The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1899-05-25

were picked up and taken into Mel
bourne, and there | reported mySelf
My great anxiety now was to get home
as soon as possible, but temptation
was thrown in my way which | could
not resist. | was offered the command
Of vessel belonging TO the owners OF
The Blue jacket. This vessel was &c
trade first to China, and there take IN
cargo for London To successfully ac-
complish this TO the satisfaction OF my
owners would be as good as the making
of me. No more partings from Mabel
then, thought l. as | joyfully-thougn
with a natural rue at the delay-accept-
ed the offer. wrote home to Mabel the
double good news of my escape from
shipwrick and my promotion. You VIII
understand that during all this time
had no opportunity of receiving line
from her; such are the exigencies OF a
sailors life. | was kept in Melbourne
longer than pleased me, and it was
quite three months before | stepped on
to my ships deck with my clearing pa
| pers. The gold fever was raging so
violently in these days, that it was no
easy task 70 get crew together for a
| humdrum country like Great Britain.
| However, we managed to muster lot
! OF scarecrows who knew little enough
of the sea or sailors duties, and after
an unreasonable long voyage-in con
| sequence OF my being compelled to- be
more than ordinarily careful because
OF the incompetency of my crew--we
| arrived safely at our destination and
there took In cargo for dear old Eng
land. | looked upon it as the happiest
of happy omens that | arrived home at
Christmas-tide had been absent ex-
actly three years
With a JOY stirring in my heart.
which have not the power to express,
| set oat from the docks for the dear
little cottage OF shells in Brixton. It
was evening before | could get free
and the aight was dark-but not lone
~. Flowers seemed to rise in the snow
as | walked, seemed TO grow in the air
as | stepped onward. Cold? Not a bit
of it. Everything was warm and beau
tiful and bright, as it should be at
Christmas. All my anxieties and trou-
bles were now at an end How CRATE
fal | was that, by Gods mercy, Twas
spared. and enabled toi spend another
Christmas ashore with my darling wife
and my dear old mothBrt / recalled
the memory of the last happy Christ
mas l had spent in their dear society,
AMI of the lesson OF love and faith had
then learned And there came upon
me in fuller force dim, sweet hope
l had nursed and cherished through all
my wanderings-a hope which | hard
ly dared to shape into words-that
whan | reached home should see in
Maoel's arms child whuwould call me
father. How | had dweIt upon that
hope! How G had cherished it, What
resolutions I had formed TO bring up
my child in IN worthy way and to make
hira proud OF me, as l was Of Beecroft
Mariner, my father! Il pictured him
in my imagination dressed, as | used
to be, in tiny sailor-clUtGes-I knew
fun. well they would dress him in no
| saw myself carrying him in my arms
through the Brixton streets, and show
ing him with pride to the people as the !
grandson of the best and bravest sailor
that ever answered to the call of duty. |
My heart sung within me. and either
my cheeriness, or my brisk step, or the
brightness of my face. or all of them
together mayhap, caused me to receive
many a pleasant look from the passers-
by-looks, be sure, which / returned
with interest. Home, dear. sweet
home,
There were no lights in the Brixton
lanes, nut l could have found my way
If l had been blind Many a time on
the wild seas, when the wind was howl
ing round me, and not a star could be
seen in the dark skies, had / in my
fancy threaded my way through these
paths, and seen the cottage of Bee
croft, Mariner, shining out of the gloom
with my wife and mother waiting at
the door to welcome me; and now, as
| turned the lane in which our cottage
was situated, \ dull feeling of pain
crept into my heart because did not
hear the pattering of the feet nor the
faces of those so fondly loved. Only
for a moment did this unreasonable
feeling have play; l shook it off reso-
lutely. How could they know, how
could they tell, the hour and the min
ute l should appear among them? l
called myself aloud great simpleton,
and laughed, and stepped on softly,
enjoying in anticipation the happiness
which in a few moments would be
mine Thought l. "There'll be a light
in the cottage window, and Mabel and
mother will be setting together. Mabel
with our child on her knee had
set my heart on it, you see--"prattling