Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1874-04-02

that day in a yacht from Portland, anC
little ways off, by the side Of rock,
half-sittin' and halflyin' in the sun
) was Jock I coulden't hear what the
young men were sayin', but l saw
they looked at Jock, and laughed, and
in minute one of them stepped up tc
him and gave his chin a pull, sayin'
somethin' that set them all off again
l was close by them, and SHARP
word was on the end of my tongue
when something seemed to stop me,
and | looked at Mabelle. O, maam,
I'd never seen her like that So tall
and so terrible Her whole body
trembled, her eyes flashed, and red
spot burned in her cheek, and then
went out in an instant and left her
face like ashes. She didn't seem to
walk toward Jock-she went as the
wind goes. She put her hand on his
shoulder, and he gazed up into her
face. I'll never forget that sight.
The same pitiful, dazed look that I
knew so well, came over my poor
boys face once more-his hand went
slowly up to his forehead. Its comin'!'
he said Comm? she answered, in a
low voice that rung like bel, Yes,
my poor brother! Yes thousand
times Comm in Gods time! Ma
belle Why, Mabelle !! said Mr.. De-
vereux, but she did not seem to hear.
Tunin' half about, she saw me. GO
now with Mis-. Dawson, Jock !! she
said in her old voice, and he came to
me in moment. We walked on a
few steps, and / looked around, and
saw the young men standin' still with
their eyes on the ground, and MIR. De-
vereux leanin' on Mabelle's arm, and
walkin slowly up the hill Tom Por,
ter and Ben Britton were mastery
disappointed that the Portland chaps
went homenext mornin' instead o'stay-
in for a weeks fishin' as they'd given
out theywould. The boys had allowed
to make good bit out of them for odd
jobs, but Mabelle and l kept our own
counsel.
'Mabelle and her father went home
in November, and a little while after,
Mis- Deacon Price told me they had
gone to France.
''The fall of 1910 was a hard one
for folks as got their livin' by the sea-
One gale beat close upon another, and
more than one boat from the Island
went to pieces. Winter came, at last,
and it was comfort to have the mack
erel schooners all in, and settle down a
littlo Comfnrt, lnaStwiSo to como,
more than to me, for Zebedee was
away somewhere in the north seas,
and many a gusty night I used to lay
never shut my eyes till day-break.
"Christmas Eve came All day the
Island had been choked in a cold mist. |
Away to the northeast the grey bank
of fog broke a little as the sun went
down, and showed pile of cloud
black as midnight.
"Jock'd been stayin' with me ever
since summer. He didn't seem like
himself that night, so restless and I'M
easy-lille and to see if couldn't paci-
fly him, | got my Bible and begun to
read just where it opened, which hap
pened to be at the eighteenth Psalm.
He threw himself down and listened,
but he had such queer, wild look,
that l shut the Bible after a little, and
told him to 60 upstairs to bed. He
started docile enough, but at the cham
Der door he stopped so long that |
spoke to him again
wGo on, now, Jock-that's my good
boy He gave such start that I was
scared for a minute, then he put up his
hand, and said, quite loud,
"'It's comm! Tonight.
"Then he went up stairs.
Somehow couldn't go to bed. I
felt as if something was goin' to hap
pen The very air wasn't natural.
Before knew it, I'd be sayin' over to
myself, IT'S comin'-tonight ! Twas
no use tryin to scold myself out of my
feelin's, and so, at last, I just Topped
down on the lounge with my clothes
on. AsaI laid there, l could hear the
wind risin' and the surf pound on the
rocks outside Of the bar. I heard the {
clock strike ten, and eleven, and then
| must 'a'gone into heavy sleep, for
when woke up all of sudden, the
last spark of fire was out and the room {
cold as grave The candle was
burnt down into the stick, till there (
was hardly a gleam of light left. /
got up, for was shiverin' like ague- s
chill, and as | walked across the floor, !
felt the old house tremble in the gale
and the roar of the sea was like one .
ong roll of thunder. Then, all at :,
a dreadful sound ma am, in I
, night like that heard gun, and t
n minute more, another, and fell
lown on my knees and prayed for the .
Door wretches perishin' out there in 8
he storm. I couldn't abear to stay t
llone, so l put something aroud me q
md ran over throughthe dark to 'Bijah s
'orters. They were all up, and 'Bi- t
ah and Tom had just come up from $
he shore They couldn't Fmake out |
my thing, they said, and the sea run /
10 that therewas nothin' to do but G
yait for light. I
Toward mornn' the wind went
lown, and with the first streak of dawn /
We all went down to the beach.
There was a great crowd there already