The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1878-10-11

mite of mourning would she wear, ever
after his own mother gave him up an(
went i'll black; for, sir, it stands to rea
son he's dead years ago.
''It looks So"
"Of course it does; nobody elst
doubts It but Mrs. Goldby. Old Mrs
Goldby's last words were-1'm goire
to meet Hiram, and they say the dyipl
know. But even then that didn'i
make Pearl think SO. She wore
mourning for her who had been the
only mother she knowed of, but moi
weeds. Weeds was for widows, sbe
said, and she wasn't a widow"
But the stone"
"Well, sir, Pm coming to that. A
year ago sir, foe gentleman from
France came here hunting for a child
lost on this coast. He'd beard of Pearl
by happen chances, if there is such,
and came here. When he saw the
clothes, he just tainted like a woman. "
''She was related then?n
The strangers voice was husky, but
the sea air was gro wing chill.
''Her father, SIR"
she took her away2'
"He tried to. He told her of a splen-
did home he had in New York, for he'd
followed his wife and child, sir, to the
city they had never reached. He was
rich and lonely. He begged his child
to go, but she would not. Hiram will
come here for me- she said, and he
must find ME where he left me-
'On what has she lived9'
Sewing, sir, mostly. The cottage
was old Mrs. Goldby's. and bless you,
Pearl did not eat much more than a
bird, aud her dresses cost nothing.
But there's no denying she was very
poor-very, and yet the grand home
and big fortune meyer tempted her.
So her father came off and on to see
her, until April. An he died sir, and
left our Pearl all his fortune aud the
grand house in New York. But she'll
not 60, sir; she'll die here, waiting for
Hiram, who'll never come"
The stranger lifted his face that had
been half hidden in his hand and said t:
"There was shipwreck in the Pa
cific Ocean. Davy. years and years ago,
and one man only was saved-saved,
Davy, by savages who made him a
slave, the worst of slaves But one day
this sailor saved the life of the chiefs
daughter, who was in the coils of a
huge snake, and the chief released him.
More than that, he gave him choice
spices and woods, and sent him aboard
the first passing ship. So the sailor
landed in a great city, sold his presents
and put the gold in safe keeping. Then
he travelled till he reached the seaport
town where he was born, and coming
there at sunset, heard the story of his
life from the lips of man cutting his
tombstone"
Not word spoke Davy. Standing
erect, he seized an immense sledge
hammer, and with powerful blows
from strong uplifted arms. dashed the
marble into fragments. The ], painting
with exertion, he held out his brawny
hands to the stranger-a stranger no
longer.
'T' We done no better work in my
life, than I've done in the last five
minutes, Hiram. Go hoIe, man, and
make PeBrl's heart glad. She don't
need it, Hiram she don't need it.
You asked me about the stone. The
neighbors drove her to ordering it,
twitting her that now she was rich.
she grudged the stone to her husbands
memory. So she told me to cut it, but
says, Don't put dead upon it, Davy-
put lost at sea, for Hiram's is lost, but
he'll be found and come back to me.
She never looked at it Hiram, never.
And there's not AZ hour, nor hasn't
been for ten years, that she hasn't
been looking for you to come back.
Go to her, man, and the Lords bless
ing be upon both of you."
So, grasping the hard. brown hand,
Hiram Goldby took the path to the
little white cottage where he had been
born forty-five years before. The sun
had set and the darkness was gathering,
but little gleam of light streamed
from the window of she cottage. He
drew near softly, and standing on the
seat of the porch, looked over the hall
curtain into the neat but poor sitting
room.
1t was not the grand house, PEARLS
heritage in New York, but Pearl her.
self, was there. A slender woman,
with pale, sweet face, and black hair
smoothly banded and gathered into
rich braids at the back of her shapely
head. Her dress was a plain dark one,
with white ruffles cuffs and an apron.
She had been sewing, but her work
was put aside, and presently she came
to the open window and drew aside
the curtain. She did not see the tall fig.
ure drawn closely against the wall in the
narrow porch, but her dark eyes looked
mournfully toward the sea, glimmering
in the half light.
''My dar:ingl" she whispered, ''are
you dead, and has your spirit come to
take mine where we shall part no
moref
Only the wash of the wave below