The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1897-07-03

w the ceaseless roll
of the tides of the
bay and river on two sides and the nu.
merous !" ice gorges of the northern
rivers Of the bay have caused the is
land to be worn away to a mere shad.
ow Of its former self.
The lighthouse, which is now more
than a half mile away from the north
ern end Of the island, was then Oh
solid ground, one or two hundred yardy
from the water. But the Choptanl
has not been changed.
1t is still n of the most picturesque
rivers in the state. In fact, it puts
one more in mind of the interior of Q
West Indian island than that of a
Middle Atlantic state. The growth Of
vegetation is SO luxuriant and dense
that in some cases it Is with great diff
iculty that passage is made in going
through the woods which line its bank.
The water is of a beautiful dark blue
that has that freshness and sadness of
air about it which is only possessed
by the ocean itself.
On this particular day the sky was
radiant with flooded sunshine, and a
gentle breeze was blowing redolent
with summers fragrance. There was
a delightful calmness on the river and
bay, which persuaded one to spend his
time in idly dreaming. A number of
fishermen were INDUCING in this oc-
cupation under the shady trees after
several hours Of sport. Suddenly
from Z end of the island came a
swiftly-rowed boat, in which were a
number Of young people, steered by a
benevolent AMI elderly-looking man.
Closely following. and seemingly in
pursuit of it, came a second boat.
steered by a middle-aged man, and
propelled by two sturdy young men.
=. "Well! II there amt Nellie Barnes
and Dick Wilson running away to get
married" exclaimed one Of the fisher
men.
"And there goes old man Roche, Mel
lies stepfather : pursuit. Now, won't
Rome howl" ga.
IT bet on the lovely bride"
"And I on the stern parent"
"Come. boys. come! Jump into the
boat, and let's see the fun out"
Dick Wilson'S father had died
some years ago, and left his son a fine
farm Of $50 acres. Adjoining the Will
son farm was that of John Roche.
For years there had been bad blood
between the neighbors. It was all on
account Of a point of land projecting
into the Choptank. Both Wilson and
Roche claimed it, and, when it was
taken to law, it. was decided in favor
of Wilson. About two years ago Roche
married a pretty widow named Barnes.
She had a daughter whose name was
Nellie. 1t was love on the first sight
when Dick and Nellie accidentally
met in the church OF the mainland.
From that time on the affection grew
stronger. They fondly thought that no
n knew 1t but themselves. But they
we're mistaken, for MI. Roche had seen
1t at the very start, and tried by every
means to keep them separated.
But love will always find a way.
Dick and Nellie put their heads to-
other enc Sunday at church, and
agreed to run away and get married
on the sly. And what was more for
tunate for them was the fact that the
good parson of the church resided on
the island. and was i4 full sympathy
with the young couple.
The expectant bride was seated be.
side her betrothed. near the middle of
the foremost boat. She was a spright-
ly, beautiful. black-eyed young wom-
an whose cheeks rivalled the peach in
their color. There was a world of mis-
chief lurking near her pretty mouth.
But today her cheeks were pale with
apprehension and her smiles were sad.
The expectant groom was a stalwart
and ~resolute young man. His mouth
was concealed from view by a very
heavy moustache. And as he sat In
the boat he looked straight ahead.
He seemed perfectly cool. and ever