The daily gazette., 1877-07-11
The Fisherman's Story.


years without care, now grew IN a
wild and Struggling fashion over the |
walls.
3 Once passing him, he looked up with a
smile aud sallor-like bow, and 1 spoke |
to him.
''You are looking at the sea-" said,
"Do you see any signs Of change of wea-
thei? No doubt you can read them better
than most people. | have heard that
sailors always can"
He smiled again and nodded.
'Aye, aye, ma'am," be said. "No
doubt there'll be storm, but | warh't
thinking of the weather. I've way of
watching the sea, habit, that's all,
perhaps you expect something of it?"
l said. IL, sighed aud shook his head
again.
"No, ma'am," he said. 81 expect the
sea has brought me all itever will. Ned
was drowned, and Dan hasn't been heard
of fol five years; the other boys are dead.
Middle-aged men when they went. And
Rose, you didn't know Rose, na'am.-
No. no, nor Nellie, my wife. But as
sit here watching the sea, it seems only
little while since was young sea-
faring fellow, coming home from my
long voyages and with birds and shells
and comical foreign things for her,
Coming home to marry her at last, and
live here just by this shore, with babies
one after the other climbing my knees
and l turned fisherman and stayed at
home.
''But 1t all comes back as talk. I've
had good luck along the shore, and
bought this home, and think I'm as
happy a man as lives, with such wife
anil boys like those and home for them
and no fear of poverty; but one after
the other they sail away, this one to
the east, that one to tile south and
Ned is dead-and we don't know whether
Rob is living or not; and there are
only the wife and me at home with little
Rose. Rose was Ned's cLild; we've taken
her
eyes, years and years ago. Years and
| years-then | was a man, with gray
beard, and Nell was an elderly woman;
and we'd sit and talk over the boys-and
Rose was our great comfort. Oh! but
she was pretty pretty and sweet and
good.
"And so she grew up. We had her
taught, and we dressed her we'll. We
were rich enough to do that for Ned's
girl--poor Ned's little girl-and she
loved us, and we thought as she grew
older, that may be she'd mary as one
might say, above her station; for there
was the minister's son, fine young man
in love with her; and his parents willing
because our girl was as sweet and fine as
any lady in the land, and well taught,
too; and for her good we rather laid COM
mands OH the child to say Yes when
she was asked.
| "I wish we hadn't. / wish we hadn't.
May be she might have told us more OF
what went on.
ait was no harm at first, only Young
| fellow who came to fish by the sea, and
where, and SO they grew acquainted.
But she, having said yes to the minis
ter's son, was afraid of being scolded,
| and she met the young man without our
knowledge; and the young heart is hard
to train, and if love and duty don't go
| together, God help any girl. How he
did it we never knew, but one day we
could not find Rose. We thought some
terrible accident had happened to her,
and we searched the country through,
and all who knew us helped us, but in
| vain; for in few days there came boy,
who said lady had given him letter
for us; and it was from Rose.
"tGRANDMoTHER AND GRANDFATHER
DEAR,-she wrote-I've done a wrong
thing g-Pve gone off to be married. l
was engaged to Mr.. Glenn, / know, but
[ did not love him, and do love Arthur.
| When came back you'll have to forgive
me, for there'll be no help, and Mr.. Glenn
| will have another wife better than L. He
| l., |
please him, and you will like Arthur
He SAYS his mother will like me, and we
shall be married at her house. And oh,
you must forgive your own love, who al
ways loves YOU
"That Is what she wrote to us.
"The grandmother cried and said:
"'Perhaps it would all be well, but
knew men better than she.
81 did not expect the girl back as she
did, and was right. Days passed and
weeks and years. She never came.
Nellie hoped for long while; when she
gave up hoping, her heart broke. She
died. and l was alone. The boys were
far away or dead. l sat by the house
door, as l do now, an old man, with
white hair, whose work was over, but
watched the sea. 1t seemed to me that il
would bring me something one day, ant
so 1t did.
"Over there, sir, where you see some
thing black rise, like great dolphint
back above the water, are dreadful rocks
on which many good ship has gone to
pieces. I've seen more than one wreck
ed there in my time; and there, ,one night
great French steamer was In such
plight, that every sailor knew there wa
no hope for her. Perhaps some of th'
poor souls on board her could be saved
but no one could tell certainly. There
was a terrible storm, and very few boat
could live in such sea. However, as
n said, they did the best they could al
e through that dreadful night, and whel
$ day broke they had saved some; but man.
, a dead body lay along the beach, and
j walked there, looking at them, and think
ing of Ned and Ben both drowned "A
these poor sailors were when l com
Z upon woman's body lying on its side.
cit was a young woman, aud her hal
4 was long and black, and somehow he
y hands were folded together under he
cheek, as if she had been sleeping.
y looked and looked, and the more l look
ed the more felt that the face was lik
: one knew; and suddenly it all cam
= back. The dead woman looked lilI
d Rose, and suddenly the truth came
e ,oos Rose. And cried out and the pee
= pie gathered about me. L was tremblin
| q Iar IL hi1t II mo N.