The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1895-08-23
1MisceIlanen1ts.
A MORAVIAN BRIDE.

~ mSIAHN IAN DRIOEs
1t was the 1st of August, that bright
est, sunniest month of all the year,
when the bleak northern coast of
Labrador takes on fieeting garb of
| emerald green when the boisterous
| winds subside to gentle zeyhyrs, and
| the tumultous ocean, seemingly en-
tranced, rests from its labors and love-
ly laps the shore.
In one of the broad channels be-
| tween the thousand rocky isles which
girds the main large brig lay becalm-
ed Her sails hung idly from the vel
low yards, and the helmsman no long
err maintained pretense of directing
her.
In the vessels waist the captain, a
bachelor of 40 years, promenaded back
and forth with young woman, who
| lightly rested gloved hand on his
arm.
80 you have never seen his photo
graph p he asked.
No; not even that" she answered
absently.
You know no more of him than
merely this: That he is yet in his
novitiate, acting as keeper of the mis-
sion store that he is "a and wants
| wife and is willing to accept the bish-
ops choice. Yet you come cross the
sea to share lot to sacrifice your in
clinations and desires to bury your
self 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 long
ing flooded the captains heart. 1t
shown from his clear brown eyes as
he turned to face her.
st is too great a sacrifice" he said,
with warmth. 1.-The pity of it, and
there is one would given-
She looked at him strangely and
withdrew her hand.
You forget, sir !" she interrupted.
at is the bishops will. He holds my
promise made before the church /
did not know then all it meant to me,
but l had time for thought and was
not urged. 1t is my duty and my
work in life"
"The sense of such q duty is alb
surd"-
mo, no 7" she broke in hurriedly.
You are a valued servant of our
church. Your Christian duty is to
help me-"
MY duty as man
But she disappeared within the COM
panion way, and veXed, he turned i'm
patiently TO the lounging helmsman,
severely recalling him to his neglected
post.
In the solitude of her cabin she
flung herself upon the cushioned rock
er, the captains words still ringing in
her ears. He loved her OF that she
felt assured. And She But, no She
must not, dare not think of that.
Could it be mistaken sense of duty?
She was the daughter of missionaries,
generation upon generation. and fol-
lowing in the very footsteps her moth
er traced a score of years before. AL
though she had lived at home but till
the age of 7,she remembered as though
it were but yesterday the story of her
mothers early life, as she herself had
told it, and narrowly the girl compar
ed that life with what her own had
been, seeking to find some Jot OF diff
ference.
She knew the harmony of her par
ents' lives, each kind and thoughtful
of the others veal, their only sorrow
the parting from their child, and this
they both agreed was wise and best.
How else could children of the wilder
ness be fitted for useful lives 1t was
rule dictated by the church, to
which they owed obedience at saliva
TONS price.
These mission born children were
educated by the church in the belief
that duty to it was paramount. The
wishes of its clergy were commands,
the bishops will an edict from on high.
The boys were trained to fill their
fathers places, the girls to make the
missionaries wives, the men to take
what wives the church bestowed, the
woman to marry without choice such
husbands as the bishop might award.
And that the church had wilson, on
its side was proved by the universal
happiness to which those thus united
testified.
And yet she could not reconcile her.
self. Her innate modesty revolted at
the gross idea of surrendering TO a
perfect strangers will. How could
She fail to hate him, to despise this
man, who, without one spark from
the flaming altar of true love would
willingly forfeit all noble sentiments
of mind and heart and selfishly debase
himself and her pure young woman
hood?
And she herself would make this
union possible
An overpowering loathing of herself
possessed her with the thought, a ter
ror she strove vainly to control, and
the pent up torrent of her dread burst
forth, sweeping her away upon its tur
bulent waves in paroXysms of despair
ing tears.
An atmosphere of feverish expect
ancy pervaded the usually quiet sur
roundings of The Post People were
hastily gathering 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 fill from the uncovered
watts of oil.
The missionary's tidy children jost-
led with the crowd of natives unno-
ticed by their nurse. The baker and
brewer stood on the mission house
porch, putting vigorously at his long
Dutch pipe, while his little frau beside
him conversed excitedly with the gar
dener's wife who leaned from an open
lattice.
\ rising hum of eager voices came
from the hillock, where the throng of
dusky Eskimos was steadily increas-
| ing and every eye was strained upon
the entrance to the little bay.
The cause of this unusual agitation
! had been Il signal gunshot from the
hill, fired by the sentry stationed there
! to keep lookout for the long expect
ed ship. II was to bring them news
from DER the sea, the history of the
| Ornat yU0rl1is HOinpS for a yaar-Iot