The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-01-20
Sunday Re ding.
A Story Of Long Ago. q

was wild night in March, during which, in a
fisherman's hut ashore, sat q Young girl at her
spinniny-whe and looked out on the dark
driving clouds, and listened, trembling, to the
wind and the sea- The morning light dawned
at last.a One boat that should have been rid
Ing on the troubled waves was missing-her
fathers bpatl and half mile from the cot
tage her fathers body was washed upon the
THIS Happened fifty years ago, and fifty years
Is long time in the life Of a human heing:
fifty years is long time to go on in such a
course as the woman did of whom am speak
ing. She watched her fathers body, according
to Gae custom of her people, till he was laid in
the grave. Then she lay down on her bed and
slept, and by night got up and set a candle in
her easement, as beacon to the fishermen
and guide. She sat by the candle all night.
anu trimmed 1t, and spun; then when the dav
dawnej she went to bed and slept ia the SIM
shine. 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,
maturity, ard Old age, she turned night into
day, and in the snow storms OF winter, through
driving mists, deceptive moonlight, and SOL
emn darkness, that northern harbor mas never
once been without the light of her candle. .ava
How many lives she saved by this candle, or
how many meals she won by it for the starving
families OF the boatmen, it is impossible to saw
how many dark night the fisherman, depend.
ing on It, went tearlessly orth, cannot now be
told. There it stood, regular as lighthouse.
steady as constant care could make H. ALIVE ~
brighter when daylight waped. thew had ~, Il,
to keen it constantly in view and thav ., 10y
safe: there was but one thing tha+ COLI =,
tercept it. and chat was the RocL ~ a n-a.,o,
far thew might have stretched-ont To COO t,'e'
had ofiIy to bear down straiGht e. Az l;,.,s4 y
window. and they were SIRE If 90 e. y
into the harbor .4trTs5s, = :, ",',' y
Fifty .ve,rs of life and lahou 4 e. 80
slesping IA the snnsbineI yeaas y
ing and self.denial. and ali tn .eaaI tho Aanno
and trim the wick Of that ono csndloi DIT ~
we look 1non tbe rocordad i've $500 - = l,
lust men and wise men. few o tan cs, sb a,,u
fifty wears of wortIier. cerfanlv not IF 49,.
successful labor. Little. indeed Of tbe s,,,i,1G
night oil" consumed during the 1ast half canIu-
ry so worthily deserved trimming. : Hannv
woman-and but for the dreaded rocL r.
great charity MIGHT never have hes an noi lel
into exercise. 'S1--.i s N'''t
But what do the boatmep and the boat,o a o,,s
wives think of this9 M tbay No., a. 80 :
man? No. they are verv noor. h,'t .,so,, ~.
rich they know better than tf,.t liz the =.
thank her? No. Perhans tbev fael that
thanks of theirs would be fnadeauate TO '. a~'
press their obligations. or. perhans lone ye s
have made the lighted easement so familiar
that it is looked upon as a matter ~ course
Sometimes the fishermen law fisb On Iar.
threshold, and set a child to watch II for he,.
till she wakes, sometimes their wives steal IN
to her cottage, now she isgettino Old. and snin
hank or two of thread for her while sha
suInbers; and they, teach their cb;ldre,, ~. ~
pass her hut quietly, and not to sing and shnnt
before her door, lest they should disturb her
That is all Their THANKS are not looked for
scarcely supposed to be due. Their CRATE
How low "o ofaen' i'm 4haae,. ,,,,.s.....-c.n
Esh bon,e ha,,n 49, 4. u my Eng
and ,yUbie tho MID ~ =, Wiz Mlter
have tbonsht N iti,a+ ,t1a, were
,uoyas iTa s3n da;St a. oay' VIII Tue
tnra 70 ,n1sef 3I,a 90 su nave plc
nnrsed by that bsmJ;nr a,.ca a e .ne ca4die
deigbted to Enow 4ha4s {s,'.,,. ,fioW
f;fy The roct has .er uIiIing
baif r. tarror - $500 .oee ,iiore tnah
thor. a.ta ~ ~, Ionsluer tlat curse
surely nrovaJ !. hlesSi,,@ 81 o S' IL mas most
49, 49,, 1E.osslnrs - nyn - h,&kf
tage on tIe nhayoetnn sninA WIN adVan-
trsst - ,;t :sa,s y, LIS woman, ana con-
ere 'r ~ VAIL d sne sslon OF me Rock There
the rocL sts9d ~, sn1ss s''eln. rev, IKE
do ;o, ,;,.1 " wor Iuin ana
lcbt sbinan sr Tl,rh.1,, " M ieb Their
e a. 80, ~ W eoou, put 70 one
al, ,,,os4 oa,y neeween Gnem we must
tba 1ro,,, :. ~. az ,nS,u an iean towards2
uo,, ~ LII " ~ Sne ivSh. IN sucn characters
1ot haa,' nh w Mttn lne, lof you nave
ati.,s, o ~ . ulCo sympathy with ideal
ipwASrA " luias,iiary klnuness. Ihere is
inyo III e,sewere as periious as the one
s,,aIs Oolu you o,-pSrnaps lhere are many
L,e 'aI, puSiof spls one, whose story is
I'll you, ~ ey tnac Aer candie may burn
.sie ionser since LUIS record OF her charity is