Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-10-25
Waiting for the Ship.

About an hours ride from the Plaza
there is high bluff with the ocean break
ing uninterruptedly along its rocky beach.
There are several cottages on the sands,
which look as if they might have been re-
Gently cast up by q heavy sea. The culti-
waited patch behind each tenementis fenced
IN by bamboos, broken spars and driftwood.
With its few green cabbages and turnip
tops, each garden looks like an aquarium
with the water turned off. In fact you
would not be surprised 10 meet mer-
man digging among the potatoes, or mer-
maid milking q sea COW hard by.
Not long ago, a simple, hard-wOrking
mechanic had amassed sufficient, by dill
gent labor IN the mines, to send home for
MS wife and two children. He arrived in
san Francisco a month before the ship
was due, for he was a Western man, and
had made the overland journey, and knew
little OF ships, or seas, or gales. He pro-
cured work in the city, but as the time
approached he would 90 to the shipping
office regularly every day The month
passed, but the ship came not, then month
and a week, two weeks, three weeks, two
months, and then year.
The rough, patient face, with soft lines
everything It's hard features, which had
become daily apparition At the shipping
agents, then disappeared 1t turned up
one Afternoon at the observatory, a the
setting sun relieved the operator from his
duties. There was something SO chiIdhke
and simple in the few questions asked by
this stranger touching his business, that
. h1
plain. When tue mystery of signals aud
Itelegvaphs was untoltel, the stranger had
one more question to ask.
How long might vessel be absent be-
fore they would give up expecting her ?"
The operator couldn't tell; 1t would de-
pend on circumstances. Would it be a
year? Y Is, it might be a year; and yes
seIs have been given up for lost after two
years. and have come home. The stranger
put his rough hand on the operators.
thanked him for his " trouble" aud went
away. Still the snip came not. Stately
clippers swept into the gate, aud merchant
men went by with eoiors flying, and the
welcoming gun Of the steamer often rever-
berated among the hills. Taen the patient
face, with the Old resigned expression, but
a brighter, wisttul look in the eye, was
regularly met on the decks OF the steamer
as she disembarhed her living freights. He
may have had q limly defined hope that
the missing ones might yet come this way,
a. only another road over that strange,
unknown expanse. But he talked with
ship captains and sailors, and even this
last hope seemed to fail. When the care
worn face and bright eyes were presented
again at the observatory, the operator,
busily engaged, could not spare time to
answer foolish interrOgatOrIes, 50 he went
away. But, rs night fell, he was seen sit
ting on the rocks with his face turned sea-
ward, and was seated there all that night
When he became hopelessly insane, for
that was what the physician said made his
eyes so bright and wistful, he was cared
for by fellow craftsman who had seen
his troubles. He was allowed to indulge
his fancy of going out to watch for the
ship, in which g she and the children
were, at night when no one else was watch
ing. He had made up his mind that the
ship would come in at night. This, and
the idea that he would relieve the opera
tor, who would be tired with watching all
day. seemed to please him. So he went
out and relieved the operator every night.
For two years the ships came and went.
He was there to see the outward bound
clipper, and greet her on her return. He
was known only by few who frequented
the place. When he was missed at last
from his accustomed spot, day OF two
elapsed before any alarm was felt. One
Sunday, a party of pleasure-seekers
clambering over the rocks were attracted
by the barking of dog that had run be-
fore them. When they came up they
found plainly dressed man lying there
dead. There were a few papers in his
pocket, chiefly slips cut from different
Journals of old marine memoranda, and his
face was turned toward tn distant sea.