The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1877-12-27

me, 80 he raid, and we went again TO-
gcthcr,
"TlIis voyage we lay n long time in
the brazilian port, and before we sailed
for home, another baby was IN my arms,
We called Pepita, after our dear old ship,
shin and IL was hard tO,'aay which the rail
ors petied the most, the ship or the baby.
can went well with IA until we were
within three days sail OF New York, and
then n terrible storm came on, II was
in the winter, aud tor eight long days
we tossed ut the mercy Of the tempest
II WA an awful time, ma'am. Charlie
didn't laugh then; and although nc
tried " speak cheerful words, ] could
zee he was almost wild with anxiety. ~
never forget that tire, when sat day
and night on the cabin floor, with MIN
ME c%Iinging to my dress and poor little
Pcpita in my arms, listening to the waves
crushing against the ship as II every mo-
ment must be our last. The sailors
would come down now and then Tor Il
drop Of hot coffee and to warm their
frozen fingers, for everything on deck
was covered with ice, They hadn't the
heart, poor fellows, to speak to the
children, and | saw more than one tear
on their rough cheeks when they locked
at them, and Pcpita would smile anc
stretch out her little hands in her UNI
conscious baby way.
bat God saved w after all. In the
evening of the eighth day the wind
changed, and we drifted into calmer
waters. # it hadn't been for the east
wind blowing, We might just ~ well
have drilted the other way, for the ship
was almost helpless, IT was about two
in the morning when Charlie rushed in
TO the cabin and almost carried me in his
arms 10 tie door. There | saw, CLEAN
ing through tho fog, two great shining
lights. They were like angels eyes look
ing from heaven TO me. Iyc passed
those Highland lights many a time since,
ma'am. Ivc secn them in soit summer
evenings and clear spring mornings, but
never zee them without my whole
heart going out in thanksgiving ana
praise, No one TO whom they have not
shone ~ they did to me that night can
know what they really mean, standing
there on the hcadland and pointing to
heaven.
"Well we Jaw the lights from other
vessels all around US, and at ~daybreak a
tug was alongsido taking ~ %forlorn,
nearly wrecked ship up the harbor, and
before night | laid Pcpita in my moth
cr's arms.
after that, Charlie wouldn't hear TO
my going TO sea again. lie said he could
bear anything il the children were not
suffering too; 10, for the sakc OF my little
ones, ! consented TO stay behind. Char
lie bought a little cottage on the Jersey
coast, where | could overlook the sea, and
| settled down quietly to take care OF the
children while he went his voyages.
ale kept on going to Brazil and back
for a n long time. Twice left the chill
dren with mOther-for she had come to
live with us in the c0ttagc-and went
with him, for it hurt me to pass all my
life away from Charities side. 50 every
thing went well with ~. We owned our
and a bit OF a garden, where
mother and Minnie used TO pass long
summer days wedding and watering and
the beds of peoples and mari
COLDS and astcr3-old fashioned flowers
such as mother loved. l'cpita WAS her
fathers own girl. She loved the SEA,
and would leave Minnie to take are OF
the garden, and 20 and sit for hours on
the beach watching the waves tumble in
among the stones and beat against the
foot Of the cliff. When Charlie came
home she was always the first to see him
far down the road, aud lll never forget
how her pretty face used to look ~ she
would come dancing up the garden path
pulling him with both hands, and he
laughing and calling her all manner Of
tender namcs
"Those were sunny days, ma'am, and
Pm sure there never was a happier fam
lily than tho one gathered round nj
little table while Charlie was at home.
owe had saved n good bit OF money,
too, for Charlie wasn't like some sailors,
who throw everything about when they
are ON shore. Every penny we could
spare he laid by for the little girls; Tor
they were always little girls TO him, and
a ways will be.
"But the day of anxiety was to come.
An opportunity was offered Charlie to
90 on II long voyage to the East indies.
The chance, ~ we looked at it, was too
good to be thrown away 80 he sold the
Pepita, which was getting to be an old
ship, and went Off as half owner of an
other bark, the Arago. 1t VIVA hard to
let him go for no long n time. South
America seemed like home, but the East
Indies was an unknown world. He was
80 full OF hope that he tried to so of in
his usual Jolly way, kissing Minnie and
telling he she would be II little woman
when he came back-she was fourteen
then-and promising Pepita no end Of
curious things from the foreign lands;
but there was a great heavines5 in my
heart, and when he came and put his
arm around me and said: Keep up
your courage, Maggie; ri 1901 be back
| couldn't look at him. | hid my face
in my hands and sobbed like a baby.
AIler no WINS gone We stttleu paCk
into the old ways; the children went to
school, and mother and | kept the house
tidy. But ! was uneasy | didn't dare
to say anything to trouble the girls, but
| never lay down at night without dream
ing OF shlpwrecks, and when the time
came round when we could expect news
from Charlie, it seemed AZ if my heart
would burst with anxiety. The news
never came. Day after day we waited,
and little by little II sad silence settled
downon our cottage. When word would
come of the arrival Of ships which sailed
long after Charles did, we would look
IN each others faces and never speak a
word, but each knew what sorrow was
in the Others heart. Only little Pepita
never gave up. 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
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