Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1895-10-14
to gaze. dispersed and withdrew. Cos

| Higher ClIllS UOWOIOu 1dL
above the little village inland, and the
scattered fshing-huts upon the beach,
sheltering them from the cold north
and biting east winds.
If any there had turned their eyes
upward, back from the sea, to those
same cliffs, they would have seen,
sharply defined, in dark outlines
against the summer sky, the. figure Of
man, erect, motionless, gazing hum
grily out after the bridal boat.
s'Wretched man that [ am! Have
mercy on me! oh, mercifu! Heaven!"
He groaned as he fell upon his
knees, with this piercing exclamation
lower, lower, and lower, till his face
touched the ground, till he sank, like
one paralyzed and moaned and uttered
words inaudible-sp bursts OF
real suffering.
"And it has come to this!-I shall
see her no more, but as his wife-no
more! no more! at all, for / cannot
live and see her sol"
After some minutes he rose and
gazed wildly out over the sea, but even
the mockeries had ceased; only the
steady, passive wash Of the patient
waves far below reached him.
''Why did / not seize her then?
Why did [ not, by one bold stroke,
make her mine for ever? She dared
not have returned after a nights alb
sence! That proud young fool would
have scorned her-she must have been
mine-she loved me.-she as good as
told me so, by actions and admis-
sions;-I should have made her happy
oh! why did play traitor to myself
when opportunity was given me?
Fool! miserable, wretched, hesitating
fool that I was why did not avail
myself of the last, the only Ghance?"
He paced to and fro hurridly; he
threw back his thick black hair, and
/ seized his broad forehead in his hands,
as if he would have hurled it from the
cliff; his bark, deep-set eyes cleaned
with living fire; his hot breath seemed
to scorch his parted lips, as it painted
through them.
"Why did | not?" he repeated, smit-
ing his side heavily with his arm.
"Why! because | am becoming pitt
full, driveling, whining, abject coward
before the power of this girl! It was
not enough that / abandoned a pur-
suit that gloried in-forsook my fell
lows and the goods we shared; because
in her eyes [ might find favor, and be
an honest man-an honest MANI he
sneered out the words bitterly, as if
| he Knocked the speaker. "And this
was not enough, but my arm must be-
come nerveless, my heart turn to gen.
tleness, my hand forget it's cunningl
Time was when the sight Of a village
/ bridal would not have staid me in my
path one instant. The thought OF
their appiness!-bah!-a become
a coward? Saul Meghorn, who has
dared the danger of the sea, the fierce
pursuit Of armed men-who, with the
gibbet facing him ashore, the night and
tempest on the ocean, never yet knew
fear-now shrinking from meeting q
few harmless peasantsl Nay, it is not
that My love was lawful; why should
it not have met with success? [ would
have made her my wife! [ loved
her. oh, how | love her, in spite
of all. And she loved me
she did, she must! Why listen to
me?-meet me?-receive my first gift?
though not the others? But she did
love me; oh, and I hoped, l believed,
that the turning-point of my life was
come-that the dreary past was done
with-the dream! Oh, fool! idiot.
miserable fool that | was!"
Even more terrible than his previous
rage was the gloomy despair which
gradually took possession OF his dark
features.
"Why l might end it all, )" he said to
himself in a lower tone, still gazing
down upon the rocks and beach be-
low
''She would understand it all, when
they found and told her of the crushed
and battered corpse Of the stranger
who puzzled them, | know, these
months past" He was silent awhile,
then withdrew from the preciplce, and
let his gaze wander abroad over the
sparkling sea.
'But why should |? / cannot but
believe that she cared for me then,
though some idea Of duty, perhaps,
held her to her bargain with this paltry
young fisherman At any rate, / will
not give up-I will not be baff1ed."
He paced to and fro again upon the
rock, then stood still, drew about him
the large loose coat which covered his
sailor dress, and replaced the broad
hat which he had thrown ASIDE.
II said / would not see them as they
returned; why not? If she loves me,
she will be pleased; if not, that is but
a small installment of what she shall
feel She made me loveher, shelet me
love her, she gave me hope. Lost!
said; but why? Aye, that was in my
pulling mood; am better now-mysel1
again. She shall yet be mine-mine
only If | live-despite the gay pro
cession to the church this day-if
live, my wife she shall be. To myself
pledge my word, and when did Saul
Meghorn lie to himself?'
X X X
There was no fashion-no great
world, you know, to consult among
the fishermen of Sandcombe, and SO
the bride did not run away the mo-
ment she had changed her dress.
Nelly's, though it was pretty, and