Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-05-17

incident of Importance. A high-fitting |
dress, and foulard carefully adjusted /
and continually worn, prevented the pecul- |
far color OF Mab's neck from being much /
noticed But her tall stature, splendid |
proportions. and powerful face, and, am |
bound to add, her somewhat imperiouS |
manner, could not escape observation: and |
owing to the acuteness of her senses she
often overheard remarks, complimentary
and the reverse, which gave her more an
noyance than amusement. For this rea-
son, and for others which will suggest
themselves to the reader, / decided to
leave her in London while | went to Liv-
erpool to see my mother and inform her or
what had happened to me. But ON my
arrival thither found, to my great grief,
that she had died few weeks previously.
1t was. however, a consolation to know
that her death was in no way connected
with nv absence; it arose from an organic
complaint of long standing, and up to the
last moment of her life she had cherished
the hope of seeing me again.
After settling her affairs and calling on
poor Mrs. Peyton, | rejoined my wife, and
we left London Immediately. Although
the great city interested her much. she
found life there intolerable, and was be-
never-ceasng din distressed her beyond
measure; she could hear voices through an
ordinary wall as distinctly as | could hear
them through a paper partition; hear
cough in the attic, a ticking watch in the
basement. In the hotels at which we
stayed had to engage the rooms both
above and below ours, and on either side
of them, in order that they might be unoc-
Upt r
noises outside, nor purify the air inside;
and the queens sense OF smell being as
acute as her other senses, she suffered even
more from the evil odors of London than
its incessant racket. So for the short re-
mainder Of our stay in England | took
furnished villa near Penmaenmawr, where
the only sounds which Nab was compelled
to hear were the murmur of the waves,
the soughing of the wind, and the singing
of birds, and where the air, though less
balmy, was as pure as that of Fair Island
itself
Before leaving London / sold some fifty
thousand pounds worth of pearls, and pur-
chased such things as Nab thought her
people most required.
To the managing owners OF the "Diana,"
l RENTED a bank draft for the declared
value of her cargo, with no other explana-
ton than that, although the ship herself
had become a total wreck. | had been SO
fortunate as to dispose of the cargo for an
amount that, | was glad to think, would
recoup the underwriters the greater part
of the claims for which they were liable.
To one friend only-an old school-fellow
whom accidentally met in LondOn-did l
introduce my wife and tell my story. To
this gentleman, moreover, my book. II J
may call it mine will owe its existence.
Himself pressman and writer of stories,
| he was good enough to say that my per-
sonal narrative, put into proper shape"
might make a readable book; and he Of
fered, if | would give him the necessary
particulars, to act as its literary sponsor,
| and see the work through the press. Nab
and |, after some hesitation, agreed to this
proposal, making it, however. an impera-
tive condition that the precise whereabouts
of the island should on no account be dis
closed-for the present.
The first and greater part Of my MARIA
tive was then taken down in shorthand;
| the remainder | have written on the voy-
| age out; and as | add these lines, Bolsover
| IS waiting with the "Sunfiower" to convey
| US and q second consignment of horses to
Fair Island.
In the not distant future Ihope that Nab
| and may have so far overcome her peo-
| ple's prejudice against strangers, and their
| love of isolation, that we shall be permit
| ted to say where we are, and in some fu-
! ture edition of ga Queer Race" invite
those of my readers who may feel so dis
| posed to pay us visit in our island home.
| THE END