The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1872-08-01

/ upon inc cA 70 u dll III once. Inc
doctor and Mr.. Turner looked at
each other, but neither spoke, and
Mrs. Turner did not notice the tears
that stood in her husbands eyes.
| The doctors fears that Eva would
not recover proved to be well found
| ed; days and weeks of fever sue
! ceeded in awakening her to life, dur
ing which she talked incUherently
/ of papa" and "poor mamma and
of the burning ship, and of hunger.
She finally awOke to consciousness,
and asked many questions as to
where she was, and how she came
/ in the dark room, and who were
those who attended her, but DR..
Hunt forbade her being questioned
till she was stronger.
! How Interested were all in the
cOnvalescent whom the clements had
cast into the little seaboard town.
The ladies declared that never be-
fore did a child possess such lovely
eyes, or such beautiful curls, while
the gentlemen seemed no less inter
ested, and brought her gifts Of ev-
erything that would please her child
ish fancy.
MY dear little girl" said Dr.
Hunt, when Eva was at length able
to ride out, "tell me your name"
''Eya," said the child. 81 thought
you knew it."
eyes, know your name is Eva
but want to know the rest of your
name-your fathers name.
eva Durant. Mr.. Durant is my
father"
eyes, but I want to know all you
can remember about your father and
mother"
"Eva's eyes filed with tears
''Oh, sir, my mamma died and
went to live with the angles, and /
do not know where my papa is. He
said If 1 never saw him again must
know he had gone to mamma"
"WheTe were you when he told
You this"
''On the ship. Oh, the fire burned
me so; and papa held me in his
arms until a strange man took me
and tied something under my arms
and threw me into the water, and / |
have not seen papa since. Oh, sir, |
can you tell me where he ISL"
mo, dear child; but perhaps we
may yet find him" .
And this was all that Evas' new
friend could discover. It was plain |
she had come from the ship which
had been burned a few weeks before; |
that she had been cast upon the sea,
and foated to the shore; but where
was her father? Had he been saved,
and was he hunting for his child?-
Every possible effort was now made |
to find him. The circumstances of
the case, with the statement of the /
child, were published fully in the
newspapers of the neighboring cities,
but the grief-stricken father, beliey-
ing his child to be lost, had sailed q
week before for Europe, and soon-it
became settled in the minds of Eva's
protectors that he had perished.-
But the little one still prattled about
her "papa" and said he would come
back some time. Those who be-
lieved differently would not pain her
by contradiction.
The square and compass that had
been found upon her clothing was
regarded as 4 powerful appeal from
a Mason to his brother to care for
his child. So it came to pass that
Eva became, as it were, the special
charge of Hiram Lodge, No. SO.
Mr.. Turner would have taken the en-
tire care of the little waif; and the
wealthy Senator W-requested to
be allowed to adopt her as his own
but the brethren, in Lodge
assembled, declared by a vote that
Eva should be reared, educated and
protected by the Lodge, and that as
Providence had placed her in Broth
er Turner's house, that should be
her home.
And so years went by, and Eva
became a healthy, joyous child, fit
ting here and there, and everywhere
meeting the warmcst welcome. The
Masonic Hall was but a few rods
from Mr.. Turner's residence, and
Eva often went with him as far as
the door, and then returned alone,
always bidding the Tyler "take
good care of Pa Turner and send
him home early" !.