The Saint Paul globe., 1904-10-23

wHE was man fashioned through
Hi generations by those forces which
I stripped the headlands of Ragged
FIarbor of all graces long, long
before plastic men were given into
their hand His body was hairy, gaunt
and weather worn, and it was clothed in
goatskin boots and greasy homespun.
which he had sewn with his own clumsy
hands in his cabin near the Staff, where
he lived alone.
Wind and frost and driven rain, in a
conflict of fifty years, had worn his heart
to the likeness of some gray old crag OF
the Newfoundland coast. Love of the maid
was the living green of his heart; rank,
misshapen growth, true enough, which We
must liken to a graceless' weed rather than
to q flower, as it may appear; for we 1--we
in a land where the perfume and spiendor
of flowers are commonplace, nor should We
stare at a lily or ask the name Of rose.
When the maid was nineteen years old
and could lift a barrel of flour, this
T1lihu Gale was one of the two lovers she
had.
Two to love the maid? Only two of a
people of strength to love the maid who
could lift barrel of flour! Rather, let it
be said: Two dared take up with her.
The one was rich in punts and nets, the
other in Drawn and laughter; which latter
are more to be desired by maids than con-
traps and schooners when stomachs are
full. In truth it was as though she had
the youth of Ragged Harber tied to her
skirts; they hung about her, being care
ful, for sure, to keep their distance, winch
was the length of her arm, to an inch.
She was a buxom maid, q plump, hearty,
laughing maid, with swapping black eyes
and a wealth of red blood-a maid SOUND
in wind and limb, with mighty hands and
arms, and a will for work as great as hei
biceps muscles Such. then, was she; and
when she put on her pink merino gown
she thrilled the hearts of men.
"Oh, Lard Elihu Gale was wont to
Eroan inwardly, "she do be a clever maid
but she've "a barb rous appetite!
One nightSn June, when the twitter OF
&aating birds had been in the air the day
long. Elihu hid in the shadow of Needle
Rock. on the Old Crow road, where all the
love is made; for young Jim Rideout, who
was sinful mad for the maids. by all the
gossip of the harbor, had taken her walk
ing in the dusk. There had been no sign OF
fish off the harbor, nor above and below,
from Round Harbor to the cape, even sc
late in the season as this; SO Ehhu had
time for jealous spying, as Rideout had
for counting.
sFn see un goa by thought Elihu Gale
s'Tu speeSI
Now, lovers have ever been loath tc
leave the dusk of June nights. You may
answer why for yourself. However thai
be. if you have saved your heart from the
spelling touch of years you will know, Al
least. that the dusk of spring is redolent
of blossoms and pulsing with love signs
It was not curious, then, that wher
young Jim Rideout, returning. came will
the maid to Needle Rock, he should wisf
the Bishops Thimble miles away; for tht
ThiTnble is that great rock where the turn
to the village street is made, and Aun
Phoebe's windows command the path be
yond. Nor, come to think of it, was
curious that he should drop his sinker a:
soon as he spied the loose end Of a spoo
of thread hanging from the maids sklr
pocket: for no sooner had he stopped t.
recover his sinker than he caught the
loose end of the thread, and no sooner hat
he tied the thread to a handy twig thai
he found his sinker.
This was not curious at all; but In th'
opinion of Elihu Gale, who saw it all, /
was a deed that deserved, and would
eventuate in, danlnation to the fiery lake
which was the best he could make of the
situation For, as Jim strolled along will
the maid, they left a trail of white threat
which. as the spool turned, added twice it
length to the -dusky road. Such was thet
rapture-such the spell of the balmy soil
tude and the haze over the harbor water
thai the talk of squid and jigging, assum
ing. here, some strange relation to kissing