Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-01-12

kiss the beautiful rosy lips that pro-
"Weu, my DEAR" said the old gen.
tleman, good humoredly pinching the
plump cheek, ''she has done it very
thoroughly. You certainly don't look
very near death just now. '' e'a .0'
Whereat the story, with due enlarge
nent and variation, was told him with
pretty pout. u.H IA III.
The father smiled, but also he FUR
lively wiped away tear. jH7'2t''1s 'i.71 +
SWELL, madam" said he courteously,
''accept my cordial thanks for looking
after my little madcap Belle. She's my
only child, you see, and as full of
FRANKS as any Dozen"
Belle playfully put her hand over his
mouth. 81 won't have my character
traduced where they've been so good to
me-" she cried. 'And oh, father; isn't
this beautiful place-such a view of
the water I mean to come down here
every day and do my sketching."
s'I'm afraid" said the sire, shaking
his head, s'that this good lady will have
cause to wish she had thrown you over
board
"Oh, no, father she likes me and
like her. And I've fallen in love with
Tom long ago, you know"
Tom blushed painfully. Something
strange and new stirred in his mind.
Compliments did not sweeten his
thoughts as they did his mothers, for
Tom had never seen better days, an
felt as if he were being made jest of,
A week passed, during which the
young girl strolled almost daily to the
cabin. When she was there Tom sell,
dom entered the house. He had grown
shy and sulky; he sat on the shore
darkly brooding, or went off silently to
his fishing.
One morning Belle and her father
departed. Belle kissed the withered
cheek of her friend, and that was ALL
For when mention had been made of
helping her substantially, the widow
had drawn herself sharply up, all the
lady shining in her eye.
81 may have see n my best days." she
said, "but haven't come to that yet.
And if I needed any reward, I've had it
now" she added, as she felt the soft
blood mantling in the cheek that Belle
had kissed.
Long after the two had left, Tom
went about with cloud on his face,
and in his ears were ringing those mock
ing woros: "I'm in love with Tom.
A disgust for his fishing life and for
himself and Tor all their miserable sur
roundings of poverty filed the lads
heart with an unwonted bitterness. |
"Mother," said he one day, as he sat
darkly brooding over the hearth, "you
said you were born lady; why didn't
you make gentleman of me p
CT hadn't any money left when you
came" said the widow briefly.
Then it's money that makes people
gentlemen and ladies 2"
s'I don't know" said the widow, puz-
zled; "they somehow mostly have it"
One day Tom came and told her he
was going to sea. There had been a
man down looking for hands, and he
had taken Tom gladly, for Tom was a
handy fellow at almost any kind Of sea
craft, and would soon make good sea-
man.
''And you must just bide here pa
tiently till / come back, mother; for if
there's better days anywhere, I'll bring
EN- with me, be sure"
After that the sea looked bluer and
colder than ever, and the solitary wo-
man lived sort of hermit's life. No
CHEEKY voice of gossiping neighbor
lightened the dreary cabin, no children
prattled about her; and only Belle, the
bright, blithe hearted lassie, seemed to
remember to cheer her with letter now
nd oil 10 40 ~ Sr1k1
some distant friends, but III her kindly
heart she kept corner, it seemed, for
the poor old woman who had saved her
life.
Three years-four-passed away, and
daily of a summer afternoon you might
have seen the widow sitting in her
doorway, eager and hollow eyed, look
ing ont for some possible ship that
might ne Tom s. Tom was not a good
correspondent, but occasionally up at
the little postofice a wandering epistle
waited her trembling hand. She was
growing very old and feeble now; but
Tom was getting up in the world Tom
was first mate of his ship, Tom was
success, Tom was q gentleman, and oh,
above all things, Tom was coming
Not everyone watches in vain, though
we may not always be looking in the
right direction. It g was SO with the
widow. AS she sat one day, with strain
ing eye, gazing on the far-off sun-lit
sails, and seeing how some of them no.
vered nearer and nearer, and some,
alas !! took wing farther and farther
away, the doorway darkened suddenly;
there came rushing upon her, as if
dropped from the clouds, plump,
dark-eyed, rcsy-cheeked lady, who
flung herself into the arms of the watch
er,. with cry of Joy.
49, f'Oh, mother r she exclaimed, half
sobbing, half laughing-S'oh, mother
don't YOU knowsme?. Why. / m Toms
wife, and I've brought the captain with
me ?"
Mother said Captain Tom, last
night, you've seen better days, per-
haps. but / never have"
''For didn't I tell you," said Mrs.
Tom, archly, that I was in love with
Tom? And father owns half his ship,
you know; SO if TOMS captain. I'm
cocOr0 M afa voT7 cnn And w o,ro uOiuo