The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1873-05-15
HE IRlBUNE.
RABETTE,

Babette sat in the doorway of the old
hut, dreaming. Her clumsy shoes were
flung aside her bare feet touching the
water that rippled up to the very door.
"A crazy old place, the country peo-
pie called it; and there certainly was a
wild Ophelia-like grace about the rum
GUS building. crowned with tufts OF wiry.
wind-blowu grass that sprang up through
the chinks of the roof and IN the crannles
of the decayed window sills, caught here
and there the sunlight and lent a change
ful charm to the desolate spot.
Far back and beyond 1t stretched be
seabeach, the long sandy levels, over
wich at tide-rising the sea came craving
M, shaking the old ruin to its founda-
lions. Indeed. there was legend that
the last inhabitant of the place-a soil
tary fsherman-had been swept away
one wild night long ago, when the waves
broke OYER the roof of his habitatlon.
AT any rate, though the village below
and the great hotels on the cliffs were
overfowing with summer guests, no one
had thought to utilize this habitation,
though the boys had signalized its adj
vantages in a rude placard to this effect,
"This hole house to let. :" The only oc-
cupants to-day were the sea shells, the
drifts of sea weed and Babette.
She sat in the doorway Gil an old boat
that had foated in thither, bottom side
up, in some overflow Of the sea, and re-
manned there ever since.
In her. hands she held web of that
spider ike work swhereby women love
to keep their active fingers busy, knit
ting themselves by a fairy thread to
the actual world. while their thoughts
are free to wander airily whether they
Wist.
The girl was looking afar off seward,
where quiet isle, luminous and sun
crowned, dotted the distance half way
out-idle, pleasant. drifted away from the
cares of the busy main land, and baski-g
dreamily in the rosy light.
Rabette sympathized with that island.
It seemed 10 her it would De a gracious
thing to get away from the actual COM
monplaco necessities of life as she had
known it; to dwell apart in some trance
like solitude from the tramp and whlTl
and worry of existence. For the girl had
been a hard worker In her time, as many
dreamy eyed women are, and they were
not altogether idle. and cloud-like fan
cies that absorbed her as she sat. For
she was business woman, was Babettes
and that moment was revolving the prob
lem of getting living. The peach bloom
on her cheek, and the young light in her
eyes, did not render the problem less
difficult of solution.
Her school days at the village academy
were ended-those doubtful yet qUies-
cent days when, by dint of ineessant
drudgery as an uader teacher, she had
wrung out sort of education for herself,
and graduated in futtering white. at once
and forever out of the caterpillar state
That pretty excitement, that brief fash
of light ON her stormy pathway over, she
came back to her old aunt Marget )
cabin. But she could not live there de
pendent; live and die there. Its scanty
fare, its bare floors, its solitude among
the bills, its shelter of wind swept pines
that climbed their sterile crags and look
ed down on the far ocean-these things
had satisfied her once, as il had satisfied
her to hunt sea shells along the sea shore
But Cousin Tom had gone out from the
sea shore to the great world beyond.
Why should she not do SO too? .
A sharp but not unkindly voice broke
IN upon her reverie.
" Babette Why what upon earth
Child you'll get your death cold as I've
often told you before, in this damp un-
wholesome place"
The speakers tell. wiry figure and
clean sunbonnet' carried an incisiye
meaning with them. we'll calculated to
put to flight dreams Of whatever na
ture.
:" haven't been here long, aunt Mar
get, said Babette, rousing with flush
from her reverie.
Why, I've been looking for you this
hour past, pears to me. Professor Pee
bles has been to the house inquirin for
you, and he's coming again.
Babette did not appear to be eAhilara-
ted by the information. She sat list,
less. her foot playing idly With the dimp-
ling water.
I'm on an arrant down to the vii
lage," said the busy old woman; "but
you can run home and tidy up things a
bit, and dress yourself"
IL can't. / don't want to see
him."
La, child, you musn't be so bashfull
He wants to see you. So run along and
smart yourself up.
a sehoo!-master and parson were In
Aunt Marget's eyes two objects Of spec.
ial reverence.
But I'm $3.50 tired" urged Bah
cite, with some hesitation.
Tired repeated the old woman, not
unkindly. 4 don't know what has
come over the young ones nowadays; in
my time it took something to tire EN-.
Well, child, you'll feel better when
you We had o morsel of something aud
dressed yourself. Put on that new white
dress for once in way, just to please
Master PEBBLES"
Ny white dress Why, aunty. you're
getting extravagant. / want to save that
white dress. >
Tut, tut, child, you ought to he more
grateful
Grateful! Aunt Marget, why should
l be grateful to that old snuf.laking
professor? | Ike him not: | viii to
to him no more a pupil" In her ex-
citement the girls words gathered Ger.