The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-01-12
THE ADVENTURE OF A DAY.

Two friends who wander 10y the shore
Look not upon the self same seiis,
Hearing two voices in the roar,
Because Of different memories.
For him whose love tho sea hath drowned
II means the music Of his wrong;
For him whose life with love IL crowned
II breaks upon the beach in song
u. d. s.
To many OF us life is not unlike tho alpha
bet game of anagrams. We arc given a Few
letters, and out of them we spell what we can.
Sometimes we fail entirely; fate gives us
all consonants; or, if we have vowels also,
we are stupid and do not see combinations,
and it il confusion to tho end. Sometimes
we get the wrong word, and find "evil' where
we should havo spelled "live" Such mis-
takes give false keynote, and our days never
come into tune as they should; but, good or
bad, life allows us TO do our own spelling
When John Elliot was Extraordinarily
an uncle died and left him $500. In itself
$500 is not to be despised, but II il always too
much or TOO little for u working basis For
a year John reflected on the question what
he should do with it, and then no decided 10
go 10 Europe Tho matter seemed simple
enough 70 him. AS a capital for business tho
legacy WIS meager, and it was too much TO
fritter away In fractions. II he kept it for a
rainy day, how was no TO know that no
should not have the luck of tho old woman
who saved her supper for her breakfast and
died before morning, But If II man Is TO live
in tho world, surely he should SEQ it, and what
Is easier 60 do when ono Is four-and-twenty,
untrammeed, and full Of good health and
spirits, and with purse In the pocketi
SO John took "A years holiday from his law
studies AID sailcl to Hlvre, and he staid
away twelve months and sixteen days, and in
that tiilD he saw much and had many adj
ventures. But as his fortune was small and
Europe is large, he had TO make his own legs
carry him over great doal of ground
One day in the fall of the year, when tho
chestnuts wero riponing, John was walking
along a narrow dehlG in the mountains OF tho
Sierra Nevada. Fur above him rose the
rocks, hare and stony; but his own path was
shaded 10y trees, and ha walked over grassy
WAYS. Quito early in the day he sat down by
a brook which ran down stony and precip-
itous bed, and lot the peace and rest of tho
silence bring him dreams If no had but
known it, upon this very stone there once had
Bat Moorish knight, wounded in tho fight in
tho dolle Here his squire had unbuckled bis
visor and watched the death shadow--which
is always gray-stcaI over his face But of
this John knew nothing, and he COntGntedly
whisied as no sat there; and if he thought of
Christian aad SSaraccn it was only in refer
enco to Granada. 10 which he was going. He
thought Of robbers, but he was as ignorant of
them as Of Moors, and feared them as little;
and indood IN all his walking he never met
bandit After time he arose, and to the
tune Of "Aunio Laurie took up his march
again; and II there is better test for
whistler than Is this tune do not know it,
Suddenly no heard shout from the rocks
above, and looking up he saw Spanish sailor
waving his hand.
John had gone to Europe knowing no Ian
guage but lis own, but he had picked up n
few Pie scs IN Spanish, and so he called back
and SAID he thanked the gentleman very
much. IL was not, perhaps, n very apt reply,
but John had not understood what tho sailor
had said, and the phrase sounded well, and
had tho advantage of being In tho language
of the country. The sailor was, however,
not satisfied, aud again no called, and this
time job, assured him that all re, John,
owned was at the distinguished gentlcman's
service But oven this did not please the
who then thought il wise TO run
down and joiu John, and thus try tho effect
of a nearer intercourse. llo was n handsome
young man, little ollar than John, and his
clothes were So beautiful in color and SO well
suited To- show or his vigorous figure and fine
face that John wished himself an artist, so
that he might make study of 50 clean and
picturesque q subject. Yet it would have
been moro % tho purpose had he been a lin
guist, because then he could have answered
the sailor who seemed to he in doubt about
the rund 1t would, however, have been
of no use 60 have understood Spanish, the
sailors command of that language being
even more limited than Johns wns But the
sailor stammercl along until John betook
himself TO his own language and said he was
an American, and spoke only ENGLISH AT
this the sailor smiled, seeming well pleased,
but he replied IN German. 1hon they looked
at each other and laughed, and began TO
walk on side by side OF course they talked,
and were very polite to each other, and
seemed amused and pleased to be together, 80
II mattcrel ittle that they did not under
stand each other But this will happen
when takers speak the same language and
even II wo use the best English there are
times when our nearest friends do not COM
prehend Us, and their Interpretation of what
We say Is astonishing To he believed
But these two young fellows had no fear Of
being misunderstood, fancying that neither
was understood at all They told each other
Btories, ana laughed together, and pointed
out what they lied, and grumbled over what
they did not They gathered chestnuts and
acorns as two children might, aud about noon
they lunched together under the shadow of
rock on which a pine tree grew. When they
opened their lnapsacks, and one brought out
wine ard the other olives 30 eat with their
bread and cheese, each nodded approval, and |
ike good fellows made FREQ Of each others |
being sure Of welcome. Then the |
,aiIor took up some salt and laid it In the |
palm Of his hand, and John taking pinch |
rom it, the two Of them ate salt together, |
md the German embraced the American,
md they both again laughed But really the
Iir was 50 exhiiarating, and they were both |
o young, and full Of vitality and happiness,
hat they laughed as babies cry, because 1t |
va the thing they could most easily do.
Whether the sailors road was the same q