Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-12-19

and never speak word, but each knew
what sorrow was in the others heart
Only little Pepita never gave it up.
I" My father will come back; my father
will come back" she used to say, until
| couldn't bear to hear her, because
couldn't believe it; and when she used
to stand for hours, shading her eyes
with her hand and gazing off over the
water, it drove me almost wild, because
| knew what she was watching for.
A summer and winter and another
summer had passed since Charlie went
away, and when Christmas came round
again | laid my poor mother in the
church5 I'D, and came back alone with
my children to the cottage.
''How I got through the next year,
ma'am, [ can never tell. AS l look
back it appears like an awful dream,
but [ do remember the Christmas eve
the third without Charlie Minnie
Pepita and sat huddled round the fire
talking in low tones about our lost for
we could bear now to speak of him
sometimes, and it soothed me to hear
the children talk and to see how much
they loved him. Pepita tried that
night to sing one of the sailor songs he
had taught her, but she couldn't do
that. Her voice broke down, and we
couldn't one of us speak another word.
"It was sad Christmas eve, ma am, -
the first one when all hope had really
gone out, and when | lay down to sleep
that night felt that, except must live
for the children's sake, it would be such
a blessing to die.
"Christmas morning was very clear,
and I remember how the sunlight danced
in our little kitchen. It fell like bless
ing on Minnie's pretty hair, making it
sparkle like gold, and reflected on the
picture Of Charles ship,-not the lost
one, but the dear old Pepita-which
hung on the wall.
"The table was spread, and we sat
down to our sad repAst. Minnie folded
her hands to say grace, when = oh,
ma am, | can hardly tell you about it,
even after all these years = Pepita
screamed like one mad with JOY. /
sprung to my feet [ couldn't tell what
had happened to me. | saw looking in
at the -Charlie-Charlie alive
and we'll
:" [ don't know how it all was I know
couldn't move. | saw as in dream
Charlie in the room and Pepita's arms
around his neck then | fell on his
shoulder like one dead.
"There are not words to tell you,
ma'am, of the JOY and happiness we
knew in our little cottage that Christmas
day. We couldn't realize it ourselves
L didn't dare to take my eyes from
Charlie for moment, lest | should
look back and find him gone. Minnie
and Pepita both sat cinging to him.
He had a long story to tell us of ship
wreck upon shipwreck, of long waiting
upon lonely islands, watching month
after month for sails which seemed
never to come = adventures through
which many a poor sailor had passed.
come back TO tell the story as Charlie
did.
"That night, sitting by the fire after
the children had left us alone, / made
Charlie promise me that he would never
leave me again. but would give UP the
sea and stay with us in the cottage
Il didn't realize till long afterward
how hard it had been for him to prom
Use me that. Ihad come to have such
a terror of the sea that I couldn't real
ize how sailors heart delighted in
it. When years had passed, and Min
ME and Pepita had both married and
left us alone, l began to feel how hun
cry Charlie was for the life he had loved
so much. He used to spend his time
wandering about the docks and going
on board the ships in from some foreign
ports ; and sometimes he would sit on
the cliffs for hours with his spyglass,
watching the passing vessels, and more
than once I heard hun sigh as if his
neart was bursting; but 1 would never
listen when he spoke of going to sea
again, until at last his health began
to fail, and it seemed there was moth
ing for him but to return to his old life
or die.
"But [ couldn't bear to let him go
alone, and he couldn't bear to leave me
behind. We were both too old to begin
life over in the long trading voyages :;
and as Charlie had the offer of the
place of first mate on this ship-the
captain is an old friend of his, ma'am-
L SOu tlIC O1Go1LlOiI OUtWtti ucOS, dIlu lOI
three years Charlie and I have been
travelling back and forth together, and
we will continue to do it as long as God
gives Us health and strength to bear the
journey
The old lady stopped and looked hest
tatlngly at me and at some other pas
sengers who had gathered near to listen,
as if she feared we were wearied by her
long family history.
[ fastened to reassure her by thanks
for the pleasant way she had enter
tanned us during the long Christmas eve
at sea.
"And SO Charley is really on board
with your | said
90 Oh, yes, ma'am," she replied, smil-
ing. Il would not be here without
him. Did you mind the man who was
speaking to me at the cabin door to-
nlght-the tall, stout man with a gray
beard? Yes. you saw him, did you +?
That was Charlie"
He Was That Way.
A lonesome boy Of nine yesterday sat