Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1895-10-24

Look here, old man. l said,
You confide in me-. Now l have
talked to you about hanshees and
ghosts. Tell me about this light
business. .
He sat down beside me. and put
ting his arm on my shoulder said in
shameful sort of way:
My dear Paddy, I'll tell you all.
am a silly duffer, you know, and
one week 5 shooting at Eaglesham
Manor settled me. / met there a
country woman of yours. will not
describe Nora TO you. But here is
her picture.
Humph - thought. Badly hit
indeed, as he took locket which
he wore from a silk cord around his
neck, opened it and laid it before
me. 1t was the face of an exceed
ingly beautiful girl-a roguish.
laughing face, with clusters of brown
curly hair and deep blue eyes 1t
was well painted The artist was
evidently deeply interested in his
subject.
THAT is Nora, " he said, and the
gentle lowering of the voice as he
pronounced the name of the loved
one told the whole story.
Il congratulate you upon your
good taste, Bess. Am l to be best
man."
Don t chaff me, Paddy, he said
Nora is as poor as l am, but she
loves me- She will wait for me.
am sure she will Now, some one
has been telling her all about ST
Elmo's light, and l promised her
that when | saw it I would go aloft
and examine it closely and make
scientific observations and all that
sort of thing
And the last words that Nora
spoke to me Eve were on the shores
Of Eaglesham lake, and she had
kissed me and called me her own
sailor and told me that she knew she
never could love any one half as
well as a sailor) were: Arte, don't
forget St. Elmo's light And. Arte,
when you see that light Nora will
be near you in spirit And when
you SEQ it you say Nora, Nora,
Nora, three times, and wherever /
am my soul will be close by you at
that moment, Arte.
"Oh, Paddy, she is as beautiful as
an angel, and am sick with longing
to see her again, and the poor love-
sick lad buried his facein his hands
by Jove, you We got it bad, Bes.
sy," l said. Il thought I was fond
of the girl that saved my life at
Limerick, but my affection is but as
a tallow dip alongside st. Elmo's
light com pared to yours.
Don't chaff me any more, will
you, Paddy?" and the hapless lover
looked pleadingly at me.
Il will not, Bessy. / DOM won
der that Nora fell in love with YOU
You are too good looking for man.
And | promise you that if ON my
watch on deck l see ST Elmo's light
I'll send Cog Thompson TO pull you
out by the heels. !"
After this conversation I noticed
a change for the better in Bescoby
He had lost his moodiness and gave
such hot shots to his tormentors,
who used to chaff him for their di-
gestion, that he silenced their bat
teries in short order l think he felt
relieved that he had told me his sto-
ry, and / listened TO the entire tale
of his meeting with and engagement
to the Irish beauty.
i hoped that she had not been
flirting with my chum, hut even as
he told the story of their love / was
villain enough to conclude in my
own mind that Nora was looking out
for rich husband and was getting
her hand in by practicing on Bescoby.
There WAS such straw berry and
cream flavor about the business. a
Paul and Virginia atmosphere, that
felt my countrywoman was SIM
ply amusing herself with the SuS-
ceptible young sailor and nothing
more.
Two days afterward we brought
up in Hakodate. There We're few
merchantmen in the harbor and an
English yacht. At mess that even
ing one of our fellows who had been
ashore gave US all the gossip of the
place.
THAT yacht is the Spray" lie
said, and belongs to a rich Scotch
lord, who has large party on board
The consul told me all about them.
His aunt and married sister are chap
eroning the girls One is awfully
pretty. an Irish girl. She is engaged
TO his lordship, and they are to be
married Mt the British embassy at
Hongkong. say, we must give them
a dance. Just think how Jolly