The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-06-30


been one of the first to reach the ramparts
on the great day of victory, when the flag
of England was planted on the blood
stained redoubts of Chillianwalla. He
had been seriously wounded, too, and was
home now for time invalided.
A gay, handsome stalwart young fellow
he was, notwithstanding that he was
obliged, for the time being, to use crutch
to assist him in walking; and no one would
think, looking at his bright, pleasant,
laughing eyes, that he had ever drawn
sword to smite foeman, or that he had
ridden over battle field with the dead and
dying lying thick around him. But the
WAYS of human destiny are wonderful, and
so it was that in his rambles over the hill
of Clare in seach of health he came into
the neighborhood of Mona Glare; and com
inc into the neighborhood of the old ruin, Of
course he heard of the stranger who had
settled down there; and of course, too, out
of an indolent curiosity, he visited the
| place
Ii was only few days after the sweet
foreign young lady had come to it, and no
! doubt they must have been completely un
| known to one another But they might
! have known one another for years SO init
! mate did they become in a short time
They were always together. If Donna
| Gracia went for walk along the cliffs
overlooking the Atlantic, it was not long
before she was joined by Captain Norman.
! If the sea were calm and the sun turned
into sheet of molten gold until it spread
away slittering to the horizon, be sure IT a
speck broke the level reach of glowing
| waters il was Captain Norman corragh,
with the Spanish Rose beside him. Charlie
! Norman-for so the tenantry were wont
alfectionately to call him-used to laugh
gaily if anyone joked him on the subject.
and say he was only teaching her to sail
the corragh in return for her teaching HIM
the Spanish language But We all knew
well how it was. and that the soft win
some ways of the Spanish Rose had caught
! HIM and that the sparkles of her black
blue eyes had fairly bewitched him BE
! witched him. indeed, i the only way 1"
say it. for after few months, and when
1 the captain was restored TO as good health
| as ever he was in. the order for hls recall
came His regiment was ordered for tur
| eign service again. aud he was bound 60
90, but he did not GO If they had OF
fered him the colonelcy OF bis regiment
nav, if they had made him general OF ID
/ vision or commander in chief, he would
have refused it for the pleasure Of listen
I ing Ia Donna Gracia silver accents and
/ baskius in the light that strcamed from
| her sunny eyes
| 1t was time when England needed all
/ her men. aud when honor aud duty werr
words first on all men Iirs and, ior thr
matter Of that, IN all men hearts, t"o and
the frst consequence Of Charlie Norman
delay or reluctance in going was that he
was broken from his commission, and the
( second. that he was, in TT Of wrath and
] humiliation. disinherited by his father.
I lie was the second son, you remember, aud
1 the estates were strictly entallcd
All this time the old mantle Mad
| Spaniarl. as they called hial--was working
away steadily at his boat building, pretend
Ing to mind nothing. but keeping a pretty
sharp eve, You may depend, an hi daugh
ter. OF niece. or granddaughter 81 What
1 ever relation she might be 70 him And
| it was really wonderful 10 ~. what "a ta'r
aud trim and stately little b,at he d,d finely
construct. and how blithe and free -hs
swan the waters even # the strrmis,l day
Bar there came uew development tn
/ affair. for one evening Ia the autumn a
strange schooner dropped her anchor IA ia"
ofhng la the morning she wa, gone, and
10, and behold with her, too, was gone
the Spasish Ro~,.. Donna Gueia---a.ue
beyond al doubt aud question. for she va-
seen there no more. 'iaue-Nbat Wa
wor,e-withnut Charlie Norman kuoWl
t.l.c. a. was clear enough trsm hI- d'~
traeteI o,.ndiJion when he found 1t CUT
His worst enemy, il be had one. which
was yer, unlikely, would have p'tird him
in the snrrow aud desolalinn of his heart
Ii was not thai he cared DO believe ia
the lo>, ii his commission, or i.oE has l''.in-
.li>inheritcl hy his father but it va, tuT
the Gloom that had fallen ou hi, heart sni
his life OWING TO her disappeArenoe tn,
Mad Spaniard could, or would give han
no information Of her whereabouts 81
WHITTIER she had gone. uuiy that she bad
taken a sudden notion of joining her friends
who where un board the schooner. Indeed
il would have been difficult 10 ect much
more information out Of him, for lac could
not. or pretended he could not speak nul
language. and Captain Norman knew none
Of his save what he picked up from the
Rose, aud We doubt whether that wa
, much
Day after day aud week after week
J Charlie Norman moped about on the hlll'
: and along the coast, hoping against hop,
that she might come back as unexpected,
as she had gone away But she neyei
came BY degrees the bright hook Of healtl
aud vigor died out Of his face, the quick
good humored CLEAN from his eye, tbs
buoyancy and activity from his form. III,
was falling into bad health, and, what wa
: worse, into bad spirits, aud the diiierenc,
between his appearance now aud what u
: was in the summer days, when he shot hi
T eorragh over the shining waves with ira
cia beside him, was painful to see. Their
, was no home for him at Lord Clare 5 IN.
commission was gone; his love had fled
what was he to do?
When it became palpable enough tha
the Spanish girl was coming no more, h
answered the unasked question himself
He disappeared without telling ANYONE
whittier he was going He had been seer
, about the rocks overlooking the little har
Dor one evening, and the next morning wa
nowhere to be found. Nor did he turn
up again. Some said the poor young fel
low had drowned himself in fit of melan
choly; others, that he had gone away an,
volunteered into the ranks of his forme
regiment Most people believed the for
mer; for, indeed, how could high -spirite,
young fellow consent to serve Us a private
where he had worn the gold epaulets of al
officer? Many an anxious search was mad
not by Lord Clare or any Of his people
He never made the slightest inquiries afte
him, disowned him, in fact, but b,
: the dwellers of the island, aleng the shore
for his body, in case the waves should cas-