Year: 1875

As we steamed out Of sight of the
landing watched Ralph narrowly to
see il the familiar landmarks un-
manned him or brought back old ir-
remediable trouble. I was glad to
find that he wore the usual air OF
GOODNESS and retieence that seemed to
have quite taken the place of the
recklessness and impulse. His eyes
were certainly fixed with unusual in
terest upon the sloping shores of the
D eninsula and when little fishing
! boat drooped her sail in one of the
snug little coVes near by, and boat
man stepping out disclosed the form
of woman and that of 3 little child
clinging to her garments, Ralph
turned away, a frown contracted his
forehead, and he put his hand to his
head, as If TO arrest a sharp remem-
brance there. But he was himself
again presently, and began to con-
trast our glorious harbor with that Ol
Naples. He was reminded Ofa glOri-
Gus incident that occurred during our
sojurn there, and as his low, some
what musical laugh fell upon the
evening air, 1 don't know what force
impelled me 20 turn my head and
look at woman standing at the fur
ther end of the deck. She was lean
ing against one of the pillars of the
boat, the folds of her dress blown
about it by the sea-wind, and her
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 to see me I;
her great luminous eyes seemed con-
scious of but one object but they fell
upon Ralph with gaze magnetic
enough to lift hin from the camp
stool and draw him to her side.


With an involuntary shudder /
shifted my place to one that made u
barrier between them but the pow W.
er of her glance was potent enough
to render him already uneasy. The
light gradually faded from his eyes
his laughter gradually died away; a
melancholy settled on his face like that
of the darkness on the reclining
shores.


"Come, Ralph" I said, "Iet's &c
below a bit, and have a lounge in the
cabin the air is chilly"


81 believe it must be,n he replied,
"for / feel sort of trembling sensa'
tion about me. Pray heaven it isn'i
a chill 1t would be wonderful-nOw,
wouldn't ii, Harry ?-if after escap-
ing the plague in Syria and the chOlers
in Russia, should fall a victim to an
American speciality, fever and ague. u


'The best thing in the world fol
that" 1 said wearily, keeping my po.
sition in front of him, sis a good dose
of brandy and pepper. Let's go be.
low and get it.n


'I believe you've got touch of it.
too," he said, as we reached the stairs
you've either turned a palish-green
since 1 last looked at you, or it's the
reflection of dismal fancy"


Once reaching the comfortable re-
gion below the deck, the glow from
the furnace shedding a sort of heat
over the place, and the warm color
ing in the furniture shutting out the
cold light of the dying day upstairs,
the strong dose of brandy dispelling
all fears of miasma, Ralph and I dis
posed ourselves in a couple of arm
chairs in the cabin, and resolved to re-
main there the rest of the trip. He
closed his eyes, and / thought he fell
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
q word of communication between
them. began to hope that the gap
would never be filled up, in this world
at least.


In the other world there might
something, perhaps, be done for two
struggling souls ; but here hemmed in
/ by circumstances unrelenting and
even blsmeless, there was not even
room for complaint.


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


When he came down here long age
for that summer vacation, heaven
knows the page had charms enough
to allure us. The broad waters of the
bay were filled with game for our
pictorial fancy +; the beautiful group.
ing of the clouds, fittering of sunshine
down through the leaves of woods
then untouched by the spoiler, the
eloudless heaven, bright days of 6
summer on the waves, We're filed
with food for our yearning for the
beautiful.


five had never met Capt. Jack
| Yet Capt. Jack alone would have
been an unsdulterated element of joy.
He was as clever, honest and genial
fellow as ever went in pursuit of oys.
ters in these waters or those of Vir.
ginia. His fishing-smack might well
have been called a yacht, il was SC
handsome and complete. But being
the soul of hospitality and generous
to fault, he would insist upon oul
sharing his house and home, and see.
ing his wife Mary.


"If you can call the scow handsome
! don't know what you'll say to herp
he chuckled with infinite delight and
pride.


We said nothing. How he got heI
and where, was useless to ask bui
had he plunged to the neither deer
and fished up q mermaid, the mos
beautiful in the watery kingdom, had
he mounted in a balloon to the star.
ard picked her off from one of those
bits Of fire, had he ransacked the ele.
ments for a prodigy of beauty and
grace, he could not have gone beyond
little Mary. Jack always called he
Mary, but Ralph said she must bi
called May, because she was the en-
bodiment of Spring, of all that wa:
fresh and bright and beautiful.


81 told you 50 ~ said Capt. Jack
winking and nodding with all hii
might.


The poor fellow seemed heartily Il
enjoy the homage we paid to his wifi
and child-fOr there was baby in th,
boatman's home, q yellow-haired
blue-eyed infant; some such child a
would delight the eye and heart OF 1
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