo6I was oproud ofbeing Willie's
sweetheart.
Hes not yer man yet that he
should mind Edam replied sulkily,
and then under his breath, MAYBE
he never will be either