The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-02-09

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| could look back and remember the time
when she was young and confiding and
| innocent, and when the sight of Ben
Barton coming to her fathers cottage OF
a summer night, after work was done,
had made her young heart light and hap.
by; she could remember the time when
Ben. had first kissed her, and whispered
that he loved her better than all the
world; and when she thought how very,
very early he must love her, for that
world seemed glorited to her noW--the
world that held Ben.
She could remember how all the little
community had talked Of her and him,
and how the girls joked with her about
him, and how her father told her one
night that if he had picked out man tol
her, it should have been Ben, for truer
and braver lad never lived. And oh, how
happy sne was: never happier than when
he was with her, and father smoking his
pipe and doing beyond hearing; but
then she remembered the time when Til
ly Conder-( she that had been to sery.
ice in the town, but who on her mothers
death came home to her inther, old Jack,
the pilot), entered on their life, and
when Ben was often seen with her. Polly
had said fu word TO him about II, but
somehow or other something seemed to
go out of her lite, and then one awful
stormy night they brought her father
home-dead. He had helped to save
| some poor fellows wrecked and had been
drowned in his bravery.
Then it seemed to Polly that the world
had slipped away from under her feet
and one time. month from her fathers
death, she saw Ben and lilly pass her
house, laughing and joking, Polly IN grief
and loneliness, and Ben happy and care
less. She could remember how she rose
up before him.
"Go your way" she said, ''leave me
here by myself. You never loved nc
you less true"
| Then came the time when Ben Barton
and lilly Conder were married.
That day Polly took he little trinkets
and ornaments she possessed, and tying
them i'll little bundle, jumped into one
OF the boats always lying around there,
and rowed out as far as she could,
dropped her pretty little adornmenls in
to little inlet, by rock, in deep water.
and so came home and made her cottage
neat, and sat down in the doorway to
knit, as the SUNSET iiamed red over the
sea and died in the waves.
| Can it be said that she did not love
him?
No! No! For she did, madly, passion
ately, but he had never loved her rightly,
and She saw that.
All, well! that was fifteen long years
ago, and to-day Ben's little boy is run
ming about the beach, wild and reckless
as every tisherman's boy was.
A heavy sky all around, and a low,
| horrible moan III the waves as they roll
up to the shore. The men do not 20 out
| to-day, for, say they, a storm is brewing.
But what cares Ben Burton's boy as he
runs knee-ueep into the water, and waits
for breaker, and when he sees it COM
ing, rushes in before it, laughing that it
can not catch him. He soon tires of this
and wonders what he shall do next, till
looking around, he spies the boat fretting
against the sandy ground, for some crazy
old things have been lett tied TO their
stakes, as being almost too worthless to
care iof. But Ben. Barton's boy cares
tor them, SO looking cautiously around,
into one of them be jumps, and nightly
he enjoys the iun OF swinging in and out
with The motion Of the water. But the
rope that holds it is weak, and Tilly Bar
ton, hearing the wind raising, and the
lashing sea, comes to her door and be-
holds her boy atioat upon the water, tor
the rope has broken and the boat is being
sucked out to the hungry ocean.
Oh, Heaven! the shrek she gave.
Tearing up and down the beach she
calls the men and women around her,
but the storm has broken over them, and
who can put to sea in such weather?
Ben rusnes to his boat, gets into it,
only to go few yards and be beaten in,
half drowned. The men bring ropes and
cry out above the noise of the storm, TO
no purpose. They can see the boat far
off, anchored into little inlet by rock,
but the next wave may lift him from his
irail support and hurl him to death.
Polly comes to her door aid calls to
the half frantic women who are looking
over the seethlns Waters, "Whats the
matterW
"Oh, Ben Barton's little boy! lilly
Barton's youngest child! is all she
hears, and then looking with the rest,
she secs it all, and knows the little inlet
by the rock, where she'went fifteen years
ago, on Ben Barton's wedding day.
With strange look in her face, she
pulls off her shawl, and going to her
boat, uniastens it IRON its steeple, and
calls to the men, "Give Inc a shove,
boys!" and leaps in. They run to her,
but they can mot make her understand
how fruitless and dangerous is her un.
dertaking. 81 know what am doing"
she says. "Will you be pleased to give
HE u SDOfct' Anu lnSu lucse rough
men, seeing something in her face that
takes no denial, help her from the shore
as far as they can. And some try to go
with her, ashamed to let woman do
what they dare not, but she tells them to
20 back to their families, and she goes
out. Madly, awfully she goes out, facing
the cutting sleet, toward the little inlet
~ the rock, where the little child is still
held in.
She nears him and hears him crying.
Those on shore hold their breath, and
some are hiding their eyes, but nearer
and nearer Polly comes to the little boy,
till they see her close to him; see him
lump into her arms, and lay frightened
on her breast, and then she holds up one
hand, and they see, oh God! that she has
lost one oar. Although oars are of small
account in sucha storm, yet they might
do something.
Wild beats the storm, and the ocean
trembles in its intensity, and that woman
all alone fights bravely and firmly with
the tempest. They see the boat growing
larger, and nearing them slowly and
wearily, to be often hurled back and then
to come creeping slowly over the white
capped waves. Slowly but surely she
nears the beach. and the men rush with
lines out into the water. Even tears are
in these strong mems eyes as they throw
rope to Polly, who catches and ties it