The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-09-25
.EtiIy .EOre'S Letter.

Pm Aunty Gunter. Job Gunter is
my husband. We keep the Anchor
Port postoffice and q store, and sell
groceries and garden sass, calico,
SHOES and medicines, like other folks
in our line, when anybody asks for
'em.
When the ships come in, and the
sailors come home to their wives and
mothers, trade goes brisk. The house
keepers do their best, and the raisins
and dried currants and eggs and but
ter go off flne,y, 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 An
chor Port brisk for a while; but at
last he sails away, and all the women
seem to ask for, will be letters, letters,
letters, letters, when they have a
right to expect them, and when they
haven't, all the same.
It's 'fPlease Aunty Gunter look ov-
er them and see if there arn't one for
me-" andit's "Please Aunty Gunter,
it might have got mixed up and over
Goo help the p0vli rS,.I Olsen anu Oi'In
lies at the bottom of the sea, and
nothing will ever reach them but the
news of the shipwreck. But there's
plenty of letters come after all, and
sometimes we have to read them for
the folks, Job and I, and so we get to
know something of their lives.
Milly More could read and write
herself, but still always knew when
she got letter from Will Masset. l
knew it by the handwriting, and l
knew it by her bushes, and by that
happy lock in her face. When he
came home she bought ribbons and
bits of lace by the apronful and
knew where the packages of candy
that he bought were to go. And l
used to keep Job from fishing down
in Philman's creek of afternoons, be-
cause knew that was where Milly
and Will used to walk. Courting-
time comes but once in q lifetime,
and l always like to see il prosper.
At last he sailed away, second
mate of the Golden Dove, and when
he came back from the voyage they
were to be married.
1t was a sad day when the ship
sailed. Mrs. Capt. Rawdon and Eer
RhAS WCAC SAJAh6 AOuA bbC ShOACs
Twenty women from the Port and
five from the H.ll were there tc see
her set sail.
IG was under an old sycamore that
Will took Milly to his breast.
"Don't fret darling" he said; '1'll
come back cafe and sound. / couldn't
drown now; I've too much to live
for.u
Poor boy In spite of that the
Golden Dove went down in mid-seas,
and only three men reached Anchor
Port to tell how Capt. RaHdon and
the rest were lost, at dead of night, in
most woeful storm. -
Capt. Kincaid brought the news to
Mrs. Rawdon. He stopped at the
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
things out, as always did Saturday
nights. Through the week Job used
to get everything mixed up-letters
in my tea-boxes, candles in the letter
box, eggs where they oughtn't to be,
and all the place askew. It was a
warm Autumn night, and Capt. Kin
caid's vessel was in port, and we hsd
plenty of custom. Job served the
people while tidied up. I found half
of the last mail in the sugar-box, and
the clothes.pin in the ground-coffee
canister, and just dumped them out
Leather up your letters, job" said
I; "what possesses you, old man ?n
And ha Iannhad nd r1ilod Jam
And 1 made VOW to myself that I'd
keep the sugar-box full after that, so
that he shouldn't use il for the mail.
/ had twenty.four pounds of ugar
known as ncOffee-crushed,D - because
it was prepared especially to use in
coffee. That was the finest sugar An
chor Port folks often bought, though
/ had little cut and powdered by me
in case Mrs. RawdOn or Mrs. DR..
Speer or the minister's lady should
send in; and took the paper up and
tilted it over the japanned box, pour
ing in a nice smooth stream, when
who should come in but Milly More.
She was not dressed carefully, and
her eyes were red with crying.
She asked for some tea, and while
Job was weighing it she whispered to
me:
"Oh! Aunty Gunter, have you
looked to-day? Isn't there q letter
from Will? He said he couldn't die.
l don't feel as il he could. Mightn't
he write after all? Do look ="
"My pet" says /, sits a year ago
that the Golden Dove went down.
1t isn't likely. And He don't let
those live that want to, always. Bui
I'll look"
took the letters in my hand, one
by one. Many Of them would make
hearts glad before the shutters were
up that night, but none for MiIly il
couldn't be expected, of course.
told her SO, but took her into my
back parlor and made her sit dowT
there.
I talked as good as 1 could to her
but what good does talking do?
"Ah, Aunty," says she, Il know il
seems as if 1 was fool, but / woki
up hoping this morning. l don't be
lieve he is gone. / can't, i can't"
"When baby died-the only one W,
ever had-I thought / never SHOULD
believe it," said 1. "Bnt 1 had Job
and you have your mother and sister
Milly."
At that she burst into tears, an,
put her head down on my knee.
81 must tell You,n said she. sfThe,
want me to marry Capt. Kincaid
He's courting me. He fell in Low
with me the night be brought tn
news to Mrs. Capt. Rawdon; 1 wa
thara sewing and hearfi IL ALI Oh