Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-01-27
LANCASTER. WISCONSIN. THURSDAY JANUARY a. 1876

! TOT when menLlOn nau Deen maze o.
helping her substantially, the widow
had drawn herself sharply up, all the
lady shining in her eye.
81 may have seen my best days,
she said, .'but | haven't come to tina;
yet. And if | needed my reward
I've had it now," she added, as she
felt tn" soft blood mantling in the
cheek lhat Bell had kissed.
Long after the two had left, Tom
went about with a cloud on his tace,
and in his ears were ringing those
hooking words "I'm in love with
Tom" A disgust for his fishing life
and for himself and for all their mis-
cradle surroundings of poverty filled
| the lads heart with an unwonted bit.
| terness.
"Mother," said he one day, as he
sat darkly brooding over the hearth,
''you said you were born lady; why
didn't you make a gentleman of me p
81 hadn't any money left when you
came," said the widow briefly
"Then it's money that makes peo-
pie gentlemen and ladies ?''
81 don't know" said the widow,
pazzled "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 hardy fellow at almost any
kind of sea craft, and would soon
make good seaman.
and you must just abide here pa
tientlY till | come back, mother !; for
if there's better days anywhere, I'll
bring 'em with me, be sure
After that the sea looked bluer and
colder than ever, and the solitary
woman lived a sort of hermit's life.
No CHEEKY voice of gossiplng neigh
Dor enlightened the dreary cabin, no
children prattled about her and only
Bell, the bright. blithe hearted lassie,
seemed TO remember to cheer her
with letter now and then. Bell was
away now visiting some distant friends,
but in 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 summer afternoon you
might have seen the widow sitting in
her doorway, eager and hollow eyed,
looking out for some possible ship
that might be Toms. Tom was not a
good correspondent, but occasionally
up at the little postoffice wander
ing 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 a
gentlemen, and oh, ..above all things,
Tom was coming home!
Not everyone watches in vain,
though we may not always be look
ing in the right direction. 1t was so
with the widow. AS she sat one day,
with staring eye, gazing on the far
off sun lit sails, and seeing how some
of them lowered nearer and nearer,
aud some, alas took wing farther
and farther away, the doorway dar-
kened suddenly there came rushing
upon her, as if dropped from the
clouds, plump, darkeyed, rosy cheek
ed lady, who flung herself into the
arms of the watcher, with a cry of Joy.
ooh, motherp she exclaimed, half
sobbing, hall laughing-'oh, mother !!
don't you know me ? Why, Pm Toms
wife, and I've brought the captain
with me ?
Mother said captain Tom, last
night, you've seen better days, per-
haps, bat never have
'For didn't l tell you,' said Mrs
Tom, archly, that | was in love with
Tom And father owns half his ship,
you know so if Toms captain, I'm
second mate, you see. And we'er
going to take you away to where we
found our better bays