News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-09-04
THAT SEA GULL
RY EDWARD A. RAND.

BY EDWARD A. RAND.
He was listening to the low, cease
less monotone of the sea.
"It quiets me-" he said" it quiets
me. / am afraid of it, and yet love
it, and would hate to be away from
it. Don't you think sop
The boy said this to lifelong beach
grass that waved above the huge
hummock by the seattle beach
grass, that sure companion OF the
sand that the sea throws up and of
the winds that wander oyer the wide
blue spaces of water.
Then Arthur Haven pressed his hot
face down to thecool sand, for he had
been in disgrace at the old school
house beyond the marsh, and his
cheeks were flushed with shame. The
schoolmaster was William Borland,
a hard-working farmer in summer,
and a harsh teacher in winter.
"Master Borland" had given his or
ders that there should be no "throw-
in things" Looking away from his
scholars, then suddenly turning, he
caught sight of the swing of an arm.
"Who threw that?' he bawled.
Nobody answered, and, indeed, no
body had thrown anything An arm
had gone through the motion of
sling when active, but no missile had
been sent.
at was you, Arthur Haven't
"No, sir"
The arm so unluckily raised had
been swung in Arthur's neighbor-
hood, but it was not Arthur's arm.
"Don't tell lieT'
II don't, sir
81 would excuse the throwin', for
you've not been caught in a misde-
meanor before; but | let no scholar
tell me lie. Step this way, sir!''
Arthur's face was white as the foam
upon the seashore. III daze he
started to meet the dragon down on
the floor before the desks.
''Tell him you did, and save lick
in'p' was the advice whispered by ii
pitying gneighbor behind his big atlas.
"That would be way out of
trouble-confession !" thought Ar
thur
He was not a strong lad. Physi-
cally, he shrank from that huge ma
hogany ruler. with which Master
Borland" boasted he could fetch
such clips that a boy wouldn't want
two of 'em in one day"
But Arthur looked out of a window
that fronted the great sea rolling
away toward that misty horizon-ring
which every sailor saw and chased,
though he never came up with it.
Arthur caught a glimpse, too, of a
sail. 1t made him think of Ben, his
big, strong brother Ben, who had
gone in the "Sea Gull" down the
Banks after cod. Then Arthur seem
ed to hear Ben's ringing, resonant
voice-"If you think you're right
Art, don't you finch That what we
want in this world-courage to stick
to what is right and manfully take
the consequences. Don't finch, Art y
So Arthur, whose frame had droop
ed, stood up straight, seeing that
white sail on the blue sea, and looked
the master in the eye, and took, with
out a cry, the heavy cut of the ma
hogany ruler.
But now that the boy was alone OF
the sand hummock, there was a crav
ing for sympathy. Somehow the sef
gave it, took up his sorrow, voiced
it, and. in far-eXtending, husheC
moan, soothed and comtorted him
One day he had been where he coulC
not hear the roll of the waves up th
gray sands. He was glad to get bacl
and once more listen to this strang
voice of the power dreaded by hin
and yet so fascinating, both stimu
lating and restful.
But he could not stay always on ;
sand hummock and talk to beach
grass, and, in turn, let the sea talk t.
him. He arose and slowly walked to
ward a cluster of houses at the ex
tremity of a long pine forest stretch
ing by the sea.
Any news by the mail from Be
today" he asked, entering the HON
of his grandparents, with whom h
lived
"Nothin'," replied the kindly voic
of an old man, his grandfather, 9Th
'Sea-Gull has gone beyond her time.
Arthur knew that Ere this he
sails ought to have been furled at til
pier in the little harbor whose water
: rippled within stones throw.
Anybody been in Maggie's? h
asked
Nobody"
Then-then / guess / will go"
Every day they reported the new
or the lack of it, to young woma
with a fair face, with deep brown eye
and softly shaded golden tresse
Maggie Armour was Ben's betrOtheC
Another suitOr was persistent in h
attentions, claiming that the "Sei
Gull would never return. Beside
the pedagogue carried in a saving
bank somewhere heavy enough funC
to weigh down the mortgage on I'll
Armour farm. The father of Magg
well understood this, and echoe
Il Master Borland's grim prophec.
' ''The Sea-Gull will never con
back"
Arthur never heard Maggie ta'
that way.
81 like Maggie" he would oftt
say.
She would sometimes detain hi