The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-01-04

places the captain would refuse to SUI
 and there he would sit so long as he haC
 money in his pocket, burning himself up with rum, and calling on the cfoWo who came and went between the swinging doors to live merrily, by which
 he apparently meant to drink deeply. Then his companion, freed from this old man of the sea, would wander apou' the port, finding his way always al
 nightfall to the place where old DaVld
 Ferguson watched by his fire. Seated
 on pile of timber, he would observe
 the gloomy looks of his companions,
 and with commiseration for their mls-
 fortunes would talk much Of America
 and freedom, of unequal marriage laws,
 of the shackles of Engllshmen, of free
 dom again and always of America, and
 once more America, until the circle ot
 outcasts. who had nothing to gain or
 lose if an empire fell, would sit halt
 through the night in pity for them I selves and their mismanaged country. | Happening to pass one night, and eelng
 the close interest of the men, l stayed for a minute to listen. The speaker
 was describing some ideal state which existed in America, but not until ne named the state did it occur to me what
 the man was after. Tn Utah. were his
 words. Why! the fellows a Mormon,
 said I to myself; and just then old Fer
 guson, who had been leaning out of his
 shed. his eyes fixed on the fire, his
 mouth so contracted that 1t seemed to
 have disappeared altogether, his atti-
 tude expressing the closest attention,
 bent down to reach coal for his fire, at | the same time asking some question of
 the Mormon which could not hear.
 "'As old as he likes to join,' replied
 the man. As I came away, an old man
 left the circle and joined me. He's got
 a deal to say for himself, that theer,' he
 observed.
 2" It's none of it worth much?' I
 asked.
 "'Eh I don't know. I pay no atten- | ton. I just sits me down and warns myself as always, and then I comes away and leaves him to his talking
 But he's plenty to say I laughed and bade the old man a goodnight and
 went on home, thinking no more of the
 matter
 For nearly two months, 1t seems. the vessel remained in dock undergoing re- pairs, and at the end of that time the bibulous captain and his friend disap- peared, and were never heard of again to my knowledge. Their place at the Rovers' Return was filled at once by other lodgers and in a short time al most every one had forgotten them.
 Tt was about month later that the singular incident occurred which I am about to relate to you. Returning to my house one night l stood for mo- ment looking down upon the river, which, with it's lights and signals, had the appearance of a vast illumination. Straight down the hill dipped the dou- ble row of street lamps displaying whirligig of figures in the dark space between. In front of me, upon a blurred expanse which I knew for the opposite bank of the river, was a null titude of tiny, twinkling stars, and sta tionary. or moving vaguely about on the darkness like men searching with lan- terms, were the red lights of passing steamers. On either side of the river long rows of lamps flung steady gleam upan that liquid street; high | above them swung the enormous 1an tern of the tower. and far down the | great waterway the signal light flashed | against the sky, swiftly, mechanically, | showing the entrance to ships in the f channel Here and there on the dim | surface of the river troubled blots of | light were floating like lamps washed { out to sea. Behind me, turning sud denly, I saw the moon, great yellow | moon, rising behind the chimneys and 1 adding it's glare to the general ilumi- 1 nation It was as if the streets and the | heavens were so many blazing ways | lighting the wanderers of two worlds to | the rim of the great dividing cup of the sea in whose uncertain surface they 1 might discern the phantom shapes and figures of futurity.
 Suddenly, as I turned to go down the hill, I became aware of two figures ad- toward me, an old woman, and making a moaning sound as she walked and with her, as 1t seemed, guard upon her, a small hunch-b backed man. I recognized them as the landlady of the Rovers' Return and her son, and as they came nearer could hear that the moaning sound which came from the old woman was in reality the rapid utterance of words Without looking 1t anything round her she cried: Let me go after my old { ad, l tell youl I'll not stop here and { 1im on the other side of the world oh, my poor lad! I'll follow you-Tll l ( ind you somewhere--I1l come to the worlds end after youn Here the hunch- back caught her by s he arm and endeavored to distract her { attention. Come back home. mother l ne said. How can you find him in the I vide world, you that never was out of t his place in your life? You'll never f ind him on this side of the grave C les left you for good, and let him go- c urse him!' c
 How can I go home?' returned the I i'd woman, distracted for a moment. i There's no home for me except where | ny old lad is--him going astray some h where in the world, and perhaps on the n ca this very night There's people in ne world that'll tell an old woman the oad. Oh, my poor old lad, how could q 4a, .,