Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1874-04-02
WOODSTOCK, W., THURSDAY, APRIL Q, 1874

Years Day, the bng Sea Gull found
, cred off the coast Of Newfoundland
} with Cap'n Williston and his men
and so the poor baby never saw his
= fathers face.
"Poor little Mis-. Williston! car
see just how she looked, lyin' there
day after day, as white and helpless as
a broken-lily, with that little brown
head tucked against her cheek; twas
only the baby that kept her alive
Shed make me hold him to the light
a dozen times day. You're s,u'e his
eyes won't turn any lighter. Mis-.
Dawson ? she'd say. You see the
cap'n had coal-black eyes, And then
again, He grows, MIS- Dawson? You
think he's very well, don't YOU? in a
voice that wistful, that l had a master
fight with myself to keep the water
out Of my eyes, instead OF answering
her up right cheerful. well? |
should think he did, the little cap'n
And CROWN? Look at that arm
Why! he'll be liftin' his mother off
the bed before she knows it, Then
she'd smile little pale smile, and put
her two arms round my neck, poor
thing! for she was scarce more'n a
baby herself.
"Well, the time passed on; and lit
tie Jock grew up, as brave and hand
some lad as you could wish to see.
1t was real sunshine to my eyes to see
him walkin' alongsid of his mother,
drawin' himself up, and keepin' step
with her like grown man. So ten.
der, of her, too, he was, leavin' all
his mates tor her If she was alone, and
forever layin' out what he meant to do
for her when he was man. And
what with bein' so fond and proud of
him, she got TO look, barrin' her
black dress, almost the same as when
the cap'n was alive. All, me! I've
thought many times since how
mcrciful it is in the Lord to let us
see so little ways ahead In the best
Of times, were only ships in fog,
and have to steer by compass.
"The summer Jock was twelve year
old, was amazin' sickly all along the
coast. | was nigh beat out nursin
Bijah Porter's wife through the
typhoid, and had come home one
Wednesday afternoon to get a little
rest. AS | was lyin' on the lounge,
in half-doze, the door opened, and
Mis-. Williston come in. She never
stopped nor spoke, but come straight
across the floor, with face white as
q ghost. Then she put her hands on
my shoulders, and says she, Mis-.
Dawson, my Jocks got the fever | |
rose up like a flash, and put my shawl
over my head, and went home with
her And | never came home, maam,
for seven weeks. Awesome weeks
they were, maam. The nights were
worst. | used to feel as it we two
were fightn Death hand to hand for
that boy, and he a tossin' on the pill
low, his red cheeks sunk away, all his
curly hair shaved close to his head,
and in all that time never givin' lis
one reasonable word or look. 1t was
the fourth week, when | minded, one
mornin', as Mis-. Williston sat by the
bed, that her hair was turnin', but by
the seventh, ma'am, when the fever
left him, it was us white as mine is
now.
"All but the least breath of life was
burnt out of him, and when he did
once begin to mend, it was so slow
that it took us great while to find
out that any thing was wrong. 1t
come to me, first, when | went into
the bedroom, one afternoon, of a sud
den. He didn't see me for minute,
and laid there playin' with his fling,
all, to once, he looked up
and laughed! That laugh! o ma'am!
Ill the rest was as nothin' to that!
Just sunk down into chair, and
yroaned, % Lord have mercy on his
mother! Not Matr
"The Lord did have mercy on her,
out not in my way. tie took her
lome that next winter and I've
hought many a time that Id like to
a been by when he explained to her
as I'm certain he would-some
hings that we down here waited years ,
md years for, and many more, be-
likes, that we've never found out at .
III.
Poor little Jock got well again
n his body-that was all. His mind
vas clean gone. !
He used to go about gentle :
nd harmless as a lamb. Whilst his !
mother lived, he'd follow her every !
tep she took, but more like a dog !,
han human child If she sat down, :,
ed just drop down at her feet, and
ub his head on her knee, like a dumb !;
hing. Not but that he talked yet-a !
ood deal sometimes-but in weak, .
enseless fashion, that'd halfbreak :
our heart. He didn't seem to know J.
he reason of any thing--he might be y
alf-starved and yet never think of 9
attn unless you put the victuals be- =
ore him. e
"There was u while after Mis-. {
Villiston died that 1 had a little n
opes of him. He used to wander i,
round as if he was searchin' for some +,
hing, and sometimes, all to once, an /
did look'd d come into his face for half |,
second-you'd a said, to look at n
i'm, that he was just a goin' to find a
4 >.