The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-04-01

sea when the storm-clOuds have
wrecked their rage and passed away ;
and the result was scarcely less cheer
ful. Never were there two such
friends, when they Ayere friends, rs
Joe Hurricane and FaiTweather Jack
JOe's remorse for his violence was
deep though silent, and after every
Outburst the real affection he bore the
orphan lad was strengthened by the
recollection of the almost superhu-
man patience and gentle sweet for
bearance he had shown.
Yet Jack was merely "A merry, good
humOred fellow, and sad to say, so
far from being a saint, that his uncle,
who was true as truth itself, was often
Obliged to put sudden stop to the
torrent of iibs to which Jack gave
vent when questioned, after a rough
voyage, as to the bruises on his fore
head or the swelling of his poor red
knuckles. He had fallen out of the
boat on Eelsea Rocks, and met with
innumerable calamities, told i'm the
most natural manner imaginable, till
Joe put stop TO the telling by crying
out sternly,
"HOld hard with those id lies,
Jack, will yer ?p-Mary, twas me
that mauled him."
There were land storms no less than
sea storms with Joe Hurricane, and
many a time have the whole hOuseful
come scampering out and take shelter
in the forge here. Old Mary has stood
| trembling behind the door there,
young Mary there, with Jacks arm
round her waist; and the five bits of
boys i'm their blue-fiannel shirts and
| tarpaulins, and five bits of girls in
| their blue-fiannel gowns and mush-
room hats, filled the place so that
there was scarcely room for the sole of
ones foot. Pd have TO bear with their
company till Joe would be seen stink
| ing past, black as thunder with rage
and shame.
BY that time they might safely ven
ture home; and home they would go,
old Mary thanking and "GOd-bless-
ing" me for the refuge, and young
Mary smiling and blushing through
her tears, and joining with her pretty
voice i'm Jacks
Heave-a heave, o!
| Pull along;
ane the little monkeys of children
jumping and tumbling over one anoth-
er, and wickedly pretending to be
frightened out of their wits by the dis
tant view of JOe's back. In an hour
or twONwOuld come Joe himself, fud-
died with the comfort he had taken at
the Flying Fish, and with remorse
and shame.
$50 the DEVILS had hold Of me again,
Sturt" he'd say. And nay answer
was always: '-- -
"He has, Joe Hurlan; and if you
don't have a reckoning with him
once for all, you'll find there'l come
day he'll be too much for yOu.n
l"Right you are-I feel it," Joe
would gpowl. Before going in, he
would steal off to the town, and come
home with bulging pockets and what
with the jumping and shouting and
clamOr, and old maFyis laugh (which
at bathing-time you could hear from
one end of the parade TO the other,
and what with Jacks "Heave-s,
heave, or l don't know but what
neighbOrs had more reason to COM
plain of the peaee-making than the
storm.
But Joe Hurlan's passion was not
always to blow over SO haTmlessly. 1t
came to pass that every fit was longer
and fiercer than the last. The chill
dren crOuched down lower now when
they came to the forge for shelter;
and no more laughed and nl;Ide fun
behind JOe's distant back, but kept
quietly i'm their hiding-places till he
WAS out of sight; while old Mary
trembled and young Mary cried much
more than in old times but i noticed
that she and young Jack clung to
each other closer and closer as things
got worse and worse. When the girl
went 10 meet her father and Jack af-
ter their little voyages, / noticed she
would take count at once of every
fresh bruise on Jacks face and hands,
and grow deadly pale; and Jacks
cheerful "Heave-a, heave, Ow no
longer cOmforted her.
One night-it was a week before |
Christmas, and the tide was i'm as far |
as Eelsea-cOrner-JOe and the lad |
were at sea. / was sitting here near
one o'clock; the wind was too high to |
think of sleep; | was sitting here half
DOING, and suddenly | was aware that |
something more than wind was fum-
bling mt the door.
"WhO's there r'
"JOe Hurlan."
| open it Joe comes in, with his !
head shrunk into his neck, and his
back bent, his face liVid, and his eyes
turning everywhere but on my face.
"Back already, JOer' l said.
He did not answer me, but went to !
his usual seat by the fire and sat down. |
stood still before the open door =;
something made me suspicious of
him.
"Where's Jack ?" / asked him.
"GOne To his mOther's,n he said |
then cIenehed his hands and rocked
himself over the fire. Jacks mother
lived as a sort of servant at the coast
guard station, twelve miles off.
'tHOw's that" said /, "when you've !
but just come ashore ~ for he was
dripping wet from the waist. "He's |
never going to walk here this time of
night ?"
He looked up suddenly such look
as i shall never forget.
''Sturt Sturt, don't torture me!
Jacks not with his mother" (
"Where is he, then %
"Why did he sing in the storm, /
while was cursing?'
"JOe Hurlan," said I, "where is
your brothers. son?
"Why did he sing Mary's hymns
when we were in danger? Why did
he sing hymns praising the Maker Of
wind that was taking the bread out o. .
the children's mouths ?u
II ask you again, Joe, where is the
son OF your drowned hrOtherW
''Why did he steal my Mary's
heart, and make her hate her own
father for beating him?r
"YOu wretch, where's Jack 81
"He might have made struggle
it's his own fault. He knew it 'ud l
rile me more to put up his hands like
that, and cry out, Uncle, you and
father were brOthers-y0JI'dH never kill
mes" 1iltia2
"You pitiful scoundrel," says /,
seiZing his collar, "what have you
done with Jack ?"
with his mother ~
"Will they find him there when
he's sought for tomorrow, as he will /
be?"
"FEad hiBl-Jind HINT 0Iny Jack! /
they should tear me limb from limb,
if that would find himr'
'JOe Hurlan," said /, ''if Jack isn't .
with his mother, where is he?n
"IPfth his father" said Joe, in a
sort of wailing whisper "and l sent
him there p'
And he looked up at me, quailing
before me as if I should deal him in
slant justice.
Jacks face was before my eyes /
Jacks voice was in my ears. | dared 4
not trust myself alone with his de-
strOyer. / only opened my door wide
and pointed out; and he crept away. [
I did not give Joe Hurlan up to JUS
tice the next day, as | had fully meant
to do; / did not do it for reasons L
shall tell you by and by.
Joe did not evade me nor put him (
self i'm my way. He did not give him
self up, as half expected he would.