The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-11-17
A NAN1AKESE LEGEND.
The Story Of Two Rocky Islands
Of tho Sea.

line of the cape, while Nantal1ese is a
faint, sandy blur on its eastern horizon.
Thirty miles apart in one direction, the
orbit of the earth in the other, and yet
when storms rage in either way are
they equally near and distant for COM
munication is deemed an impossibility.
In the leisurely days before the civil
war, Peter Mott and Reuben Balm, two
fishermen, dwelt side by side on one of
the lanes of Nantakese. They owned
a sloop together, and what with fishing
and plotting and wrecking, snatched a
common livelihood from the sea. If
there was still another means of sub
sistence it was no ones business except
kept it to themselves, for Peter was the
gruffest, most taciturn man on the
island excepting his partner, Reuben.
The reason for this exception was that
Peters wife was still living, and while
she was silent and self-contained, she
insisted on knowing his secrets, and as
her advice was shrewd and provident
he, with Reuben's consent, confded
them to her.
Reuben was a widower, as a man of
his nature would surely be shortly after
marriage He had an only child, son,
the cause of his most expressive curses,
for little Matthew was a strange lad,
and Reuben had neither intelligence
nor patience for enigmas, and a pale
shrinking boy who was afraid of the
storm, who would rather read than
sail, and who, above all things, wanted
to play with girl, was most disa-
greeable enigma to him. Probably he
would have solved it in some such vio-
lent way as Alexander did the Gordian
knot, had not the girl so desired been
Mary Mott, the only child of Peter and,
what was more to the purpose, of
Peters wife.
Reuben regarded this woman with all
the awe of which he was capable, for
she excelled in the qualities he adj
mired, and so when she tersely warned
him Ito let that boy be and give me the
managing or I'll make the sea too light
for you," he surlily abandoned the
pleasurable daily habit of beating his
boy and left him to his own devices
And thereafter these two children,
Mary and Matt were together the i've
long day, on the beach, in the shallow
pools. and high on the western bluffs.
The island was their wonderland, and
hand in hand they explored it. But it
was little Mary who was the pioneer
and Matt who was the settler. 1t was
she who sought and he who found
The one did, the other pondered, yet
action and thought were harmonious
and mutual. The boy was dependent,
the girl reliant. He loved life because
of her; she loved him because of life.
From childhood into youth they ad-
vanced, still hand in hand; but the girl
walked in the sunshine, the boy in the
shade. He never wanted another COM
panion; she would not endure one. In
the open air she naturally led, as he
did in the school-room, yet in both
they kept an equal pace. Mary was
swift of foot and agile of hand. She
could run, sail and swim with the most
expert. Matt was studious and intel
lectual. His preceptor read up nerv-
ously against his questions, and assert
ed the boys genius for the natural
sciences. And so at play he was her
care, at work she was his charge. She
taught him the mysteries of wind and
tide and rigging. He wrote her exer-
cises and raped out answers during
her recitations in the Morse alphabet
on his slate. Little did he think when
he painfully taught her the system that
the time would come when it would
prove the only light of despair.
Then, when their school days were
over and Matt was tall, thin, cadav-
erous young man, and Mary a brown
and rosy embodiment of all womanly
charms, there came a dread full time
Two events happened-the one conse-
quent on the other. Mrs. Mott died
and the partners quarreled; quarreled
as they often had over the division of
spoils, but now with no prudent mon
itor to bring them together again;
quarreled with fierce vows of separa-
tion which each was headstrong enough
to keep. The sloop was sold and
through trick Peter obtained its pos
session. The men met and fought and
Reuben was worsted. To be beaten in
traffic and strength was beyond his en-
durance. The madness of anger be-
came the madness of revenge. He
owned place on Macbeth island, and
thither he retired, for once considering
his son, for he knew by taking him
away he would wound his enemy's
daughter.
1t was the last evening of Matt's stay
on Nantakese, and Mary and he We're
seated on the bluff, the one bold por-
ton of the islands coast line. The
west was aglow with fading light. On
the base of the arc was a spot, as if the
artist while painting had touched his
hand.
There is the cliff of Ma boeth," said
Matt, where my future home, my
prison, will be. Whenever you look
toward it, Mary, be it night or day, you
will know that my heart is striving and
signing for you"
Poor Mattr' sighed the girl "You
are man. Must you go? Can't we go
together, you and l, somewhere-any-
where, out into the world?"
Matt mothers nature trembled
within him. II dare not" he faltered.
"How could escape him now? He is
bound to take me out of very spite.
After little he will ignore ME, and
then will be our chance. Besides, how
could we live?"
81 could work.
AYE, and could die for shame. No,
will first perfect my ideas, I will con-
tinue my Investigations, Out of them
will come fortune, and oh! that for
tune means you, dear. One little detail,
and ] have the invention of the age.