St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-08-25
IN ONE SHORT YEAR!


/, me ''Mrs. Capt. Gordon" and dressed
me in all the imaginable embroidery
and jewels that young sailor might
find in India for his sweetheart. At
! last we left Elysium lin the form of
/ very uncomfortable but most romantic
hut in the depths of glen), and found
ourselves one June evening being well
/ coined back to our rooms in Edinburgh
by Mrs. NichOll, whose gray curls fairly
bristled with Importance and pleas
ure as she showed lis to our part of
/ her tinv house. Christie, in gown
! that cracked with starch, lowered in
4 the doorway to share in the pride of her
mistress as we exclaimed, and praised
and wondered over everything. Those
! two devoted women must have spent
/ our whole honeymoon in grand clean
fling and super-poliShing, for the furni-
/ ture almost blinded us by its brilliancy.
They had bought yards of cheap white
muslin and blue ribbons to convert
Dicks bachelor room into bower for
fhis bride.
That very evening Dick wrote to his
uncle about the promised appointment,
giving his reasons (me) for desiring to
increase his income as quickly as posi-
BILE.
Our favorite recreation during the
summer was to stroll in the evening on
the outskirts of Edinburgh. We studied
| the exterior of small houses. furnishing
them from our large stock OF magma
| ton. and placing ourselves as finish
! ing touch, now in the bow window of
that little drawing room. now sitting on
that green bench ia the small garden.
But always together, my darling-al-
WAYS together!
! At last Dick heard that in month he
! would be called upon to make the vOy-
age to Bombay as first officer on board
one of the splendid ships with which
| his uncle's firm was connected. He
must go alone, and my heart dropped
| within me as | thought of the separa-
| ton from my dearest, and the perilS of
| his journey. He only thought of me-.
/ "Ah. how can | leave you. my pretty
Nancy?" he cried; .'you will grow pale
and i'll, and shall not be there to COM
| fort you. What selfish brute [ was to
take you from your home and bring all
| this trouble upon your
| soothed him with brave words and
told him how happy | should be with
Mrs. NichOll and Christie. l promised
| to take care of my health for his sake,
and assured him that all would go well
! with me. He might be. back early in
April, he said. and this was December.
He was terribly moved at our parting.
and as he strained me to his heart in a
last embrace, he murmured:
God help me! l will come back to
you, my pretty; l will come back to my
| Nancyr'
Then, gently unclasping my hands
from his neck, he placed me in Mrs.
Nichols motherly arms and rushed
RI, re-
bless him OH the staircase, and Strug-
gled up to the window in last attempt
to smile down on his pale, upturned
face and troubled gray eyes, as he
looked his final farewell. Then l slid
quietly to the floor in my first fainting
~
More than three months had passed
since my dear husband SO Temorsely
and anxiously left me. Three months
which held much loneliness, much suf
i.fering, and in the END much joy.
7 was inordinately proud of my baby
boy; but my pride was as nothing COM
Iipared to that of Mrs. Nicholl and Chris
bite. They worshiped him, and often
hand, hanging oyer the cradle in speech
less admiration when she was supposed
to he polishing an already shining
room. Mrs. Nichols understood ba-
bies," and was Invaluable to me i'll my
ignorance, and happy in imparting
motherly advice.
For some time my heart had been
strangely stirred toward my own father.
:, | used to sit sewing, after Dick left
home, pondering ON the wonderful
feelings that move a fathers and moth
aer's love toward their helpless little
| ones. Had my father felt thus toward
me? Had my lovely mOther-whose
| portrait hung in my room in my old
!, home, but whose living face | had. alas!
! never looked upon-felt those warnings
to clasp me in her arms which. for her,
| we're never gratified2 All! how cruel
and heartless it must seem, when your
baby grows up, for 1t to desert you as |
had deserted my father.
Influenced by these feelings, wrote
him letter. begging him to come and
see me or even to send me word of
! forgiveness. but my letter was returned
to me unopened. Some mutual friends
! of ours in Edinburgh told me that my
| father never mentioned my name: that
he secluded himself i'll his house and
grounds; never paid or received visits.
and snubbed persistently the many gal
one, or all, of her ugly daughters upon
his hearth. They told me also that he
was changed-looked old and grey-and
! took life with liStless indifference
| strange in such an active man. After
| an interval of some months / wrote
again to him. telling him, with all
| young mothers pride, of my baby. The
boy was remarkably like my father.
| having great dark eyes and stubble OF
black hair-that looked old ..onshis tiny
| baby head. My letter was not returned
this time, but no answer came.
Dick had written to me from every
! port they touched at on his way out.
| We had telegraphed our good news
| from Edinburgh, and now he was on his
way home. Any hour | might get a
telegram to say the ship had arrived.
| Then knew no train could bring him
| fast enough to my side. My heart beat
I fast and my color rose as thought OF
| his Joy when he should clasp Jus" in
| his arms. | ran to the mirror to see if
! his pretty Nancy" had lost any of her
| good looks. l cared only for his sake
| he was so proud of my beauty. yface
| looked thinner, but my dark eyes shOne
| bright with mother love; and certainly
a fine color adorned my cheeks as Mrs.
/ Nicholl came into the room i'll time to
F.! catch me smiling at my own reflection.
| She had come to advise me Ito look
over Mr.. Gordon's clothes and air them
| bit at the fire: for no doubt the sea
| air would have spoiled all The things,
| and he would want "a change when he
I. came home"
I To this delightful task set myself
with alacrlty. hanging various blue fan
! mel garments with brass button on
row of chairs near the fire. As turned
OUT dear Dicks coats and neckties,
|, which had not had the heart to look at
since he left. felt as if his presence
F were very near to me now. One great
pilot coat looked so like Dick himself
1 that, after hugging it warmly. con-
tceived the brilliant idea of spreading it
on the bed and laying my baby in it
I Just to see how he looked. The boy
/, fought with me manfully, and refused
| to have his fat, notified hand thrust
T under the rough sleeve, but catching
f-sight of the bright gold buttons he
| le,, frboJ opd oooo1 nharminUlv to thpm