The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1897-06-26
Sport Of the North Sea


The new light that shone upon Els
peth's face redeemed its plainness for
the time 30 that her mother In some
surprise exclaimed:
'Hech, lassie, but you're looking
unco bonnie the day."
To which Elspeth, her pale cheeks
nushing warmly, replied, with q joy
ous uplift Of her head:
Div ye ken why, mother? It's be-
caise fayther has said he'll tax me to
Lervick WI him the morrow"
1t was now Mrs. Jamieson's time to
become radiant did he say that,
lassie?" she cried. clasping her hands
together ecstatically. "Ay. but I'm
glad He'll see the doctor there, Els
peth, and he'll make yer poor head all
RIGHT again"
And so mother and daughter re-
joiced together over the good news
which the latter had Just brought up
from the waterside, where she had
been watching her father mending the
rigging Of his fishing smack.
Andrew Jameson was q fisherman
crofter on one of the Shetland isles.
His life had been one long, hard strug-
gle, with grudsing soil and a danger
Gus sea to wrest from them sufficient
for the support Of his family, and Els
peth, his only daughter, ha6 never
been on the island upon which she was
born twenty years before.
From childhood she had led the sim
pie life Of toilsome industry, which is
the lot Of the majority Of the island
concentrating cattle, helping to
gather the scanty harvest, loading peats
tor wintsr fuel, and at every opportun-
tty plying busy fingers upon the shawls
and stockings for which Shetland IA
celebrated.
One day an accident befell her
which entailed great suffering. While
STOPPING to tether q sheep in a field q
laundering boy, trying to shoot rab-
bits with a musket he could not man.
age, sent q charge of shot into the
crown Of her head and she narrowly
escaped death. Some Of the leaden pei.
iets were removed, but others remained
TO be cause Of intense pain from time
to time.
There was no regular doctor nearer
than LeFwick. and not until now had
xr. Jameson been able to arrange his
Affairs 90 as to 90 thither. taking her
with him for the needed medical treat
ment.
But It was not the thought of relief
from what she had been enduring that
possessed Elspesh's mind, and flled her
iace with sunshine. Lerwick, the Shet-
land capital, was to her what London
and New York are to the country
iwellers In England and the United
States. To visit this great city" had
bees her long-cherished dream, and
now that 1t was on the verge of fulfill
ment her happiness was not to be ade-
guately expressed In the scant yocab-
nlary of the islanders.
When Elspeth's good fortune became
Known throughout the little settlement
her friends hastsned to congratulate
her, and what gave her even more
pleasure.to put n her hands the shawls
hey had knit during the winter, that
NE might dispose Of them in Lerwick.
"Ye'n be gettin' muckle siller for
hem, ye ken, Elspeth?" they said.
with smiles that showed how fully they
ruxted her, and then they proceeded to
burdsn her with multiplicity Of COM
missions, which she strove to put M
carefully In her memory.
Shetland folk are not demonstratiye.
and the mother and daughter parted
rery quietly that February morning
when the smack "sheila" set her sails
or Lerwick.
She was not large craft, being of
lbouf twenty tons burden, but she had
rood seagoine qualities and was well
ound 90 to sails and rigging.
Although the greece blew strong and
harp. Elspeth sat on deck astern.
watching her fstnsr navigate the lit
ae schooner with the aid Of q sturdy
nd, until at last tbs lively motion OF
he vessel compelled her to seek the
shelter Of the tiny cabin. for she vas
iast growing seasick.
Dropping down on the floor at the
DOT Of the cabin stairs. she looked
through fhe open hatchway ct her
hther tending the helm. and even her
increasing discomfort could not dim
lsr joy at being really on the way TO
Lwwick-
zssry aov and then the skipper