New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1891-09-16

the tumult Of her full delight, q faint
| admixture of regret or uncertainty,
she started, as the door, opened by a
servant, admitted the preserver Of her
| mother-the old playfellow of her
early days.
Meanwhile, explanations had at
length been entered upon; briefly as
mig hit be, yet to the full, probing, with
| brave hand, each his share in that
fostering wound which had cankered
so large a portion OF husbands and
wife's best days.
Aaron told how, when he had fled
! from his cottage that fearful night, he
| had, in utter recklessness, rushed
down to the lone public-house, the
| Peep-o'-Day, here, seeking to drown
thought and misery, he drank deeply
-Meghorn soon after coming in. The
other, stung by his wife's words, by
former suspicion, and heated by LID
uor, had assailed him with fierce
threats OF vengeance; at which the
pirate sneeringly jeered, adding by
| dark inuendoes, to the fire which he
already saw to be consuming the heart
OF the unhappy fisherman.
Together they quilted the house.
both had drunk deeply, but Saul was
himself. Aaron, unused to excess,
was far from being so.
| Away, out upon the cliff, the raging
sea below-above only the angry and
implacable skies-the quarrel was re-
newed-God alone knew with what
cruel intent, on the part OF one who
will never to mans ear confide the
| truth.
Suffice to say that he goaded the
husband to madness by villainous
and false assertions against his poor
young wife; and by a last most foul
| lnslnuatlon, SO wrought upon the lat
ter, that at a bound, Aaron sprang
upon him, and but for his vast
strength Saul had been hurled to the
rocks below A struggle followed,
sharp but brief. Aaron fell, but caught
at the twigs and ferns. where, for a
brief minute, he clung suspended over
the awful precipice beneath.
The fend at the elbow OF Saul
prompted him. Swift as light the
cruel sword sprang from the scabbard,
and descended upon the wrist of the
hapless Aaron, which it severed. He
fell crashing down the face of the per-
pendicular cliff, but hung hallway in
the thick clustering shrubs, and so
from point to point his fall was brok-
en-, and even in that moment of agony
he retained presence of mind enough
| to avail himself of a well-knOwn thick
ly-wooded niche into which he crept;
but tainted from agony and loss Of
blood. There through that night he
lay racked with agony worse than
death, while the storm ragged without,
and the fends of jealousy and despair
held possession OF his heart.
"God forgive me-" Franklen went
on, 'for the base suspicious I dared
give ear to against you, Nelly; re-
solved that from that day l would
be dead to you. Early in the next
days dawn I flung away my outer
clothing into the sea, that you should
just believe HE lost, and follow-oh,
forgive me, dear wife-what I believed
your desire. I travelled on foot round
by the rocks when the tide was up,
and none came that way, to the
fort.
"There had my hand dressed; and
there was taken with a. fever, that
kept me three months in the hospital.
told a false tale Of whom was.
Heaven knows did not care what I
! did; Iprayed might never get well, but
the: Lord knew best, Nelly,
"Then l began to cast about for
something to do, but it was a hard
matter for a poor manned fellow like
me. At last a man I'd known when I
was in those years before, got me a
berth on board an outward bound
ship as steward. 1t was by favor
quite; but I-got hardy after bit, and
did almost as we'll as with two hands.
II was a favorite, too, with the
captain, and we got like friends, the
voyage out; but Wesparted, for was
not coming home again, and the next
trip took me off to Africa.
nights and days of such agony that I
cannot but wonder kept my senses.
And with it all there was the horrid
doubt-for I could not be certain that
it was true, | could not bring myself
to think"
"Oh, if you had but come" she sigh
en-.
81 did, wife; 1 did. God help me! ]
cOuldbtar 1t no longer, and did return
took passage in a fast sailer, too, and
came to the old place with a tantalis.
ing hope at my heart. Oh, Nelly,
heard you were married to him!-fo1
the story was known miles round
It didn't need I should come to Sand
come. I learned you had q child
they said his. asked no more; Twas
' off again like a madman-wild, reck
less. Well, we'll, the Lord helped me
in his mercy, that should do moth
ing disgraceful. It was hard time
but we will not talk Of it," ..
He went on to tell her how he hac
again left the country, and had en-
countered hardships. by sea and land
how, while away beyond the Atlantic
a good old friend, the captain with
whom he had sailed, and who knew
his history, had died in his arms, an6
Aaron was deputed his messenger