The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-10-08
Y. OHIO. FRIDAY MORNING. OCTOBER s. 1869.

Dlru nest, one cOuiu see from th,
perch, which was on the north side
the villages, with the iishermen's cot
tages, the long, winding, steep road
'n whose tortuous descent of two mile.
to must be traversed ere one could gair
ID the village while from the west and
south, one looked upon the sea from
4 height which almost made the gazel
RI giddy.
h Roses and climbing plants adorned
the trellises beds OF crimson VERDE
mas, purple pansies, and snow-white
daisies made the little garden redo
III lent of perfume. .
By the second summer, so well
domesticated had the flowers become
I'd that they fairly ran wild and defed
all boundaries purple pansies and
is golden nastutiums escaped by the
underground passage they had found
Together, nodded boldly from the
walk, and looked with disdain upon
their meek sisters, who tamely sub
mitted to be hemmed In by borders
If of green box; and trailing convovu
l. lus ran perfectly lawless, Haunting
their scentless blossoms before you
r in the most unlOOked-for places,
Ipeeping through the garden palings,
l. clasping with their clIngipg tendrils
to the stone doorstep, running races
d with the jasmine, which quietly
|, plodded On toward the top of the
porch-in fact, setting all law and
order at defiance in the most REBEL
ious manner, but also in a way that
would have done Johns heart good
; TO see. ....
But, alas John had been gone
these many days on a voyage to the
China Sea, bearing with him, to keep
his heart warm, the memory of q
sunny face, which smiled good-by
with fearful eyes one bright summer
morning, standing at the garden gate.
Meanwhile, inside the cottage all
went ON with the order, and neatness,
and regularity which rivaled that of
the clock on the mantel, which seem
ed to delight in ticking the minutes
and striking the hours to such bust
ling, cheerful little mistress.
Little Hsns, the poor, half-stMved,
forlorn German boy, whom Robin
had taken to milk the coW and hoe
the fiower-garden, and run of errands
to the village, grew bright and cheer
full under the influence of her smile
while his face, grown wider and
fuller every day, till it resembled
nothing so much as one of his own
carefully-tended sunfowers, bore
witness to her marvellous skill in
cooking.
Mother Danforth, a good sort of
woman in melancholy way, who
was much givel to frequent sighings
and complainings; whose most cheer
full recreation was funeral now and
then. and to walk up to the Eagle
Crag to inspect, after the time-hon-
ored fashion OF mothers-in-law, the
doings of its little misress-was fain
to confess that even to her critical
eve the household management was
perfect "Her cookery is faultless,
and everything is sumptuously neat
she acknowledged to her neXt-door
neighbor, Mrs. Gray. ''But she
doesn't seem to pine after John bit.
But then, what else could one expect
from such a child ? Out of sight
out of mindr l suppose il John is
pleased l ought to be. But Pm
sure it was never my way, when
Danforth was on q voyage. Many's
the night I've cried all night, and
the house was more like a funeral
than anything else all the time he
was gone.
Mrs. Gray, wise woman that she
was, carefully abstained from limiting
that this might be the reason OF
Johns preference to merry, cheerful
Robin, whose unfailing good spirits
were to him a constant source of
wonder and delight.
81 thought she always seemed
very fond Of Johp,' she contented
herself with saying, as Mrs. DanfOrth
rose to take her leave.
"Seemed 20 echoed widow Dan. |
forth, with her deepest sigh; let me ,
tell you, Mrs. Gray, when you have
live in this wicked world as long as
have you will find that things are
not by any means all that they seem."
And with this unintentional parO-
dy of the sublime song of the poet,
Mrs. Danforth went her lugubrious
way homeward.
So the summers came and went in ,
fragrance and song to the little cot i
tcge on the Crag; and the white
ships sailed stately and grand, or
flew like frightened birds to their ,
''haven under the hill :" and the {
Ocean Bird, commanded by Captain
John Danforth, touching now at this
port, now. at that--sometimes driven
by prosperous gales, sometimes buff
feting adverse winds, set sail for
home.
And in the heart of brave man,
who sometimes in shine, sometimes
in storm, always chcerfully and
hopefully paced her deck, there
dwelt a picture of a face which,
whether bright with piquant smiles
or sad with April tears, had always l
been eloquent with love for him, and
which was fairer and dearer to his
ewes than all the world beside.
Dream on, honest Captain Dan I
forth. For the brightness of love is
over-for you q storm is gathering
which will scatter your love dreams
as easily as the wind which sweeps
over the deck of the Ocean Bird
scatters the foam that crests the
wave whereon she rides.
The Dutch clock ticks merrily
away, surveying the neatness and
coziness of the little roomSwith a
face shining with appreciation. The
fire burns cheerily in the fireplace,
the canary dozes sleepily on his
perch, and the old cat purrs loudly
in the corner. Meanwhile the little
mistress, daintily attired in a merino
dress, with lace at the throat and
wrists, sits before the sparkling fire
and gazes dreamily into ii.
Her work lies idly upon her lap
the ball of worsted has rolled, unno-
ticed, upon the floor so deeply is
she immersed in her reverie that she
heeds not the fact that Hans has gone
to sleep in his chair in his usual