The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1873-08-19
The Mislaid Letter.


IL husband. We keep the Anchor Port
Post Office and a store, and sell groceries
and garden sass, calico, shoes and medi-
cines, like other folks in our line, when
anybody asks for 'em.
When ship comes in, and the sailors
come home to their wives and mothers,
trade grows brisk. The housekeepers do
their best, and the raisins and dried cur
rants and eggs and butter go off finely, and
it's worth while to lay in ribbons for the
girls, and smoking tobacco and long pipes
for the men.
Jack and his wages make old Anchor
Port brisk for while, but at last he sails
away, and all the women seem to ask for
will be letters-letters, letters, when they
have right to expect them, and when
they haven't all the same.
It's Please, Aunty Gunter, look over
them, and see if there amt one for me :
and it's Please, Uncle Gunter it might
have got mixed up and overlooked some
how often and often-God help the poor
souls after Jack lies at the bottom of the
sea, and nothing will ever reach them but
the news of his shipwreck. But plenty of
letters came after all, and sometimes we
had to read them for the folks, Job and /,
and so we got to know something Of their
lives.
Milly Moore could read and write her.
self, but still always knew when she had
a letter from Will Masset. l knew it by
the handwriting, and l knew it by her
bushes, and by that happy look in her
face. When he came home, she bought
ribbons and bits of lace by the apronfull !;
and knew where the packages of candy
that he bought were to go. And | used
to keep Job from fishing down in Pulman's
creek of afternoons, because knew that
was where Milly and Will liked to walk.
Cou-ting time comes but once in lifetime,
and always like to see it prosper.
AT last he sailed away, second mate of
the Golden Dove and when he came
back from that voyage, they were to be
married.
1t was sad day when that ship sailed.
Mrs. Captain Rawdon and her girls were
crying ON the Shore Twenty women from
the Port and five from the Hill were there
to see her set sail
1t was grim, gray day, and the voyage
to be long one.
1t was under our old sycamore that Will
took Milly to his breast.
"Don't fret, darling p' he said. 81 will
come back safe and sound. couldn't
drown now I've too much TO live for.''
Poor boy in spite of that, the Golden
Dove went down in mid-seas, and only
three men reached Anchor Port to tell how
Captain Rawdon and the rest were lost, at
dead of night, in most dreadful storm.
Captain Kincaid brought the news up to
Mrs. Rawdon. He stopped at our store to
tell about it. A nice old man. A bachelor
still at fifty-eight, and as handsome, with
his white hair and red cheeks, as picture.
That was twelve months ago, the night
went into the store to sort some things
ont, as always did Saturday nights
Through the week Job used to get every
thing mixed up--letters in my tea-boxes
candles in the letter-box, eggs where they
oughtn't TO be, and all the place askew. II
was warm autumn night, and Captain
Kincaid's vessel was in port and we had
plenty of custom. job served the people,
while tidied up. found half the last
mail in sugar-box, and clothes-pins in
the ground-cofiee canister, and l just
dumped them out.
Gather up your letters, job" said l
What possesses you, old man?"
And hc laughed, and piled them up.
And made a vow to myself that I'd keep