HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Times, 1896-07-17, Page 2WISUILAM TIMES JULY 17, 1t- 1U,
4
) Ii.$,nnd..,Y.Ii�.litsveresuxralirtitiansly re.
"y
tt
"fever nii
nl, Xane,treplied moved during to night of .lute 10.
1n
RI
her mother,. "loess t re s room enauzh understandan1 there strong ss iDians
in this world
for you and S'ropty, too," to the identity of the rorpotrator of this
"Ohl mother, mothers you're too cod. , outrage."
"Now, how slew yew 'spOso they found
Jt oat," sold 4'repty. "T. ase newspaper
folks is groat bands to utak() up new
words. bat when I hoard My own name
read right not so, it did alto, ate. an awful
stoic, Who ootlitl 'a' told 'cite?"
"Oh, the eorrospondc' its mkt) It their
btisineaR to find oat ()boats all these little
happenings." ,
"Bot what made '0m chink 1 did it?"
poisisted; S'repty, to n trona Molls Whitt -
per,
"You?" sold hor f, lend. "What did you
have to do about it? We surmised It was
those- Clancy boys did it for fun."
"It was ole that pulled up them stakes.
An' I duuuu but I'd dew it agin', 1�'rnps
it's just as well X shu'n't twit up ag'in.
But that sct mosowhon ta
dford road1
it out so Loud, 'Sroptyshu ly,' just the
same as sttyln' It was ins,
"Doaa't worry n mite ut it," said
her friond soothingly, "1 is a real die,-
tionary word, and didn't n an anything
about, you, And I won't say a word about
it, oven. to Silas."
S'repty's eyes lost somebing of their
distracted look,
"'fiat's just like e�on, Luoiudy," sale
said feebly. "1 shonlll tato to nave it in
everybody's mouth, wit I was gono, how
I jus' missed Win' tool: 1p, by dyiu'."
"Bat, S'repty, what tato world did
possess you, a woman your years, to
out up such a crazy eapt ?"
"was all on your ar, ount, Luoindy.
Contln' Homo from yo house, I got
tltinkin' about tato raiir d track rennin'
between tho house an' t e barn, an' it I
diun't run ag'iust anoti r stake an' tear
my dross won't' 'twos' fore. An' that
night I drolly how you as goin' norosi
IIY JI NI1'l COLTON.
You Idako arouses for everybody, and
there's nobody you'tt refuse to speak to. I
do belleve you would vlsit with a ester-
pillar, If y ort thought it would be pleas
This soon -tingly absurd conjecture was
Tim Jttno sunshine poured anorouslll sat In vcritlod. The next slay, as Mrs. Merritt
hero
In at the with+ doors of tilt Merritt ``great carne upon tlgoatwindow winde at her ow -sill a treat
stark" and the largo, cleanly room Parti- fluted roan cater altar, moving with
boned oft fora onrriage•houso was toll Of dignity,s beoante a oreature whom splint -
the
len-
the breath of summer. ar did desiny was to transforms into a still
Qpposltt+ tho door stood the fnlnily sur- snore magnifloent greed moth,
coy," wearing the drapery provided for The shuttle lay idle as for some minutes
its hours of retirement an in ono earner Mrs. Diorritt watohed, amd admired, and
was a lofty pile of sleighs, various pa oven talked softly tp her Roost. All thin.
terns and sizos, On the sa le sido as the would have seemed but foolishness to
door stood tho gaunt fronto an old-fnsh- Saropty, had she been prlisent, Her mind
toned band -loom, anti high 1 state before must have been constr;ioted on a larger
it was sent(hd the lliistrefis the f arm -
house. Many happy solitar hours Mrs.
Merritt spent there.
"loved o sh
She to weave,"
gentle, anoditative voice.
Bet this love watt not m
weaving. It was nloro for
sights and sounds of the suer
and for the kindly loisur•l
noon. The peaceful task bolo
mer as much as • did tho sw
daisies and the hum of the be
the loom stood neglected A
but in the tato days of Ma
grass was already dt+op And
footpads, and the applo-tr
their last lingering blossoms
for the dreamy, delightfu
awaken, and Mrs. Merritt
herselt to set up a "weft."
Tho old loom had canto t
itance, and she valued it a
the t.neustrai homespun 1
family tra(litions which
even to the inevitable" thee
came over from England."
Salo pati often told hor ala
scale, after all, for she reerved her ourios.
sty for the hulna.> speoi s.
said, in hor
Within a fortnight sh was again vend,
t
s Die ri t but
e afternoon
x i t s
11 r,
1 hat
hofor the she did not ooeupy hely usual sent, tum«
ho pleasant P'
wontingnorweather, uling a viewof the;Dose,
gut, ►fteri She had Crowded her mirinto a narroW
r
ged too apace beside tho loom. {;'sho window wets
ing of the above hor head ns she at unobtrusively
s. In winter busy in darning a desperate rent in her
or oGt n brown alpaca dross. Side had caught it
f'iee the
n upon a stake which was driven beside the
u path; ono of several stapkes wibch were
seen by the visible from the doorWily. Though her
s had shed pinna was humble and riitired, S're+pty was
sho li,nging full of lofty indignation. Her own special
task would grievanoo of the torn rotvn only added to
votlld bestir her wrath at what she' deemed a groat
110r byinter- public wrong.
For months there had been talk of a
she treasured proposed new railroad. !' At last the lino
en, and the had been surveyed, and it crossed the
ttouded back Merritt farm, running between the house
brothcrt that and the "great barn." t
S'ropty had lost no line in going to
condole with her Went
"Here I be a.' sett in', endin' a dress on
ate," she remarked. " 's a sign soeuo-
body's goln' to toll a li about me, but I
guess I can resk it if td} y can, 's long's
'tnin't the truth. WI. I ootid snake•
them railroad folks buy me a now dress!
But you oughter git bi damages," she
went on. "It jist spile your posy gar-
den. u 1 bi
h 1. 7s rowel
t k la r B
It'sta t i
den..I R i
y g
enough to keep off'n th track.'
Mrs. Merritt assented .
"An' to have 'era co in' along screech -
in' in the middle of the fight, shakin' the
very P s d
illot under you ou heiad..
I know
how 'tis to Sister Chute 's. But the wust
was when they was dig In' an' blastin',
an' great Stones a-fittl .' an' Ketury's
folks had to lie all ciutt ad up in tho ell -
part, an' all nerved up o len a blast went
uff. An' when they we t to nicetin', tho
road was all blocked up front of non
Clay's houso.nn' they ha to drive up over
the bank, expectin' the kerridgo would
slip off'n the nage. An' or a-lookin' out
o' the front winder, aro •er'n time, be-
cause thorowas whcelnlar s on the terriss,
us she called it,
"The road will be easie to build here,"
said Mrs. Merritt. ''A.ndpnow they've bo -
gun, they say they're gqing to rush it
through."
"Butthe emigrants wiI have to come,
theta Eyetali,Lns," said 1 S'repty. "An'
lncler your nose,
In' themselves,
vent, hinting at
u the part of the
to shake the
Att.
)d, workmanlike
job of that soar," slle said kindly.
"There's very few can b-nt you at mend-
ing i3'r-pty."
S'repty drew her thre +1 with a steadier
hand. Sho was used to ors disinterested
compliments than tihi: ; hints pointing
directly to great basket full of tatterad
garments which had a.'sttlnulated ready
for her noodle.
"Mother," said Lots
ghter: of tho
remote grandmother who, len tiro men
of the family had ivadvertet ly carried off
the pick of the household ort anent on an
excursion to Ticonderoga and Crown
Point, defended her home an babies with
an axe, To such deeds the erritt sisters
felt themselves quite adept e, had need
arisen, but they could see n reason why
their mother should sit in t o barn and
weave rag•earpetiug In tato act that the
loom had been framed of oa - timber cut.
when all the hillside bey 'nd Roaring
Brook was() wilderness. But;if "another"
pleased, it was all right. l
Totter
ellwas welt
`are to fol er v 'vP
And. Miss p
tome to bring ]ler knitting- oven
and sit in
the doorway, and tali who •ars dead, and
who was married, from itooring Brook to
the Nepash. For Snrapta'ltossessod mar-
ried sister; and cousins inJinlf the towns
of the county, which gave hor an intueenso
advantage as a purveyor off news.
She was a meager littto woman, who
had never been credited with much. alert -
t . added a little
nee even to look
he life and stir,
at "the Merritt
ness of mind or body,
brightness to her exists
on from the outside at
the coming and going,
place."
And in the intervals
sat and knitted, with h,
able things, she was no
the placid musing of ]�
• would have been a oat, razing in the sun- site shanties will bo rightshine.
Back And forth movedthe shnttlo, then an' there they'll bo cootan' hula' on block bread
followed the dull strata of the batten,
Occasionally the weavfrr-wouid descend Even this mixed stash
from her seat to turn Ito racket of the ottani balisitct tendencies
beam upon which the f brio was wound. workmen, did not :•_0(.1
c
"How nice you du bat up your weav- placid nerves of Mrs, .Mc
in' 1" exclaimd S'rtp rousing herself You're hnaking r, g
to R'
dtniration "Mss' finks don't half do
her'n. and, Rosalia ha said; time and
ag'in, she wouldn't son any more rags to
her; but then she's nd'er sorry for
her."
"Its hard for her to toggle along,"
said Mrs. Merritt. "If r children had
lived, it would have beet different."
"Your loorn.got kind crowded out of
. the house, didn't it?" sal
old fnrnito.r has got to
of what cousin Spence
when Squaro Lane fug'
him turned out of rho g
tis' ,neetiih'-hoose. Isle'
viol to lead the singlet'
'Thorn ain't no room 1,
foundations of order,' se
keep underminin', an' co
improvin',' sox he."
"It w*s any nation ha
up out here," saki Mrs
says it's, my aruseme
weather, that I have to
girls play oroquot and to
Another long, dream
for the shuttle that wont
There was a soul,
and all semblance of.
!roan ;arepta's eyes
pentad at the front g
top-huggy. And whe
meats a slender shade ••'
dooro:ty, and Lois Merr
tail of her appoarauce
Tho girl was tall, like
ti• e salve large, serious ea:
"What awful little br
wearin'!" said Saropta,
Irresistible inner prompt
placidly this implied ori
summer millinery. a
thought complacently:
Streit I'.nhmaand Int
c
y.
temporal. 'They'd have
It required but littto
the visitor to stay until
boon one of the grant tre
childhood to go Immo fr
Lucinda,
"I don't sea, ntothor;"
Ott, as with a sigh of rel
Saropta's doparting foots
eon Iil:o to have her coni
It's just to soo and hear,
tell. And she doesn'trnis
going on, for all that sho
sheat."
"Those isn't any harm
Mrd. Merritt, "I've nl
stud it kind o' interests h
"She takes too much
affairs," porsiated It11n1i1
where sho i' .s ,f,, tett()
Ifni,' and 'Lucitedy,' and
longed to her."
Iwhon "S'ropty"
lr eyes shut to vis -
note hindrance to
rs. Merritt than
d S'repty. "Tho ,
Reminds me ing Pomo days later,
Doolittle said 'Yoker. He says S'rop
round an' got wants to sue you.,'
dory to the Bap- lesum,' put in
played the bass door, "S'reptysays, if
for forty year. olive again, to come s
t for the stable How lone; has S re
ho. 'Folks mus'
nterminin,' an'
ng the loom set
Merritt. "He
t for summer
ve, just as the
his."
silence, except
.0 and ou.
of wheels,
sluntih(r Sled brio' took up, an' ab
as there ap- • over by the (Moine, a
o a very shiny gun with a tort of lnfl
in a few mo. two after the was
fell across the :►tondo,: silo couldn't
t entered, no de- hands fail, so I kop'
as unobserved, school, an' that inns
or mother, with she's a great hand to r
of eottntenanee. he took the last Moser
nits they be a. stairs an' read it throe
if obeying no tis.tnlents mut all. ti
g. Lois received ed to excito her, an,
oism of her new Itind'er aviltl then, h,
her mother course we all know t
Lois don't mind S'ropty's mind ain't
in ain't so Oren- citimos,,,
hLvin' s
ared up." right: ant itincl'cr daz
rging to induce It was a very pale,
ter tea, It had Mars. lsfarritt encount
s of Saropta's •,-•that of ilio suppose
m school with Ionrning, but there
erish brightness whi.
aid Emma Mer- ta:,:pression than mutt
f sho watohed little, and that in vet
ps, "how son there came it call iron
hero so m11012, , 1;1steriin-li w was obli
nd then go and
anything Unit's
keeps her oyes
to th i barn to do some l4avin,' an' the
ears come along an' run over you."
"There. there, don't think any ntoro
about it," said her friond. But S'ropty
must make her confession.
"So nix' night, when Azariah nn'his
wife was gond to the >atrawb'ry festival,
1 out over norost to , our home -lot. I
knew your folks was go e to the Center
too, but I was afeard son ebody'd be round
au' see mo. Still, I he to cask it. I'd
• ttiu them
1 hard it wool ho gittin' Mei) how lh, i r
1 b
sticks up. but I ronem nett flow good
you'd altos ben to 1ne. I tried to dome
Ironic n shorter way, t inkin' I hoord
somebody foilorin', 00' I got into that
springy plaoo in the Lloy lot, au' got my
dress wet an' my shoos."
"You poor thing, you! said the object
of all this ill-starred loyn .y. "To think
that you should have so 1 nth trouble on
my account. Tlhe railroad lks havenoted
real fair by us. And I w Sldn't self any-
thing about it yet, for u know how
everything goes, but wo ex ect to move in
the fall,"
"You don't say!" exclaimed S'repty
with considetabie animation.
"Yes, he's been thinking for a long
time tho place is too Large for hint to oarry
on,seein' the boys ain't ever going to take
to farulln'. And the creamery folks want
it, and ho had a good hanco to buy the
Ford place at the Cent "
"What! the house hith the pillars in
front?" inquired S'rop , much revived.
"Yes, and so I gave , y consent. It's
home to me where in folks are. The
girls urged me real aha I. I suppcae, if
nothing happens, Em a will live right
next door to us—"
"\`'h):t, has Emma , no an' John 1(11 -
born matte up?" quern. S'repty, forget-
ting hor feeblenuts and 'tong up.
"Yes, and I sapposo ere will have to
be a double wedding," Id Mrs. Merritt.
"Noll, I never!" said S'repty. "Lois
ain't goin' to bo lnnrrie too?"
"The girls wouldn't tink me for tell-
ing, but you won't me • ion it. That's
the plan now."
"When you hove, I e • n't go nn' sot
with you an' set) you w: ye, even if I
Ighed S'repty,
m enough in
whorl we got
and snake me
�I SI0R L(�E
'erritt one morn• should ever git tip ag'in,"
sere is Bradford droo ing on her Dillow.
Is very sick and • "Oh, he says there's r
the house for my loons, a7
small bey at the. moved, I want you to con
on wanter see her a•good visit."
on's you eon. 'Che invalid brightened
y beon complain- •"Hnin't you told anyho
int~?" inquired Mrs. D erritt. to move? Not Mis' Pe
"Oh,lnostaweek— last night we was S1111hh,"
kop' up with her'bou ` alt the forepart of • "Not yet," said Mrs.
the night," said the mall boy, with a Sarepta bronthed a sig
careworn air. "She as out of 'et head, "An' t know Rosana. a
an' tock on protty bac " she said.
"I'll go over to you ]louse as soon as I
can," mid Mrs Mar 1.
"Shoes been drer ul flighty," said 11xnerlometDr at
Arariah's wife, bofor she led the way to
the sick room, "She'- been gain' on about
tet your bein' run
matt like. Shd bo-
ential cold a day or
et to your house,
it up. I had my
radford home front
killed. him. But
nd Bradford is, an'
ig Brook Argus Up -
to S'repty,aciver-
methin' in it seem -
she begun to tot
thought. But of
at tho intetiex of
-or keen at the best
much read her
c to
1 Igor."
drawn face which
ed a moment later,
vlctihn of too muoh
s 111 the oyes a fev-
gave thole more
S'repty said but
foeble toneg until
below wihioh her
d to heed.
ted promptly into
tett from her pillow
handed to Hiro.
gain.
y you was goln'
rs. not Viny
mitt.
f content,
t heerd of it,"
S'reptj',"said
ys known her,
to tome here."
nterost 111 my
"And tvery-
"bout 'Si,' and
a an,as if Wo be -
Then the invalid st
a sitting posture and (
a newspaper, whielt s
Merritt.
"I got Bradford to
say nothin'," she said.
lento,"
Mrs. Merritt rend as
".A. eonsidorable nut
which were drifter' be t
In innitovinlr tho thron
ng it tip hare, an'
'chats.
Two or three writers of ' ()tion are malt:-
ing an experiment this ` (;r which is cor-
tin to prove interesting, , nil Is likely to
have an important boarin on the profes-
sion of lottors, 'These tont rs aro publish-
ing their novels in the 0I fashioned way;
that is to say, thoy aro br ging them out
10 book form without s ting the serial
rights to any matgazino. The experiment
is important, bocauso uthors usually
make nearly all their ofits from their
serial rights, and are atisilod with a
sale of 2,000 copies for o mattor in book
form. limier such circ Instances, there-
fore, they have aimed 5 it work directly
at the editor waho was t buy it, and have
been careful to tons i down so that it
• It suit the ui •em s o theollialo
mitht s t re i t f v
q
in which it was publisho . It is this ton -
Ing -down proems that I altos a serial as
diattinguisthed front a n •ol. and it is a
well-known fact that the ooks which are
enjoying a largo sale in ti s country just
now aro for the most p rt writton by
foreign authors, who have en in the habit
of writing for tho public r thor than for
editors. The men who are ringing their
stories out in book form thi year have, of
course, deliberately sacrifice , the profits
that might have been (loth (1 from sho
serial rights, But at the s e tint° tlloyr
have known While writihlg'1 at no editor
stood betwsen them .and 11h pubitc, and
"Now read that they have let thentsolves go to the very
top of their bent Accordi !y.—.N. Y.
Sum
By 3IABOARET DEW D,
Copyr1g12t, 1.855.
ultgent Melt of drying, fan anti tate
1slihauses. Bray and w etuthsr• beaten, and
r.
foil of lobster pots and i seines, betrayed
it ; *hat tact to any stranger:: Wok; Wheeler
was alutost the only Inau.iit elonport who
Was not a #ishortuan. Ito' bail made au
1 effort tafollow tlic trade+•od Itis neighbors,
I but his ono voyage on; the Samuel P.
Jones had been tato uniontcessfttl to en -
i sourago hila to put Ids father's inherit-
' once
sawmill, oandowits growing wl; instetult Ictal r bought
every
ha
CI-lAP7,'hllt I. y►r. Mary town had, oat nsivn to cvr
root Dieter; grammar, nor reproach t .
why
Donald Hayes shotri(l have Hain
Dfl1 I foer, brCttdcing
his prouhihes; but when,
has house s0 near bbs water, stoat tilt linei niter hfindly eoldibg for his fargctt-
of drift loft by tiro high tido was tangled fulnosse,r Dorneald solds, slyly, something toim his little ptekot Antes, was tL nil stwxy
the effect that Dick Wdhoelev', who nova
to the Seaport,
"I should thins;, l)1
enough of that ocean Wt.
a-settin' and a-lookin'
too," remonstrated mot
"Ain't you tired of soul
-t I 1 its
1 t them? P f / tv.
layin' t) � a
yon could see the street,
and goin'."
"Folks !„
said Donald d Haycs.vieh
a
iaugi;
'`the sea is folks enough for not ”
"Well, it's talking," threatened rho
other, good-ostturedly, " tt wait till you
try to get Mary Ellis o live down on
I forgot things, was prolhably the laird of
u, you'd1 liatvo pupil she had in her suhu0l, tin "kin o'
k days, wfithuut ; f„llow that pleases you, Mary"" sato toss.
at it Sundays, � cd ]tor bead, and said: "Nousens0l" and
khan one!/loud.- -
the sea„ ;fust . this time with a spllie)at earnestness that
ip hero in town seemed to please Dow•very much,
ndf
. , Choy had drifted. et unci the break-
lo.ks:0oluin
water, and the doryry with idle taro,
r
rooting up and iloSl;s. Up on the cliffs
WAS tlhe low, w(t►thar-bCatoIt house;
its
faint whist) of smoke loaning with sho
wind against the tool ;ray of the June
twilip;ht, Perhaps. the jibes of the plan
at tho wharf made. Donald say, with sud-
den wistfulness:
Won, Dick Wheeler's house is"
smarter, I must sort"
"Oh, it's too big," \nary objected, caret-
lussly; and Donald agreed, with anima,-
talon,
nima-tint, anti said for his part, he liked Matt
After that they woro silent, looking out
across the gray, breathing, lifting ex-
panse, at the fading crimson in the west;
these God-forst,keu rocks;
women, will say—'no, the
set+ now your mother stair
Donald hluglued motto r.
vigorous yonug follow, with an open,
sunny, ltu0'isaule face, ((011 0 mouth thud
found IRttghing easy. "Mothor don't
mind," he said; and thou 110 jumped 10 -
to his dory, which was lett at the wharf
Minn or any
`ak yo l' I don't
s it, nohow.
he was a fine,
tvllcre they had. been t
slipping down tholittle ti
thtu open set. Donald tea
about Iris chane° for 1
"Diary won't mina the r
boyo said; but he only p
as ho passed a house not
waved his hand at a gir
who was hanging tea to
outwit bushes in the b
"Hullo, Maty!" ho et
can't) running down tho
She was 0 pleasant 1
pretty, but fresh and
styes that know no seer`
Donald's tltoro was a j
them.
"Can you get in?" he asked her, as the
dory bumped against the Iles that bank-
ed flue grass at the end
Mary ghU1cOd at
him,
side
)o
"I.tli<night you wore gel
out yesterday?"
"Why l" said Donald, "I
Well,
aro never thou
this T (leclt inute ! I
fellow!" collie o
be hard on a fellow !"
Mary tleluurrcd, with that clellghtful
&ffoctation of indignation et, being
neglected which only the girl who knows
she is Mood can assume.
Donald coaxed, rather humbly : "Just
-water. Tho
now, Miry.
sun's low.
Witty.
ugh a cloud
,1 in silently.
llbws
ber of the stakes
e officials cngnged
cd ionto of the
king. and wont
al river towards and a Mao lator they turned back. tt hen
• not concerned thoy reached the foot of the gardon, and
,tti t>,g it wife, , ho hotpot -1 Mary out, Donald held her hind
bio might bard in alit, a moment
loll his oars in . "You'll mind what 1 said abont
the river, and , soother, won't you? And—anti you won't
upon Ithe batik, go book on Ilio, Mary?"
els out on the. ' She looked hint straight in tho oyes,
k garden. and hor lip quivered. "Take care of yow-
led, oat; and she
)ittli to the river.
king girl, not
onest, and with
As they mot
rots savowal in
thedcar u
g, .
iso
ng to tako me
•ow 1 so I wits.
*ht of it till
Mary; , don't
for a torn outside, tho brei
sett's like glass. Coote o
Never mind your hat, th
Bary, I'm going to sail Sat
Het face changed, as th
had crossed the sun. Site •�
and sat down opposite th l young elan;
she looked at him once, ' anaji thou watch-
ed the bubble.., leaping to the surfaoo
WEE'T SLIPPING DOWN' THE LITTLE I:IVER.
whim the oars cut down into rho `swift
flow of the tide.
";Your motbor'll be lone , ," sho said.
";Bloss your heart!" hestitoned, gayly,
"what's a six months' v age? I'll bo
back in December. And - naybe you'll
look Mon Isar sometimes, '! tory? Folks
say our house is lonely:, town on the
shore; well, it miter seen)( so to me; if
•I can just look at the water 'n). happy'. I
wish I could. live on it all 51 yoit,r round.
But maybe mother Will fee, lonely; and
I'll take it as a favor if atoted see her
sometimes?"
Maty nodded. "Of eotn'sr I will•"
"Don't let her worry if. • e're a day or
two overdue; worrying is ab 11t the mean-
est business I know of. 1 *rind about
rho Samuel 1?. Jones tho til o I let her to
Dick Wheeler, and he Was 51 , weeks over-
(itto. I thought sho'd gone t the bottom,
and I'd bo out Soy money 11. It into leen
Well, I mato up 017 mind 11 on I'd novor
do 15 again; worry, 1 meal Worrying
wouldn't a -brought her tap, i she'd been
stovo in and sunk; and if she was afloat,
where was th0; scnso?"
"We won't worry if rot 11 do your
part and write from every ' )ort" Mary
said, a littlo tremulously; '.'lot know
you didn't write for six in'ntbs rho last
ulna; and of eourso you, mother was
Anxlott'. " t
"i'Pcll, I'm not much,1, tv1'iting,
' Donald admitted; "when I rot a blamed
pen in Srly hand I nover n think of a
thing to say. I don't belie), • I'll promise,
Mary, but fatless I'll (lo it 11 the same,"
„ ,
scolded If I (1 only
laughed
a1n(l co c
Mary
when t
boon teaching school 1vt el yet were rre 0,
boy," she said, "I'(1 have g t that Male
nest; out of you ! I don't tak any excuses
from tho boys. I• can toll , u --I mak
them write compositions ov(. y Friday."
"Day!" said Don, ad111irin. y, "I'll bet
• on you for bossing thele. 13 I'm pretty
glad you weren't teaching Igen I was a
young mire, because--becaus, you Would
]:aro been older 41)x11 ole no,
DM:try's ftecr flushed, and sho ditl not
moot his eyes; 'hilt 8110 8111 ed ami said:
„01,, nonsense!" and n -looted to eos-
rect'his grammar, which mold havo been
in 60 Iino of her duty as t drool mistress
of Sealloi'tt
The town lay inland h a'.1f a mils, teat-
, tered along the hank of 1 river that slip-
` peri down through salt marshes to the
sea. It was a prihnttiv. ltttlo place; its
matt industry was llshl lt;. bolted. t.1..
Halt" twit' ec)Tao in a merctlieinu;"stllit
thattha•batl soots Donald I•IeLf;(stil, tlnar,
11..
t not.opo•oul
l to
sL. He ua l
loll
Gt..
strattx
ae
libut,ferhe blot lost sight of hila, ag4tiot
but hat batt seen kiln. Througllaone 3IOu at
and,altother this news cause th. Seaport,
auct,ruas brought down to thargrarllouse
on the metes. Mary used too sol' `atter.
wartis that when she heard its it samurai!,
to Ileo thin she should (lie ol,i joy.. Then
ialue'tlle `vatting for the letter from: Dint
whlatioutist, of course, bo •ow, Its 'svayt,
'teen two,. who loved him, ,gtuossed.With
01;0111:A1nd of woman bred . by,.• the sea,
thowliolo start', sho Wreck ; abs iiosoinott a
att,atltwartiliomulvttsso1a the long voyage;
thefixst port CalOtttta,and incttant+despatoh•
of loiter8 to thorn,
"WO may hear any dont" Matt- said;
tlaoteolur incl crept into 1lorrfacet, and the
light to hor oyes; and yet,, Citing,, and
`tuaatttng, and waiting four Don't letter,
light and dolor waned twilit It was
months before she whisptered to Doles. D u s.
rtier ghostly toe �ltt that th
tiler hod been i htaken„wind that Don
had not been teen. She stake it to be eon-
tradictod. And at first it. was contra -
;Weil sturdily and cheerfully. But by'
and by they both grow two, tviso for self
lielusion, tool dully took, up• t11o, liuttlen
roittoing ctguin,
lbrtnnt►rely there wotono. sett plication
of poverty to natio Nuns.. Hoge% snore
wretched; she had outing& matter for.
Seaport's standards oft living; Don's
earnings had never lists relitt1 upon;
thoy vitro uncertain tilt best„ and bad:
mostly been put into, :annual P. Jones,
Still, titiugs stud to be lnanag d for the,
old woman, ants it c+alntt'to. bo a matter,
of course for Mary to Uwe with her.
So time went iy plrraaidly, without hap-,
plows, but with pout). and un Mary's:
part, with that deept;nb g levo which iso
the strange gift abet Death sometimes
bestows on those whorl ho robs. Al-
though there lauds been no words that
hound her, she know that she was bound;
mot it seemed to her that nil tho world—
lier world—Wrist know it, too. So •when,
ono winter afternoon, as thoy wore wia11;,-
ing down the river road, Dick Wheeler
spoke out, and asked her to marry hila,
her refusal was full of outraged love.
"Por]uips you don't know it, but Don-
•a1cl Hayes tool I--” she said, the color hot
in hor face, hor oyes thrt'atcning him.
with a straight look,
"Oh," said Dick, blankly; and was
silent for cL moment, looking with ab-
sent eyes at a big ooalor coming up th(•
river to ono of the whnrvos; sho was be-
ing towed by three dories, and Mary said. •
nervously, sectlln,
about t8 boing
hard work. Dick olid not seom to hear
her.
"No,' he said, in a low voice, "I didn't
titin'srgratifl\(t T11Ekttoko S TO DRY.
self, 1!fetto" nue fustored. But he only
laughed,' Itockuse he was too happy to
:answer her soriously,
"Bless you 1 I'm not sugar nor salt,"
Then he told llor he would come up after
suppor,and thoy would go to prayer lnoet-
iug 4'
"If you don't forgot it," she told ludo,
sarcastically.
"Wolf, that's so," he oteknowledgod, ,
humbly enough, "I must say, I'm good at
forgetting. But I'tn coiling, just the
same."
CI3APTEii IL
The day after the big three -master, with .
Donald as nate, dropped down the river,
Mary drove down to Mrs. Hayes' with
her little cOWskin trunk strapped into the
back h.
"I'llof statye buggya week;" she told 1105 father.
But at the end of a week Donald's mother I
was i11, and somehow obit }week Iengthen-
ed into a month. And tilbn Mrs. Hayes
said she felt tho loneliuees 2)101e than
usual, and if limy would 'stay P—just a
week or two 'longer," she pleaded. A.
week or two 1001105 a month or two; and
after that, well, Donald was coaling
Monte talo middle of December, so what
was the use of leaving his another?
"Sho's not tit to be alone," Mary told
her own ntothor. That was how it hap -
potted that when the dark December days
began to close in around the little gray
hnitse, t111Lt clung so close to rho shorn,
Mary Swasi Ohl hand t0 IIx t130 glass 'Stir t110
west wiudoly of rho I.itclte7i, so that the
old mother alight swoop the horizon for
a sign of 5110 Samuel P. Jones' sails.
"I don't expect bins on time, child,"
she Would toll the girl, "but by Christmas
day sure;" and then they would sm
(1t tads other.
Tho neonths of tvait.nhall net br,0nile
tLnxiU 1S ones; i•lhoro h dig boen no heavy
storms along the co st, and that was
somehow, an nssttra1 that thore had
boon no heavy storms ywhero else. But
Christmas day came to wenat(1 td pthd into ho newt;, ttturd tho
Saolmu7001'el P. Joucsslipland t t 001110. Explan-
ations and (souses multiplied; doclala-
tions that all was well grow moro tSlsist-
ont; instances of delay were repeated over
and over; but it was elle first of February
befor` news (2111110,
\\'rocked off the AzOtos; it was feared
a1I stands were lost,
"I+"r(lro" not known. That VAS what
Mrs. Haves and Mary said to each other.
Everybody know a do n instances of sail-
ors picked up in op n boats; of desert
drifting 1 .f
s• o f t.11ft t1 As. N •I
statue, ) v tho i(1 •
i 1,a
t taxn
) t�rLSI t,()11)(1001011(110 it o •
tI(tlb ac°� t'
tI1ac u •
t
p
thorn aro 800(0 p0etnmot associate
with death; it is not appropriate.. So
Dolt's mother 011(1 sweetheartholdoat to
Hope.
Those awful, breatl ess days of despair,
and refusing to despa r and then despair
again were fillets to Mary with 111t011t()
and immediate :talxit ;y about Donald's
mother. Mrs. Hayeswas vary frail at
best, and It 80entt'd as 11. this must kill
her; indeed, if Mary hatlnot kept on hop•
ing for her, sho 1111185 slave died. But
little by littto she boot .book to life, and
t(r
tho aL0ceptalu'o of to foot that Don
Wets dead; tad Beeth one ay, six neonths
later, hone sprang again oto sudden vigor
and certAinte ; a sailor i Plymouth, who
« , Ittlown lulIn, has told by 0 loan who
otr THE RIVER ROAD.
know that there was anything settled
betweon you and Don. But, anyhow,
it's nearly two years sinco tion, and—"
"Do you think that makes any differ-
ence?" silo 410811011 out. "Do you think
I'm that kind of a girl? If it was twenty
years, it would bo just the stung !"
And poor Dick, abashed, bogalt to say
that it would bo different if thorn was
any 0hnnco, but Dfary know there wasn't;
and perhaps, sometime --
"Cilantro?" sho cried, the token Milo-
ming over suddonly. "No, there's no
ehttn00; I kuow that. But do you sup-
pose I'in—I'm faithful just because ho
might aoin0 back?"
"Wel], if you had any hope," the
young man insisted, of eourso I would
underatuud 1 but you haven't; and, oh,
Nary, won't you just let 2110 care for you?
I'll bo satisfied with that, if you'll just
Mkt) met"
"I'11 never take you, Dick Wlcoler I"
she said panting 1111(1 nearly crying, "anti
--and don't yon ever say any such tiling
to 010 again!" As alio spoko sho flow
suddenly ahead along tho road, told left
Dick looking dejectedly after her. Ido had
meant to "see her home," but after such
a rebuff Ito had to turn book or at least
appear to turn back. Ho really skulked
doggedly behind her, for Ito couldn't lot
her 0c1 down the lonely road in t10
1
dark -
0088.
Dlary's taco was stilt flushed when alto
007110 into the kitchen, and found Mrs.
Hayes trotting about, making biscuits
for tea. Tho little olct woman looked at
her koonly for a moment; s11c had her
stisp inions and her hopes. Dick Wheeler
had stepped in earlier in tho afternoon to
ask flow sho did—"to pass the time Of
day," Mrs, Hayes said; and in a casual
Way hod asked when Mary would bo In.
"Ho 'wants to meet her,' sho ehuokied
to herself; 'tveli, well, that's tight.
'That's how it ought be. X hope the
child 'will take hint."
Tlicro was a 0urious inconsistency about
Don's another. Sho loved Mary for her
faithfulness to Lon, but --why should the
girl lost a good chance? Slue 14t1 no stall
tears of any diseOlnfort to herself, any
1,101
r