Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-04-22

the same as when the cap'n was alive.
All. me! I've thought many times since
how merciful it is in the Lord to let us
see so little ways ahead. In the best OF
times, we're only ships in fog, and have
to steer by compass.
The summer Jock was twelve years
old, was amazin' sickly all along the
coast. was nigh beat out nursin' 'Bijah
Portcr's wife through the typhoid, and
had come home one Wednesday afternoon
to get little rest. AS was lyin' on the
lounge, in II half-doze, the door opened,
and Mrs. Williston came in. She never
stopped nor spoke, but came strait across
the floor, with a face white us IL ghost.
Then she put her hands on my shoulders,
and says she, Mrs. Dawson, my jock s
put my shawl over my head, and went
home with her. And never came home,
aam, for seven weeks. Awesome weeks
worst. | used to feel as if we two were
tightin' Death hand to hand for that boy,
and he a tossin' on the pillow his red
cheeks sunk away, all his Gully hair shay
ed close to his head, and in all that time
never givin' us one reasonable word or
look. 1t was the fourth week, when |
minded. one mornin. rs Mrs. Williston
sat by the bed, that her hair was turnin',
but by the seventh. tam, when the fever
left him, it was as white rs mine is now.
/ All but the least breath of life was burnt
ont of him, and when he did once begin
to mend, it was so slow that it took us Il
great while to find out that anything was
wrong. 1t came to me, first, when | went
into the bedroom, one afternoon, ofa sud
den. He didn't see me for Il minute, and
laid there Il playin' with his fingers, then
all to once, he looked up and laughed
That laugh O ma am. all the rest was us
nothin to that! Just sunk down into Il
chair, and groaned. % Lord, have
mercy on his mother! Not htatt'
" The elLord did have mercy on her, but
not in my way He took her home that
next winter. and I've thought many a
time that I'd liked to "a been by when he
! explained to her-as I'm certain he would
some things that we down here waited
Yeas for. and many more belikcs, that
we've never found out ut all.
Z" Poor Jock got we'll again-in his body
that was all His mind was clean gone.
He used to 90 about gentle and harmless
as Il lamb. Whilst his mother lived, he'd
follow her every step she took, but more
like dog than human child. If she sat
down, he'd Just drop down at her feet,
and rub his head on her knee, like a dumb
thing. Not but that he talked yet-a
good deal sometimes-but all in Il weak,
Scnseless fashion, that'd half break your
heart He didn't seem to know the reason
of anythng--he might be half-starved and
vet never think of eatin' unless You put
the victuals before him.
There was Il while after Mrs. Willis
ton died that | had Il little hopes of him.
He used to wander around rs if he was
searching for something. and sometimes,
all to once an odd lookd come into his
face for halfa second-you'd Il said, to
look at him. that he was Just gOin' to
find it. whatever twas. 1t was then he
took the habit that stuck to him ever after,
of clappin' both hands to his head and
savin'. Its comm What's comm,
Jockv?' | used to say sometimes, and the
poor boyd stare up into my face with -
dazed. 'wildered look for Il minute, and
then break out into one of his weak,
senselcss smiles
There WAS little or nOthin left to take
care of him with, Dut not man or
woman on the island would ever II let a
child o Cap'n Williston's come to want.
let alone his bein' poor unfortunate like
Jock. So we all adopted him, as You
might say. and he used to 90 and come
from one house to another just as suited
him. On the whole. he seemed to stick to
me the most You'll wonder ut it, maybe,
but the poor boy was real company foI
me, after all, bein' alone so much when
Zebedce-that was my man-was gone of
on his whalin' voyages.
Il used to be Il master hand to read my
Bible in them days, though my old eyes'vt
been too dim for it now this many Il year
Thank the Lord. though, that | can see
the page Almost as we'll as ever in my
mind. had Il habit of readin' out loud 4
great deal, secmin' TO get the better senst
so-especially in the Psalms-and queen
rs YOU might think it, there Jockd lay
stretched on the rug. before the fireplace
a listenin' by the hour. | used to think
twas the sound of my voice he liked, iOI
he didn't know enough to understand /:
single word rightly. But howsoever thai
was. hcarkenin' to me readln' WAS one o.
the two things he liked best in the world
The other was to 90 out with the men IL
the boats OF course he wasn't of any
particular use. but they all humored him,
and sometimes. in the mackerel season
they'd keep him out for days and weeks t'
time.
- but / must hurry ttlOli3- lli'i 'tii- ~
he trim YOU out. All this while Jock wa:
CROWN up. and at twenty he was grea
stout fellow. standn' a good six feet in hi:
| stockin's. He didn't look that tall, though
OWN to his stoopin' some and walkn
with shuiflin, shamblin' sort o gait sucl
as you've minded in others, maybe, when
| the brain didn't hold the tiller
1T was that same summer wher
first tn a
: Her father was a French gentleman, who
had lived Il good many years in this coun
try. Bein' ont of health, he thought tC
trv the sea mir for awhile. I'm an ole
: woman, and I've seen many a fresh face il
my time, but never another that was fit It
set alongside Mabelle DevereuX.' Their,
; was picture in Parson ElletS parlor
over the mantlepiece, that came from Over
; seas,-, Madonna he called it,-and Nv,
heard tell that it was copied after the
I greatest picture of the greatest palnte
2 that ever lived But that's neither here
nor there-only when | first set my eye
$ on Mabelle, sttin' one Sunday in Deacon
Prices pew,-Mrs. Price was aunt tt
l Mabelle's mother,-l leaned over the for
t ward pew before l thought what l wa
doin'. and whispered to 'Bijah Porter,
5 wife, Look there. There's Parson Ellet'
S picture stepped out O the frame.
Mabelle was rs good as she was pretty
. l used to tell them that all the young mel
: on the coast just stood af.r off and wor
$ SHIPPED her The girls dotted on her, toe
5 she seemed too different from all thu
rest to be the least bit Jealous of. Old Mr.
t Devereux was mastery pleased with th
+. island, and l heard him t,lkin' with Par
+, son Ellet once at a clam-b bake, about th
It hospitality of the inhabitants. and thei
t remarkable sympathy with an invalid
0 sufferins, and it's bein' really rare, m
c nv dear sir, to find such delicate feelir
J. among the common people 'Commo
n people indeed l ached to speak II
!, right there, and say You fool. SO yo
k think it's for you That twenty boats AZ
o ready mornin', noon or night, with two Q
: three stout young fellows to row yo'
: where you like?' But bit my lips. an