31
S1
a. W. FAinBROTTlER & CO., Proprietor.
CALVKIIT, : : NEBRASKA.
W1IWU ONE ?
Ono of us, dear
Hut ono
Will sit by a bed with a nnmclcs fear,
And olasp u hiind
Growing cold as It fi els for tlio spirit lnnd;
Darling, which ono?
Ono of tie, dnr
Hut ono
Will stand by tlio other's coniii blor
And look, and wqup,
While those marble Up strango sllonco kocp:
Dai Hug, which ono?
Ono of us, dear
Hut ono
Uy an open grave will drop n tear,
A i:d homeward go,
Tlio nngultdi of an utuharod grlof to know;
Darling, wkiuli ono?
Ono of tis, dear
Hut ono
Shall spunk Kind words thoothor cannot hoar,
And fully know
All wo have dimly groped for hero bolow:
Darling, which ono?
Ono of in, darling. It mint bo.
It miiy bi1. ymi will slip from mo;
My littlo II lo may tlrst bu douo;
I'm glad wo do not know
Which ono.
Julfa 11. May, in Golden Rule.
U
LAL" RYDQTJIST;
A Story of the Land and Sea.
y
WAI.TKIt HKSANT AND .tAMI'.S HICK, IN AM.
. TIIH YlIAIl IIOUM).
CHAVTKU lX.-CONTINUKII.
They examined every islet of the lit
tle groups. They ventured within the
great lagoon ot Ilogolou, a hundred
miles neross, where an archipelago of
islets lie in the shallow huid-loeked sea,
clothed Willi forest. Tlio people eaino
oil' to visit them, paddling in canoes of
sandal-wood; there were two or three
ships put in for pearls and becho do
mer. Thou they touched at the Enderby
Islands, the Koyalist Islands, the Swede
Islands, and the Uliea Islands.
" Perhaps," said Captain llolstius, as
they sighted-cvery one, " ho may have
drilled here."
But he had not.
To those far-ofl' islands few ships ever
come. Yet from time to time thevo ap
pears the white sail of a trader or a
missionary schooner, or the smoke of
an English war-vessel. The people are
mostly gentle and obliging, when they
recognize that the ship does not come to
carry them oil' as coolies. But to all in
quiries there was but ono answer, that
they had no whito man among them,
unless it was somo poor bcach-coinbor
living among them, and one of them
selves. They knew nothing of any boat.
Worse than all, Dick shook his head at
,t every place; and showed no interest in
' the inquiries they prosecuted.
A voyage in those seas is not without
danger. They are shallow seas, where
new reefs, new coral islands, and new
shoals arc continually being formed, so
that whore, a hundred years ago was safe
sailing, there are now rocks above the
surface, and ovon islands. There are
earthquakes too, and volcanic eruptions.
There are islands whoro plantations and
villages have been swallowed up in a
moment, and thoir places taken by boil
ing lather; in the seas lurk great sharks,
and by the shores aro poisonous lish.
Tho peoplo are not everywhere ;ontle
and trustful; thoy have learned the vices
of Europe and tho treacheries of whito
men. Thoy have beon known to sur
round a becalmed ship and massacre all
on board. Yet Captain llolstius went
among them undaunted and without
fear. They did not offorhini any injury,
lotting him como and go unmolested.
Trust begets trust.
So they sailed from end to end of this
great archipelago and heard no news of
Ilex.
Then their hearts began to fail them.
But always in tho bows sat Dick,
searching the distant horizon, and in his
face there was the look of ono who knows
that he is near tho place which he would
lind.
And ono day, after many day's sailing
1 think they had been out of San Fran
cisco seven,ty-fivc days thoy observed
a strange thing.
Dick began to grow restless. lie bor
rowed tho Captain's glasses and looked
through them, though his own eyes
were almost as good. Ho rambled up
and down the deck continually, scanning
the horizon.
"See," cried Lai, "ho knows the
air of this place; ho has been hero be
fore. Is there no land in sight?"
"None." Ho gave her tho glass.
"I see tho lino of sea. and tho blue sky.
There is no land in sight."
Yet what was tho meaning of that
restlessness? By some sonso unknown
to thoso who havo the usual fivo, the
man who could neither hoar nor speak
know ory well that ho was near tho
place they had come so far to lind.
Captain llolstius showed his com
panion their position upon tho chart.
" Wo aro upon tho open sea," ho
said. "Here aro tho Uliea islos two
hundred miles and more from any
where. A littlo more and wo shall bo
outside tho shallow seas, and in the deep
water again. Lai, wo have searched so
far in vain. IIo is not in tho Carolinos,
then where can ho boP Nothing is be
tween us and tho Polows excopting this
littlo shoal."
The charts aro not always porfect.
The littlo shoal, since tho chart was
laid down, had become au atoll, with
its reef and its lagoon.
It was early morning, not long after
fcunrise.
While thoy woro looking upon tho
chart, which thoy know by heart, tho
Malay burst into tho cabin and seized
Lai by the hand. He dragged her upon
tho deck, his eyes llosuing, his lips
parted, and pointed with both hands to
the horizon. Then ho nodded his head
and sat down on deck once more, imi
tating tho action of ono who paddles.
1 .nl Qne tintlilnfT.
The Captain followed with his classes.
"Land ahead," he said slowly, "off
the starboard bow."
IIo gave her tho glasses. She looked,
made out the land, and then o.lured the
glass to Dick, who shook his head, point
ed, and nodded again.
"We have found tlio place," cried
Lai, "Iknow it is I feel it is Oh, Hex,
Box, if wo should find you there!"
As tho ship drdw nearer, tho excite
ment of the Malay increased. It became
certain now that ho had recognized the
place, of which nothing could bo hoon
except a low line of rick with white wa
ter breaking over it.
The day was nearly calm, a breath of
air gently floating the vessel forward;
lirnM'iitlv thn rook became clearlv do-
liued;,a low reef, of a horse-shoo shape,
surrounded, save for a narrow entrance,
a large lagoon of perfectly smooth wa
ter; within tho lagoon woro visible two,
or perhaps threo islands, low, and ap
parently with littlo other vegetation
than the universal pandang, that be
neficent palm of tho rocks which wants
nothing but a little coral sand to grow
in, ana provides the islanders with tood,
clothing, roofs for their huts, and sails
for their canoes.
As soon as Dick saw tho entrance to
the lagoon ho ran to the boats and niadu
signs that thoy should lower aitd row to
the land.
- "Let him have his way," saidjtho
Captain, "ho shall bo ourleador now.
Let us not bo toy confident, Lai, my
dear, but L verily believe that wo have
found the place, and, perhaps, the man."
They lowered the boat. The first to
jump into her was tho Mala', who
seated himself in tho bows and seized an
oar. Then ho made signs to hiS'mis
trcss that she should como too.
Thoy lowered her, and sho sat in tho
stern Then the Captain got in, and
they pushed oil".
" What do you say, Lai?" asked llol
stius, looking at her anxiously.
" 1 am praying," sho replied, with
tears in her eyes. " And t am think
ing, brother," she laid her hand in his,
"how good a man you are, and what re
ward we can give you, and what Ilex
will say to you."
"I need no reward," ho said, ".but
to know and fe.ol that you aro happy.
You will tell Hex, my dear, thai L have
been your brother since ho was lost.
Nothing more, Lai, nover anything else.
That has beon enough."
She burst into tears.
" Oh! what shall I tell him about you?
what shall I not tell him? Shall l,in
very truth bo able to tell Mm anything
to sneak to him again? Kiss me, be
fore ail these men that they may know
howmueh I love my brother, and how
grateful I am, and how 1 pray that God
will reward you out of His infinite love."
She laid her hand on his whilo he
stooped his head and kissed her fore
head. "Enough of me," ho said, ".think
now of Kox."
By this time they were in tho mouth
of the lagoon. They passed over a bar
of coral, some eight feet deep, and then
tho water grow deeper. Tn this beauti
ful and remote spot, Lai was to lind her
lover. All tho while tho Malay looked
first to the islands and then back at his
mistress, his face wreathed with smiles,
and his eyes Hashing with excitement.
The sea in this lagoon was porfeatly,
wonderfully transparent. The (lowers
of tho sea-weeds, the lish, tho great.sea
slugs the beehes do mer collected by
so many trading vessels; the sharks
moving lazily about the shallow water
were a easily visible as if they were on
land. This small land-lockod sea was,
apparently, about three miles in diam
eter, bounded on all sides by tlio ring
of narrow rocks, and entered by rino
narrow mouth; the islets, whicli had
been visible from the ship, woro Mir in
number. The largest one, of irregular
shape, appeared to be about a mile and
a half long, and perhaps a mile broad;
it was a low island, thinly set with tlio
pandang, tlio screw palm, .which will
grow when nplliing olso can lind moist-
ure in me sanuy sou;- inoro were no
-signs of habitation visible. Tho other
three islands, separated from tho larger
one, auu irom eacn oiner, oy narrow
straits, wore quite small, tho largest
not more than two or threo acres in ox
tont. The place was perfectly quiet; no
sign of life was seen or heard.
Dick pointed to a largo island, which
ran out a low bend of capo toward the
entrance of the lagoon. His face was
terribly in earnest, ho laughed no long
er; he kept looking from t lie island to
his mistress and back again. As they
drew nearer, he held up his linger to
command silence.
The men took short strokes, dipping
thoir oars silently, so that nothing was
heard but the grating of tho oars m tho
row-locks.
On rounding tho capo they found a
narrow lovol beach of sand (stretching
back about a hundred feet. This was
tho sumo place whore, live months be
fore, Captain Wattles held his confer
once with tho prisoner.
" Easy!" oried the Captain.
The boat with her weigh on slowly
moved on toward tho shore. There
seemed on the placid bosom of the la
goon to bo no current and no tide, nor
any motion of the waters. For no
fringo of hanging sea-weed lay upon the
rocks, nor wus there any belt of the flot
sam which lies round the vexed shores
whoro waves beat and winds roar.
Strange, thcro was not even tho gentlo
murmur of tho washing wavelet, which
is never still elsowhore on tho calmest
day.
All hold thoir breaths and listened.
The air was so still that Lnl heard the
breathing of tho boat's crow; the boat
slowly moved on toward tho shoro.
Tho Malay In tho bows had shipped his
oar and now sat like a wild creature
waiting for tho moment to spring.
"Hush!" It was Lai who hold up
her linger.
There was a sound of distant voices.
Tho place was not, then, uninhabited,
The boat nearcd the shore. When It
was but two feet or so from the shelving
bank the Malay leaped nut of the bows,
alighting on hands and knees, and ran,
waving Tils arms, toward the wood.
It was now threo mouths hinco the
offer of freedom was brought to Kox
and refused on conditions mo hard. So
far the prediction of Captain Wattles
was fulfilled; no sail had crossed the
sea within sight of the lonely island; no
ship had touched there. It was likely,
Indeed, that the castaway would live
and die there abandoned and forgotten.
Kox kept the probability before his
mind; he remembered Hobinsou Cru
soe's famous list of tilings for which ho
might bo grateful; he was well; the
place was healthy; there was food in
sullicieney, though rough; and ho was
not alone, though perhaps that fact
was not altogether a subject for grati
tude. Tlio sun was yet in tlio forenoon, and
Hex, inventor-general of tho Island,
while perfecting a method of improving
the fishing by means of nets made of
tho pandang fiber, was startled by tho
rush of twenty or thirty of the people,
seizing clubs and spears, and shouting
to each other.
The rush and the shout could mean
but ono thing a ship in sight.
He sprang to his feet, hesitated, and
then wont with them.
He saw, at first, nothing but a boat
close to land, and a figure running
swiftly across tho sandy beach.
What they saw, from the boat, was a
group of very forooious natives, yelling
to one another and brandishing weap
ons, intent, no doubt, to slay and de
stroy ovory mother's son. Thoy were
darker of hue than most Polynesians;
they woro tattoood all over; their noses
anil ears were pierced and stuck witli
bits of tor,toisc-sholl for ornament;
their abundant and raven-black hair
was twisted in knots on tlio top of their
heads.
Ami among them stood ono with a
long brown beard; ho wore a hat mado
out of a palm-leaf; his feet were bare;
his clothes were shreds and rags; his
bare arms were tattooed like tho island
ers' arms; his hair was long and mat
tod; his cheeks, his hands, arms and
feet woro bronzed; ho might have
missed for a native but for his face and
hair.
It was exactly what Captain Wattles
had seen, only the men were tiereer.
When thoy saw from the boat tho
white man, thoy grasped each other's
hands.
"Courage, Lai," said Captain llol
stius. "Courago and caution."
When Hex, among tho natives, saw
and recognized Dick, his faithful ser
vant running to greet him and kissing
his hand; when he saw tho people sud
denly stop their shouts, and gather curi
ously about their old friend, who had
been kidnapped long before with their
own brother, he stared about him as if
in a dream.
Then Dick seized his master's hand
and pointed.
A ship was standing off the mouth of
the lagoon; a boat was on the bench;
and in the boat But jtiot then Cap
tain llolstius leaped ashore, and a girl
after him. And then then -the girl
followed the Malay and ran toward him
with arms outstretched, crying:
"Hex! Hex!"
This must bo a dream. Yet no dream
would throw upon his breast the girl of
whom he had thought day and night,
his love, his promised wife. '
"Kox! Hex! Do you not know me?
Have you forgotten?"
For a while, indeed, ho could not
speak. Tho thing stunned him.
In a singlu moment he remembered
all the past; the long despair of the
weary time, especially of the last three
months; tho dreadful prospect before
nun; tne thought ot tlio long years
l ereoping slowly on, unmarked even by
, spring or autumn; the loneliness ot ins
life; the gradual sinking, deeper and
I deeper, unto tho level of tho pour fcl-
lows around him; Ihing or dead no one
would know about him; perhaps the girl
ho loved being deceit od into marrying
tho liar and villain who sat in tho boat
and ollered him conditions of freedom
he remembered all these things. He
remembered, too, how of late he had
thought that there might come a time
wnen it would be well to end every
thing by a plunge in the transparent
waters of the lagoon. Two minutes of
struggle and all would be over. Death
seemed a lunr and conscious sleep. To
sleep unconscious, and without a wak
ing, is nothing. To sleep conscious of
repose, knowing that there will be no
mare trouble, is the imaginary haven of
tho suicide.
Then ho roused himself
and clasped
her to his heart
"My darling! You havo como to lind
me! '
But how to got away?
First, ho took the ribbons from Lai's
hat and from her nook, and presented
thorn to tho chief, haiing a few words
of friendship and greeting.
Tho finery pleased the man, and ho
tied it round his nook, saying that it
was good. The phenomenon in bright
colored ribbons, he did not understand.
Could she, too, mean kidnapping?
Meantimo tho boat was lying close to
tho beach, and beside the bow stood
Captain llolstius, motionless, waiting.
" Lai," said Hex. " (Jo quietly back
to tho boat and tret in. Tako Dick and
make him got into the boat with you.
I will follow. Do nothing hurriedly.
Show no signs of fear.
She obeyed; tho people mado no at
tempt to oppo.io her return; Captain
llolstius helped her into the boat. Un
fortunately Dick did not obey. IIo
stood on the beach waiting.
Thou Hex began, still talking to tho
people, to walk slowly toward tho boat,
lie was promising to bring them
presents from the ship; ho begged them
to stay where thoy were, and not to
crown round the boat; he bade them re
member the bad man who had stole two
of their brothers, and ho promised to
find out where they were and bring
them back. They listoncd, nodded, and
answered that what he said was good.
When ho nearcd the boat thoy stood
Irresolute, grasping the Idea that thoy
were going to lose tho white man Who
had been among them so long,
I believe that he would have got off
quiotlv, but for tho zeal of Dick, who
could not restrain his impatience, but
sprang forward and caught Ms old master
In his strong arms, and tried to carry
htm into thu boat.
Then tho islanders yelled and mado
for the beach all together.
No one but Lai could tell, afterword,
exactly what happened at this moment.
It was this. Two of the islanders,
who were in advance of the rest, af rived
at the beach just as Dick had dragged
his master into the boat. Captain llol
stius had pushed her off and was stand
ing by the bows, up to his knees In
water, on tho point of leaning in. In a
moment more the' would havo been In
dcop water.
'1 ho black fellows, seeing that thoy
were too Into, stayed their feet, and
poised their spears, aiming them, in the
blind rage of the moment, at tho man
thuv had received amongst themselves
nnif treated hospitably at Kox. Hut as
the weapons left their hands, Captain
llolstius sprang into the boat, and stand
ing upright, with outstretched arms, re
ceived in Ids own breast the two spears
whicli would havo pierced tho heart of
Hex. The action, though so swift as to
take but a moment, was as deliberate as
if it had been determined upon all along.
Then all was over. Hex was safely
seated in tho stern beside Ins sweet
heart; Dick was crouching at his feet;
the boat was in deep water; the men
woro rowing their hardest; tho savages
were yelling on tlio beach; and at Lai's
feet lay, pale and blooding, the man who
had saved tho llfo of her lover at tho
price of his own.
She laid his pale face in her lap; sho
took his cold hands in her own; sho
kissed his cold forehead, whilo from his
breast, there ilowed tho rod blood of his
life, given, like his labor and his sub
stance, to her.
IIo was not yet quite dead, and pre
sently ho opened his eyes those soft
blue eyes which had so often rested
upon her as if thoy were guarding and
sheltering her in tenderness and pity.
They were full of lovo now, and oven
of joy, for Lai had got back her lover.
" Wo have found liim, Lai," ho mur
mured " wo have found him. You
will bo happy again now you havo
got your heart's desire."
What could sho say? How could sho
rowlv?
"Do not cry, Lai, dear. What mat
ters for me if only you are hap
py?" Thoy woro his last words.
Presently he pressed her lingers; his
head, upon her lap, fell over on ono
side; his breath ceased.
So Captain llolstius, alono among the
three, redeemed his pledge. If Lai was
happy, what inoro had he to pray for
upon this earth? What mattered, as
he said, for him?
At sundown that evening, when tho
ship was under weigh again and tho
reef of the lonely unknown atoll low
on the horizon, thev buried the Captain
in the deep, while Rex read tho Service
of tho Dead.
The blood of Captain llolstius must
be laid to tho charge of his rival; the
blood of all tho whito men murdered on
Polynesian shores must be laid to the
chargo of thoso who havo visited the
island in order to kidnap the people, and
those who have gone among them only
to teach them some of tlio civilization
out of which they have extrat'ted noth
ing but its vices.
As regards this little islet, tho peoplo
know, in some vague way, that thoy
have had living among them a man who
was superior to themselves, who taught
them things, and showed them certain
small arts by which he improved thoir
mode of life; if ever, whicli we hope
may not bo their fate, they fall in with
tho" beach-combers of Fiji, Samoa or
Hawaii, they will easily perceive that
liox Aiiniger was not ono ot them. 1 hoy
will remember that he was a person of
such great importance, that two chiefs
came to see him; ono of them carried off
two of their people, the other, with
whom was a great princess, carried off
their prisoner himself.
In a few years' time the story will be
come a myth. Some of tho missionaries
are great hands at collecting folk-lore.
They will land hero and will presently
inquire among the people for legends
and traditions of the past. They will
hear how, long, long ago (many years
ago), there had living among them a
wliito person, whose proper spliere by
birth was tlio broad heaven: how he
st.ijcd with them a long timo (many
moons); how ono after tho other white
persons came to see him, both bad and
good; for some kidnapped their people
and took them away to be eaten nllvo;
how at last a goddess, all in crimson,
blue and gold, came with a male deity
and took away their guest, who had,
meantime, taught them how to make
clothes, roofs and bread, out of the bo
noliecnt pandang; how tho companion
was killed in an unlucky scrimmage;
and Jioiv they looked forward for their
return somo day.
thlrf
will
storv and scud it homo: wi.su inon
get hold of It, and discuss itfl meaning.'
Thoy will bo divided into two classes;!
those who see in it a legend of the stud
god, the princess being nothing but the
moon, and her companion the morning
star; the other class will seo in the story
a corruption of tho history of Moses.
Others, more learned, will compare lids'
legend with others exactly like it in al
most nil lauds. It is, for instance, tho
same as tho talo of (Juinovoro returning
for Arthur, and will quote oxtimplos
from Afghanistan, v Alaska, Tierra del
Fuego, Borneo, the valleys of (ho Leba
non, Socotra, Central America and the
Faroo Isles.
Five weeks later Lai was married at
San Francisco. Tho merchant who
lent her tho schooner gave her a country
house for hor honeymoon.
"She ought," said Hex, "to havo
married the man who gave hor himself,
all his fortune, and his very life. I am
ashamed that so good a man has been
sacrificed for mv sake.
"No sir," said the Californlan; "not
for your sake at all, but for hers. Wo
may remember some words about laying
down your life for your friends. 'Per
haps It is worth the sacrillco of a llfo to
have done so good and great a thing.
If there were many more such men in
the world, we might shortly expect to
see the gates of Eden open again."
"Unfortunately," said Kox, "thoro
aro more like Captain Wattles."
" Yes sir; I am sorry ho is au Ameri
can. But you can boast your Horliud
or, who is, l believe, an Englishman."
Tho account of Lai's rot urn and tho
death of Captain llolstius duly appeared
in the San Francisco papers. It was
accompanied by strictures of somo se
verity upon tlio conduct of Captain
Barnabas 11. Wattles, who was com
pared to tho skunk of his native country.
It was this account, with these strict
ures, which tlio Son of Consolation
found in tho paper after posting his
packet of lies.
Further, a Sydney paper asked if tlio
Captain Harnabas B. Wattles, of tho
Fair Maria, wos the same Captain Wat
tles who behaved in the wonderful
manner described in the California
papers.
lie wrote to say ho was not. '
From further information roooivod, it
presently appeared to everybody that ho.
was that person.
He has now lost his ship, and I know
not where ho i.S nor what occupation ho
is at present following.
Jt remains only to suggest, rather than
to describe, tlio joyful return to Seven
Houses. We may not linger to relnto
how Mrs. Hyd'qplst, who still found
comfort in wearing additional crape to
her widow's weeds for Hex, now kept ib
on for Captain llolstius, calling every
body's attention to tho wonderful ao-'
curacy of hor predictions; how Captain
Zaehariaseu first sang a Nunc dimittis,
loudly proclaiming his willingness to gu
since Lai was happy again; and thou
explained, lest he might bo faken at Mm
word, that perhaps it would bo well to
remain in order to experience the full
ness of wisdom which comes with nine
ty years. IIo also takes groat credit to
himself for the able reading ho had given
of the mummicking.
The morning after their arrival, Hex,
looking for his wife, found hor in the
kitchen, making the pudding with her,
old bib on and her white arms flecked
with Hour, just as ho remembered hoi
three years bofore. Beside hor, tho
Patriarch slept in tho wooden chair.
" It is all exactly the same," ho said;
"yet with what a difference? And L
have had three years of tho kubobo.
Lai, you aro going to begin again tho
old housekeeping?"
She shook her head and laughed.
Then the tears came into hor eyes.
"Tho Captains like this pudding,1',
she said. "Let mo please thorn onco
mora, Hex, while I stand hero looking
through the window at the trees in tho
church-yard, and through tho open d'i
in tlio garden, and when I listen to tho
noise of tho docks and tlio river, and
for tho white sails beyond tho church,
aad watch the dear "old man asleep
there beside the fire, I cannot believe
but that I shall hear another step, ami
turn round and see beside me, with ids
grave smile and tender eyes, Captain
llolstius, standing, as ho used lo stand,
in the doorway, watching mo without a
word."
Hex kissed her. IIo could hear this
talk without jealousy or pain. Yet it
will always seem to Mm somehow, as if
his wife had missed a better husband
than himself, a feeling which may bo
useful in keeping down pride, vain con
ceit, and over masterfulness; vices
which mar the conjugal happiness of
many.
" lie could never have beon my hus
band," the young wife went on in hor
happiness, thinking she spoke the whole
truth; " not even if l had never known
you. But I loved him, Hex."
Tin; KND.
The first church-bell used in tho
?arisli of Quassaick, now Ncwburg, N.
'., has been turned over to tho trustees
of Washington's headquarters. It was
cast in Amsterdam in 1710, and was
given by the Government to tho Palatino
parish of Quassaick. It has beon kept
nirciuuv, and is
cap ab lo of still doing
Jhicuou Times.
valiant service.
Wo must not bo surprised to hear of
a paper furniture factory starting into
existence before long. Paper can now
bo made of strong fibres ami compressed
into a substance so hard that only a
diamond can scratch it. A foreign jour
nal says that wood will be superseded by
paper. N. I'. Hun.
Wm. Kaiser Is tho oldest reigning
King or Emperor over known in, tho his
tory of Christendom.
Tho missionaries will writo down tl
Li
