The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1862-11-07
MY AUNT'S STORY.

!, famous and quaint old sea town, full O
fortunes mad 10 foreign trade, prizs nouel
and all kinds Of traffic, thought honorable
some years ago. but nov held in such repro
ba.ion that prefer not to mention them.
+, Ay Aunt WAS very little. When | wa
ten years old. was the biggest. Well
might be. tor . man could span her wais
Of with his two h nds. and she was more like
= marvellous doll. or a stray FAIRY. snsn q
ir mortal woman. Her feet and ankles we're
pas. all comprehension for litteness and
}, elegance. Perhaps she did not wear nice
y shoes and stockings. ard maybe she did no,
70 hold up her black brocade dsintiiy on the
sliy yhtsst provoc alton! Ahl but her hands;
how smsll, and white. and delicate they
were, with rosy-'ipped tapering fingers
Sbc looked all the more petite and wonder
: Iul in her delicate pretrihess for always
: dressing in black. which brought out her
pale. lily like beauty aud blonde hair with
great distinclness. Her deep blue eyes
seemed TO look through things and people.
: All this made me = little in awe of Aunt
Calista. though l loved her. witn the roman
) TIC. reversnuial love of boy hood, as if she
were lovely princess, ench anted or other.
wise.
A childless widow. my Aunt Caista had
lived with US since l could remember. She
was older than my mother; but no one could
have told her age from her looks, for her
singular beauty seemed to have in it no ele
ment OF decay. We lived inland among
the bills. aud all knew Of the ocean was
from my books Of geography. aod the pic
lures and voyages in Aunt Calista's rooms.
and R1binson Crusoe. But l dreamed
much Of she sea. built mimic ships, and
waited with impatience until should be old
enOnUh IN run Ekn tho of,rasaid Rob
inson. who has, perhaps. done more to help
Britannia to rule tie waves than all her
brakes and Nelson's.
forget-there was another source Of in
formation, better than all the rest. ny Aunt
Calista had been born 10 sight of the sea.
She had seen the great ships sail in and out
4 OF the harbor OF her native town. She had
picked up beautiful shells and pebbles on
the beach. and sometimes she helped me to
sail my little squadrons on our duck pond,
and told me many a sea story she had heard
i or read.
Aunt Calis'a." said /, one day. when
we we're sitting under the willows by the
water side. watching my last achievement in
naval architecture as it danced over the bill
lows-the pillows Of the duck pond-''were
you ever on the grea, blue sea. with only
the sky and clouds above you. and the
wafer all round. ou, of sigh. of land
nothing but the ship. in the middle of The
sea-"
A shadow passed over her pale and lovely
face, as she said, with q soft tenderness:
"Yes, dear, l have been Mt sea where the
ship was the only human hing in sight. and
the center of the gres, circle Of the horizon.
where the blue sky and blue ocean mingle
on every side"
"Oh. how graud!' exclaimed. with my
boy ish enthusiasm. 'Do, dearest Aunt,
tell me all about your voysge?"
| She did no: answer for . momennt, ard
wondered what could be the matter with
my ever cheerful Aunt Cslista. But the
sadness passed away. and she said:
'.Yes. l will tell YOU all about it. Your
grandfather WAS a merchant. and owned
| Indies, the East Indies, and sometimes to
China. l loved the sea and the ships. My
alber used 10 allow me to 20 on board with
him, when they were about to sail, or had
come in from long voyages. l sometimes
took such little presents on board as sailors
like, asd they said l would give them a
lucky voyage. They did not forget me,
aud brought me many . nice present from
hey ond the seas.
lone day we visited new ship. and
found a new captain. whom | had never
seen before. l thought him very hand
some. but young for such q trust; but 1
found he was good and honorable. He had
been in the navy. A great misfortune to
his family had made it necessary for him to
leave the service, and accept the higher pay
of a merchantman. After one or two voy
ages we became acqusnted. and he came to
love me better than all the world.
"But my father did not love him so well
4 IL
wish me TO love him. 1t WAS only in the
intervals "f long oyages that saw him,
and when the time for his arrival drew pear.
and the ship, for me richly freighted. was
due, spent many hours in the observatory !
on the top o. our house, sweeping the line
Of the horizon with a long spy glass,
and watching for the little signal hag shat l |
alone knew of. and that would tell me He
was coming. So you see, my dear, that | !
was well acquainted with the sea.
Zone day this brave. good captain. xho
had won my heart, asked my father for my
hand. He could have nothing against him.
There could not be better or a braver
man. He was nobility itself-but was my
a;ner's pet and pride. and he was ambitious.
| think nothing less than a lord would have
satisfied him ,or a son-in law.
"Capsain Walter came and told me. with /
some bitterness, the result Of his interview
with my father. knew that he was poor.
but knew this was the only reasonable OBJ
lection that could be made to him, and /
laid my hand in his-a strong. manly hand I
strong and true. and I said: BE patient:
am yours. and will never be any ones /
but yours while this world stands
"Iis went away upon long voyage. and /
very important one. for my father liked ,
him As a captain of his ship. and knew well /
that he could trust him to the last drop Of
bis blood to protect ship and cargo.
when Re came home next time. had 4
reflected much. and determined upon wha, I
ought TO do. l did not wait for him to
come and see me. did not wait for him
to ask me to do anything. knew tha, he
could not while be vas my fathers captain
So went TO the ship. aud said: .Csp'ain