Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-04-29

scarcely ever absent from the cliff, and
every species of sailing craft that came
within her range of vision, was closely
scrutinized, as if to determine whether
or not it was the sail she looked for but
her watch was fruitless.
uneasiness ripened into anxiety, and
anxiety merged into dread, as time pas
| sed, and still he came not Jessie's eyes
grew hollow, and her cheek pale with
her weary waiting. But the end was at
hand. One evening, as she drew near
the house, she heard etrs.ns5vr rviUes With.
! IN ana lingering in the endeavor to rec
ognize the tones, she caught sounds of
familiar words, Phillips name, and that
of his vessel. Rooted to the spot, with
strainhg ears, every syllabel falling like
knells upon her heart, she heard the voice
relate the intelligence of the wreck of
Phillips snip, and the loss of all on
board. with the exception of one man,
who, after drifting about for many hours,
was at length rescued by passing vessel.
Jessie listened to the end, all things
growing darker as the tale proceeded,
then consciousness vanished, and she lay
like dead thing across the threshold.
They raised her gently, and carried
her to her low bed, deeply grieved to
know she had been so rudely acquainted
with the sad story they had intended to
have broken to her gently by degrees.
After long swoon, Jessie opened her
eyes, and returned to full realization of
her bereavement; but when her parents
looked to see her break out into weeping
and wild sorrow, they were amazed to
see her stony calmness, and still more so
when she announced her intention of 60
ing into the world to seek Phillip.
HE is not dead | know he is not
dead, was her reiterated reply to all
, expostulation. 'If one man was saved,
why not another? am going forth to
, seek him. and seeing it was useless to
reason with the stricken mind, her par
{ ents acquiesced, and she started on her
quest, only promising to return if it were
fruitless.
So the years went by. Every seaport
town on the coast had been trodden by
, Jessie's wandering footsteps. In every
harbor her thin, pale face, with its wist-
r ruI eyUs, rtmIIIar 10 Jne snlpmasters,
and even the sailors had learned to look
upon her with pity.
e Often she would visit her home and
| old haunts, spending hours upon the cliff
, Where her dim eyes wistfully
Chased the white sails Der the sea-.
But her fancies seemed all at once tC
!, have taken a new turn. 1t was now the
marine hospitals and sailors homes she
L visited, and her sad story having preced
:, ed her, she was received everywhere, he1
d gentle ways and loving hands making
e her a welcome guest.
One day, the hospital which was he
e abode received several new inmates
!, some of whom had been given over b,
: medical authority, and brought to tn,
l. hospital to end their days.
II Poor, battered specimens of humanit,
1t they were, and Jessie felt her heart sinl
% and rebel at the thought that her Phillip
It if living, might resemble one of thes
poor wretches. As usual she assiste,
n the nurses in caring for the sufferers
and followed from cot to cot in her kind
ly ministrations.
'e One of the nurses asked particular
le her aid in assisting her to raise one G
the patients, and Jessie stood beside he
rs in an instant, bending over the sufferer
Nothing in the attenuated figure, an
" drawn, pinched face seemed familiar
n but, as the nurse laid back the coverin
from his breast, Jessie caught sight of
ld small chain suspended round his necl
S, With low exclamation. she bent clt
We ser to examine it, and caught a glimps
of small, worn fragment attached, whic
ds bore no resemblance to anything tt
G. nurse had ever seen, but which Jessie
he eyes recognized, and her partially darl
We ened mind passing over the long yea
that had intervened between her happ
p far-off youth and the joyless presen
ad linked them together in the joyful lig
to of returning reason, her long, wea
he search was ended. Phillip, the low
X and lost, lay before her.
mt The nurse looked ON in amazemen
ne' her companion had fallen on her kne
ks in a paroxysm of sobs.
nd '.Her brother, maybe" she though
we II heard she had lost somebody and
stole away, and left the two together.
lys Contrary to expectation, Phillip
ne' covered, thanks to Jessies unremitti
the care and tender nursing, recovered
rst tell the sad story of his shipwreck a
md rescue, and his weary years Of wanderir
the So these two, reunited, went out il
the world, no longer alone, their love
on the stronger for their years of separate
ch- and trusting never to part again un
Ter. they reached that country where there
nen $40 more sea.
- The Portland Star has plan for co
pleting the Washington Monument.