The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-14

passed by. So In the next spring Soil
ONION was deeper in the debt Of SYM
palmetto Luke Dart-for the new Irvine
and for the winters food he had
eaten; but Of an evening when he sat
on the bench with Priscilla he looked
through the cleaning shadows gath
cred over the harbor water and hang
Ing between the great rocks to the
golden summer approaching, and
dreamed gloriously of the fish he
would catch in his trap.
Priscilla, DEAR" said Solomon
STRIDE, Shaping his iron thigh, they
be line sign o. fish down the coast.
IWill be a gran season, I'm thinkin'."
sure, by" Priscilla agreed: twill
De gran cotch O. fish you'll have this
year."
UsH pay Luke Dart this year, 1
tells you,' SAID Solomon, like boast
tul boy. "Us'H pay un twice over"
Twill be fine t. have the machane."
said she, with shining eyes.
An the calico t. use I'm on" said
And so, while the night spread over
neao' these two simple folk feasted
upon all the sweets of life; and all
tnat they desired they possessed. "a
FAST as fancy could form wishes. lust
as though the bench were a BIT Of
magic furniture, to bring dreams true
Until the night, advancing, thrust
the red and gold of the sunset clouds
over the rim Of the sea, and IT was
dark - wa"
leave US goa in" said Priscilla.
rms year" said Solomon, rising, 'T
De goaln t cOtch three hundred oIIin-
tails O. fish. Sure, 1 be-this YEAR,
1t CHANGED in that year that the fish
IalIed utterly; hence, in the winter fol-
lowing, Ragged Harbor fell upon DAVIS
OF distress; and three old women ard
one old man starved to death-and five
children, of whom one was the infant
son of solomon Stride. Neither in that
season. nor IN any one of the thirteen
years coming after, did this man catch
three hundred quintals of cod in his
trap. In pure might Of body-in plen-
tltude and quality of strengthen the
fulI, eager power of braWn-he was
great as the men of any time, a tower
ing glory to the whole race, here hid
Gen; but he could not catch three hun
dred quintals Of cod. In spirit-in pa
thence, hope, courage and the fine will
Tor toll-he was great; but, good sea-
son or bad, he could not catch three
hundred qutntals Of cod. He met night
cold fog, wind and the fury Of waves
In their craft. in their swift assault.
IN their slow, crushing descent; but ali
the cod he could Wrest from the sea.
Delng given into the hands Of Luke
Dart, an honest man, yielded only suf-
f1c1ent provision for food and clothing
for himself and Priscilla-only enough
to keep their bodies warm and still the
crying of their stomachs. Thus, while
the nets of the trap rotted, and Solo,
mon came near to middle age, the debt
swung from $500 to ST. and back to
$73, which it was on an evening in
spring when he sat with Priscilla in
the sunken bench at the door and
dreamed great dreams as he watched
the shadows gather over the harbor
water and suilenly hang between the
great rocks, rising all roundabout.
Il wonder, by" said Priscilla, 'ff
twill be a good season-this year"
"Oh, sure!" exclaimed Solomon.
"Sure!"
Dye think 1t, b'y?" wistfully.
Woman" said he, impressively,
''us'n cotch hape O. fish in the trap
this year. They be millions O. fish t