Year: 1875

| tlb Htl1llldr uuIuduHcu VI
brought back the old irremediable trouble.
was glad to find that he wore the usual
air of coldness and reticence that seemed
to have quite taken the place of the old
recklessness and impulse. His eyes were
certainly fixed with unusual interest upon
the sloping shores of the peninsula and
when little fishing boat dropped her sail
in one of the snug little coves near by, and
boatman stepping out disclosed the form
of woman and that of a little child cling
ing to her garments, Ralph turned away,
frown contracted his forehead, and he
put his hand to his head as if to arrest
a short remembrance there. But he was
himself again presently, and he began to
contrast our glorious harbOr with that of
Naples He was reminded of an anus
ing incident that occurred during our So
| iourn there, and as his low, somewhat
musical laugh fell upon the evening air, l
don't know what force impelled me to
turn my head and look at a woman stand
ing at the farthest end Of the deck She
wa. 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 tiugers resting caress-
ingly upon the shoulders of u child by her
side.


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


With an involuntary shudder | shifted
my place to one that made a barrier be-
tween them; but the power OF her glance
was potent enough to render him already
uneasy. The light gradually faded from
his eyes; his laughter died away: mel
ancholv look settled on his face like that
of the.darkness of the receding shores.


Come, Ralph" said, lets go below
bit, and have a lounge in the cabin the
evening air is chill


II believe it must be-" he replied, ''for
| feel a sort of trembling sensation about
me. Pray Heaven it isn't chill 1t would
be wonderful-now, wouldn't it. Harry
If, after escaping the plague in Syria
and The cholera in Russia, l should fall
victim to an American specially, fever
and ague.


"The best thing in the world for that"
l said warily keeping my position in front
of him, 'is Il good dose of brandy and
pepper. Let's 60 below and get it."


II believe you've got touch of it, too"
he said as we reached the stairs, you've
either turned a palish-green since l last
looked at you, or it's the reflection of a
dismal fancy


Once reaching the comfortable region
below the deck, the glow from the fur
mace shedding sort of heat over the
place, and the warm coloring in the ftrn-
iture shutting out the cold light of the dy-
ing day upstairs, the strong dose of bran
dy dispellihg 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 | thought he tell
[ asleep; but, as for me, | never was more
wide awake in my life.


What wonderful destiny brought that
woman here at this moment ? So many
years had gone by without word of COM
muncation between them, l began to
hope that the gap would never be filled
up in this world, at least.


In the other world there might some-
thing, perhaps, be done for two struggling
helpless souls but here, hemmed in by
unrelenting and even blameless, circum-
stances there was not even room for COM
plant.


1t was not the fault of Ralph that he
loved her. | don't believe he knew it
himself till it was too late.


When we came down here long ago for
that summer vacation. Heaven knows the
place had charms enough to allure us.
| The broad waters OF the bay were filled
with game for our piscatorial fancy the
beautiful grouping of the clouds, the fill
terng of sunshine. down through the
leaves of woods, then untouched by the
spoiler, the coudless Heaven bright
ways OF summer on the wave were filed
with food for our yearning for the beauti-
full.


If we had only never met Capt. Jack!


Yet Capt. Jack alone would have been
an unadulterated element of joy. He was
as clever, honest, and genial fellow as
ever went in parsuit OF oysters in these
waters or those in Virginia. His fishing
smack might well have been called a
Yacht, it was so handsome and complete.
But, being the soul of hospitality, and gen.
erous to fault, he would insist upon our
sharing his house and home, and seeing
his wife Mary.


"If YOU call the scow handsome, don t
know what you'll say to her!" 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 fshed up
u mermaid, the most beautiful in that wa
terry kingdom, had he mounted in a ball
Icon to the stars and picked her off from
one OF those bits OF fire, had he ransacked
the elements themselves for a prodigy OF
beauty and grace, he could net have gone
beyond little May. Jack always called
her Mary, but Ralph said she must be-
called May, because she was the embodi-
ment of spring, of all that was fresh, and
bright and beautiful.


Il told you so !" said Capt. Jack, wink
ing and nodding with all his might.


The poor fellow seemed heartily to en-
Joy the homage we paid to his wife and
child for there wasssa baby in the boat
mans home. a yellow-baired, blue-eyed
infant, some such child as would delight
the eve and heart of "a painter.


Ralph unconsciously enough fell into a
habit of lounging away the best part Of
his time In the house by the shore. At al