Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1886-03-06
4 WINTERS TALE,
BY GORDON STABLES, NJ. D., II. N.

BY GORDON STABLES, NJ. D., Il. N.
There was man of the world, or seafarer,
written in every line and lineament of his
bold brown face. Nothing of the Jack"
about him, however; nothing of the "com-
mon sailor" Though dressed from cap to
boots in pilot cloth, you could see at a
glance he was a gentleman. We met on
cold, snowy winter forenoon at the corner
of King street, Aberdeen. 1t was a rough
meeting, for gust of northeast wind caugh.
mo and flung me against him. apologized,
and was cheerfully forgiven. | had time
to cast one glance at the lady who leaned
on his arm before tl.ey went on. How much
out of place she seemed, abroad in such
weather! | mentally remarked upon her
seeming fragility and-pardon me--hes
beauty; but her face was very pale, and he,
dark eyes shone like diamonds. Yet hers
was beauty of another cline. Was she
Spanish, Tyrolese, Italian? | could moi
guess; but how different she looked from
the rose-lipped lasses that passed up and
down the street, whose fresh complexion,
biting Boreas seemed but to brighten and
purify.
81 shall meet that pair again somewhere
i'll the world" | said to myself as l wrapped
my plaid more tightly round my chest and
walked on.
l did meet them again, and sooner than
had expected.
Business was taking me TO Peterhead thu
very next day, and | had hardly been seated
II minute in my second-class compartment;
before my friends-for l had really begun
to look upon them as such-entered and,
with a pleasant nod and smile of recog-
milton, sat down opposite.
At Dycc, where we changed carriages. we
Indeed, there We're but few passengers in
the train at all. The storm" was deep
in the country. That portion of Aberdeen
shire that skirts the German Ocean is fiat
and bleak at all times, but | had never seen
it look SO dreary as it did to-day. Tho
snow laden wind howled across it, and the
leaden- blue sky could seldom be seen. 1t
made one shiver to look out through the
carriage window, especially when one
thought of the storm tossed sea that lay
just beyond the woodland yonder, its foam
ing waters breaking ceaselessly ON the
frozen sands. The short afternoon wore to
close, and night was falling dark and
swiftly when the train perceptibly slackened
speed. The breathing of the sturdy engine
became more and more labored, and finally
ceased.
We were stuck In great wreath or bank
of snow. Now we could hear the terrible
raging of the snow tempest and the sad
wall of the wind. We waited and waited a
weary time-it seemed quite two hours
before creature, more like Greenland
bear than auGht else, so fmred with snow
was it, opened the door and peeped in. Il
was the guard. We were miles from sta
ton, lie told us: we could not return and it
might be many hours before We were re-
lieved-dug out The prospect was far
oh h,f t1,a I,.,,, 90
water for our feet, and a lamp. We mus
keep the lamp warm, he said, or the oil
would freeze; so we rolled the top Of it up
in spare shawl and put it in a corner. Il
was kind of company to us, as the guard
had said it would be.
We talked for bours. Then we curled
un ii corners and tried t. sleep. In vain
The window ratified iii {! the sn0w siftcd H.
We were obtigt d to tear up our newspapers
and stuff the cr vices.
dozed at last, and awoke, shiveling, in
the dark. The Gil Was frozen. Lu. kily
had my rayeling reading lamp, and | lit
that. But how intensely silent it was The
wind had surely gone down, nor was it SO
cold. The truth WIS, as We afterward dis
covered, We were showed over-ind .ed, the
cutting was filed in which the train had
stuck. When We pulled down the window.
there was the snow. We could thrust our
aims through it, or rather far into it.
We Lad some tea, which we tried to heat
Tor the gentle lady over the candle of the
lamp, and succeeded. | ritisd her; but
wrapped in her plads and rugs, she seemed
happy and smiling.
Was it strange ihtt so situated, this sea-
farer AID | should b gin to talk about the
sunny shore AID | lac sparkling seas of the
Indian Ocean?
1T was there. on the coast Of Africn."
said the selfayey, that l wooed and won
my wife here. My wooing eliminated with
bit of an adventure"
"Do tel me-" | said; "and make it as
long rs You possibly can. Spin it out.
Dwell long st ON the pr ttiest parts of it,"
He laughed and compiled. But L must
here make his Sorry sh r,er.
Although ne said, Il am by profession
sailor, still | Relieve I could make my
living on land ldeed, he added, gianc-
ing atleationately ut the Pretty face thai
peered out from the bundle IF plaids and
shawls in the corLcr, IL am not sure that
have not promised to try to do so, a, all
events. Blu four years ago | was not
benedict. was free to rove anywhere in
all the word, and rove | did. had COM
mand of tiny steam ocean va hit, Ct
which | was also hllf-owner. She was
broal in the beam, but of no great
Griueh precisely the kind Of vessel to
explore the is rivers of Africa with.
"Ah! sir, there i money to be made by
that sort of trade, and pleasure to be had,
too. What was my cargo? A very pretty
one, can assure you; il consisted Of ivory,
lions and l-oparls' skins, gum copll,
spiees of all kinds, and, last but not least,
glld-1ua."
In addition to these oddments, need
hardly tell you that NC laid In n good store