St. Mary's gazette., 1866-04-26
\ STORY OF long AGO.

The long time ago of which mean to
tell, was Il wild night in March, during
which, in tishcrlnan's hut ashore, sat a
young girl at her spinning wheel and look
cd out on the dark driving clouds, an3 lis
tened trembling, to the winds and the
seas. The morning light dawned at last.
One boat that should have been riding on
the troubled waves was missing, her faith
er's boat and half mile from the cot
tagc her fathers body was- washed upon
the shore.
This happened fifty years ago, and
iifty years is long time i'll the life OF
q human being fifty years is a long
time to 90 on III such 4 course as the
woman did of whom | am speaking -
She watched her fathers body, accord
ing to the custom of her people, till he
was lail in the grave Then she lay
down or her bed and slept, and by
night got up and set candle in her
ca.salcnt, as beacon to the fishermen
and guide She sat by the candle all
night, and trimmed it, and spun then
when dav dawncd she went to bed AMI
slept in the sunshine. SO many hanks
as she spun before for her daily bread,
she spun still, and one over, to buy her
nightly candle and from that time to
this for fifty years, through youth, ma
turity, and old age, she turned night
into day, and in the snow storms OF
Winter. through driving mists, dcccp-
tive moonlight and solemn darkness,
that Northern harbor has never once
been without the light Of her candle.
How many lives She saved by this
candle, or how many meals she won for
the starving families of the boatmcn, It
is impossible to say how many dark
night the fishermen. depending on 1t,
went fearlcssly forth, cannot now be told
There it stood, regular as lighthouse,
and steady as constant care could make
it. Always brighter when dayli@ht wall
ed, they had only to keep it constantly
in view and they were safe; there was
but one thing that could intercept It,
and that was the rock. However tar
they might have stretched out to sea,
they had only tc bear down straight for
that Ii GIFTED window, and they were sure OF !
safe entrance into the harbor.
Fifty wears of life and labor fifty
years of sleeping in the snnshmr, nifty
wears of Watching and selt-denial, and
all to feed the fame and trim the wick
of that one candle. But if we look
upon the recorded lives OF great men
and Just men and wise men, few OF
them can show fifty years of worthlcr,
certainly not of more successful labor. TT
] Little. indeed. of the midnight oll
consumed during the last half century
50 worthily deserved trimming. Happy
woman and but for the dreaded rock
her great charity might never have been
called into exercise.
But what do the boatmcn and the
| boatmcn's wives think of this Do they
pay the woman? No, they are very
poor but poor or rich they know bet
ter than that Do they thank her ! No.
| Perhaps they feel that thauks of theirs
would be inadequate to express their oh
legations. or, perhaps long years have
made the lighted easements so timlllar
that it is looked upon as Il matter ut
course. Sometimes the fishermen lav
ESh on her threshold and set a chlti to
watch it for her till she wakes some
times their wives steal INTO her cottage,
now she is getting old, and SPIN hank
or two of thread for her while She STUN
hcr>. and they teach their children to pass
her hut quietly, and not to sin9 AMI shout
before her door, lest they should disturb
her That is all. Their thanks are not
looked for scarcely supposed 70 be d"t.
Their grateful deeds are more than she
expects aud much s> size desires.
How oltcn IN the iar distance Of my
Enslish home, have awok, IN wild
Winter night and while the wind ani
storm were arising have thou1 h Il that
nottharu bay. VITA tho waves d1sA NJ
sx4.a.r III ip,s, aud have g,c,lr,a = my
s,lt the easement, ;.u. tie .dIi..l5 nu.z'."