Year: 1874

As we steamed ont of sight of the
landing I watched Ralph narrowly
10 see if the familiar landmarks m
manned him or brought back the old
irremediable trouble. I was glad to
find that he wore the usual air of cold
ness and reticence that seemed to have
quite taken the place of the old reck-
lessness aud impulse. His eyes were
certainly fixed with interest upop
the sloping shores of the peninsula
and when a little fishing boat dropped
her sail in one of the snug little coves
near by, and a bOatman stepping out
disclosed the form of a woman and that
of a little child clinging to her gar
ments, Ralph turned away, frown con-
tracted his forehead, and he put his
hand to his head as if to arrest a sharp
remembrance there. But he was him
self again presently. and began to con-
trast our glorious harbor with that of
Naples. He was reminded of the anus
ING incident that occurred during our
soiourn there, and as his low, somewhat
musical laugh fell upon the evening
air, I don't know what force impt He'd
me to turn my head and look at a wo-
man standing at the furthest end of the
deck. She was leaning against one of
the pillars of the boat, the folds of her
dress blown about it by the sea-wind,
and her long, slender, ungloved fingers
resting caressingly upon the shoulders
Of a child by her side.


Her face was pale, even paler than of
old. She appeared not see me her
great luminous eyes seemed conscious
Of but the one object but they fell
upon Ralph with a gaze magnetic
-. 1,
stool and draw him to her side.


With an involuntary shudder shifted
my place to one that made barrier be-
tween them but the power of her
glance was potent enou Sh to render him
already uneasy. The light gradually
faded from his eyes his laughter died
away a melancholy settled on his face
like that Of the darkness on the Teced-
ing shores.


Come, Ralph, - I said, let's go be-
owa a bit, and have lounge in the cabin;
the evening air is chill.


Ct believe it must be" he replied,
"for L feel a sort of trembling sensation
about me. Pray Heaven it isn't chill
It would be wonderful-now wouldn'tit,
Harry ?-if, after escaping the plague
in Syria and the cholera in Russia, l
should fall a victim to an American
speciality, fever and ague."


"The beat thing in the world for
that" / said, warily keeping my posi-
ton in front Of him, is n good dose of
brandy and pepper. Let's go below and
get it."


- believe you've got n touch of it
toe" he said, as we reached the stairs.
You've either turned a palish-green
since I last looked at you, or it's the re-
hection Of a dismal fancy"


Once reaching the comfortable region
below the deck, the glowing from the
furnace shedding a sort of heat over
the place, and the warm colOring in the
furniture shutting out the cold light OF
the dying day up stairs, the strong dose
Of brandy dispelling all fear of miasma,
Ralph and disposed of ourselves IN a
couple of arm chairs IN the cabin, and
resolved TO remain there for the rest OF
the trip. He closed his eyes, and
Tia ught he fell asleep; but, az for me,
| never was more wide awake IN my
life.


What wonderful destiny brought that
woman here mt this moment? So many
years had gone by without a word OF
communication between them, began
to hope that the gap never would be
filled MP, in this world at least.


In the other world there might some
thing, perhaps, be done for two strug-
Cling, helpless souls ; but here, hem
med in by circumstance unrelentDg
and even blameless, there was not even
room for complaint.


IL was not the fault Of Ralph that he
loved her. I don't believe that he knew
it himself till it was too late.


When he came down here long ago
for that summer vacation, Heaven knows
the place had charms enough to allure
rs. The broad waters of the bay were
filed with game for our piscatorial
fancy; the beautiful grouping of the
clouds. the filtering of sunshine down
through the leaves of woods, then un-
touched by the spoiler, the cloudless,
heayen-briGht days of a summer on the
wave, were filed with food for our
yeaIniug for the beautiful.


II we had only never met Captain
Jack


Yet Captaiu Jack alone would have
been an unadulterated element OF Joy.
He was as clever, honest, and genial q
fellow as ever went IN pur'mt OF oysters
In these waters or those of Virginia.
His fishing smack might well have been
called n Yacht, it was so handsome and
completes. But being the soul of hospi,
tality. and generous to a fault, he would
insist upon our sharing his house and
seeing his wife Mary.


" III Won call the scow handsome,
don't know what you'll say to her y he
Chuckled. with infinite delight and
pride.


We said nothing. How he got her,
and where. was useless to ask; but had
he plunged to the neither deep and
Rehed up n mermaid, the most beautiful
In that vyatery kingdom, had he mounted
iu a balloon to the stars and picked her
on from one of those bits OF ire, had
he rausacked the elements themselves
for prodigy of beauty and grace, he
could not have gone beyond little May.
Jack always called her Mary, but Ralph
said she must be called May, because
she was the embodiment of spring-oi
ali that WAS fresh and bright aud beau
tlul.


osI told YOU so said Captain Jack,
vinking and nodding with all his might.


The poor fellow seemed heartily 70
enjoy the homage we paid to his wlte
and child-for there was baby IN the
boatman's home, yellow-haired, bIue,
eyed infant, some such child as woulo
delight the eye and heart of a painter;


Ralph, uncOnsciously enough, fsll
iuio a habit of lounging, away the b, ST
uart of his time in the house by the
shore. And almost any hour in the day
one might hear his pleasant voice read
ing bits of poetry to May, or earollne
out snatches of song to the child. After
a time eli this changed he grew moody
and restless. q shadow fell on the young
wonan's face and Captain Jack would
insist upon my going of with him fol
hours together-fishing, oystering, AZ
TO the market, anywhere and every
where, so that il was out in the opel
air or on the free glad waters OF th'
bav.


Heaven knows tried to stay at hom'
with them, but Captain Jack would hav'
me 90. I was afraid TO openly rebel
because-well, because I did not car
90 breed a devil in that dormant bu
powerful brain,


Thus Wa ID, rendered helpless