The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-08-10
A MORAvIAN BRIDE.

NtDQytbt anu tuo butnuAuohp oobfAht bcu4A7
ingly entrnnced, rests from It's labors and
lovingly laps the shore.
In one OF the broad channels between
the thousand rocky isles which gird tho
main large brig lay becalmed. Her sails
hung idly from the yellow yards, and the
helmsmnn no longer maintained q protense
Of directing her.
In the vessels waist the captain,
bachelor Of 40 years, promenaded back and
forth with young woman, who lightly
rested a gloved hand on his arm.
$50 you have never seen his photo
graphf" ho asked.
mo; not even that, she answered ab-
sently.
"You know no more Of him than merely
this; That he Is yet in his novitlate, acting
as keeper Of the mission store; that he is
"a and wants wife and Is willing to &C.
cept the bishops choice. Yet you come
across the seq to share his lot; to sacrifice
your inclinaticns and desires; to bury
yourself for life In this wild land"
"a sacrifice it may be, sir" she said.
"How great / did not feel when we set
sail"
A wave Of hope and passionate longing
flooded the captains heart. 1t shone from
his clear brown eyes as he turned TO faee
her.
at Is too great sacrifice. - he said, with
warmth. "The pity Of 1t, and there Ia one
would give'--
She looked at him strangely and with
drew her hand.
"You forget sirl" she interrupted. "Ib
is the bishops will. He holds my promise
made before the church. did not know
then oil 1t meant to me, but had time
for thought and was not urged. 1t is my
duty and my work in life"
- .l..A-- L..
"No, mol" she broke in hurriedly.
"You are a valued servant of our church.
Your Christian duty is to help me-"
MY duty as q mani
But she disappeared within the compan-
ion way, and, vexed, he turned inpatient
ly to the lounging helmsman, severely>re-
calling him 10 his neglected post.
In the solitude Of her cabin she flung
herself upon accustomed locker, the cap
tain's words still ringing in her ears. He
loved herl OF that she felt assured. And
she- But, mol She must not, dare not
think of that
Could 1t be mistaken sense of dutyf
She was tho daughter of missionaries, gen.
Grafton upon generation, and following in
the very footsteps her mother traced a score
Of years before. Although she had lived at
home but till tho age Of 2, she remembered
as though 1t were but yesterday the story
of her mothers early life, as she herself
had told 1t, and narrowly the girl compar-
| ed that life with what her own had been,
seeking to find some iot of difference.
She know the harmony of her parents
lives, each kind and thoughtful Of the 9TH
er's veal, their only sorrow tho parting
from their child. and this they both agreed
was wise and best. How else could chill
dren of the Wilderness be fitted for useful
| uvesp 1t was o rule dictated by the church,
| to which they owed obedience as saliva
tion's price.
These mission born children were edu-
Gated by the church in the belief that duty
to 1t was paramount The wishes of its
| clergy wero commands, the bishops will
| an edict from on high. The boys were
trained to I'LL their fathers places, the girls
to make the missionaries wives, the men
to take what wives the church bestowed,
the women to marry without choice such
husbands as tho bishop might award.
And that the church had wisdom on its
| side was proved by the universal happiness
to which those thus united testified.
And yet she could not reconcile herself
| Her innate modesty reyolted at the gross
idea of surrendering to perfect strangers
will. How could she fail to hate him, to
despise this man, who, without ono spark
I
willingly forfeit all noble sentiments Of
mind and heart and selfshly debase him
self and her pure young womanhoodp
And she herself would make this union
possible
| An overpowering loathing of herself
possessed her with the thought, a terror she
strove vainly to control, and the pent up
torrent of her dread burst forth, sweeping
her away upon its turbulent waves In
paroxysms of despairing tears.
An atmosphere of feverish expectancy
pervaded the usually quiet surroundings
of The Post. People were hastily gather
ing from all quarters upon the little
mound beside the church. The oil depot
and factory were deserted and the wolfish
dogs might pass the unguarded door and
drink their I'LL from the uncovered watts of
oil.
The missionary's tidy children jostled
with the crowd Of natives unnoticed by
their nurse. The baker and brewer stood
on the mission house porch, putting vigor-
ously at his long Dutch pipe, while his lit
tie frau beside him conyersed excitedly
with the gardeners WIFE, who leansd from
an open lattice.
A rising hum Of eager voices came from
the hillock, where the throng of dusky
Eskimos was steadily increasing, and every
eye was strained upon the entrance to the
little bay.
The cause OF this unusual agitation had
been signal gunshot from the hill, fired
by the sentry stationed there to keep q
lookout for the long expected ship. 1t was
to bring them news from o'er the sea, the
history of the great worlds doings for
year-letters from relatives and friends,
presents and messages, supplies and
stores, their first intelligence for long
12 months. What wonder, then, that they
looked forward, anxiously counting the
months and weeks and days and hours,
until the time the vessel might arrive.
And one thero-was to whom 1t brought a
BRIDE He was the youngest white man at
the post. He Ind her picture, brought
through winter SHOWS and stormy twill
light by the native messenger, who Jour-
neyed over the frozen channels with his
slelge to the lower missions, where he met
the factor of the great company buying
furs, and who brought few precious let
ters for The Post, forwarded by winter
courier from Quebec.
Two thousand miles the print bad come
by sledge, and every day the young man
studied 1t, noting the charms of youthful
eyes and mouth, of rounded check and
wavy hair, speculating upon her character
and longing fof yet dreadins that mo-
mentous time when they should meet to
either love or hate.
Which would it be aud could he gain
her lover How should he greet herP He
q gawky youth, who, guarded in his
school, asceticaily trained, had 40 expert
ence with the other sox, regarding them
as quite beyond his ken, knew nothing of
the psngs Of boyish love, and only had a
crude abstract idea Of tho happiness,
duties, san1iece and palm involved III the
mysteries OF married life.
The elder OF ths post had said the time
was rips for him to thko wife. obedient
to the nsgnate OF The church, he had writ
ten, at dictation, his request.
| nd r,nxv tha siopa1 shoA had let than