The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-10-26
HIRAM COLBY,
Agef@,

LOST At SEA, JANUARY, 1855.
The last six was nearly completed. A
strange pallor gathered for a moment upon
the strangers face, and-then he drew q
long, deep breath, and said: III.
SIS not ten years long time 70 be cut
ting letters on tombstone, triendT
"Eh, sir" ~ ~.
The stone-cutter looked, shaded his eyes
with his brown hand, ss he turned his lace
to the setting sun. s.s ~
iSThisis 1879, j" was the grave reply, .and
Hiram Colby has been ten years under
the waves"
"well, sir, that's the question-is he
as he there? Your stone tells us he is
and has been for ten years" =,
.sYes sir, so il does so It does. And
vet she has ordered it. She came over 0
week or so back with 4 worried look on
her sweet face that have never seen any
thing Int patience in the ten long years,
and she said to me: You may cuta stone,
Davv.' she says, and put it up in the
chufchyard, and / don't want 10 see Il ~
nav YOU W hatever you choose to ash. DaVy,
She saws. hut. he's not dead, and don't
want n tombstone Tor, mum, says l,
he'd a turned up all these years il ne was
not dead.' But she shook her pretty head,
the prettiest | ever seen, sir, and said she:
NV heart never told me that he was dead,
Dayy, and III never believe it till my
heart tells me so.
Ills sweetheart?n questioned the stran-
ger. ..:,L.,, ,,,;,a
that's had property, and loneliness and
misery, herfu share, and might ha' Bet
tered herself"
"How was that?"
AIR Miles. sir, the richest shop-owner
hereabouts, he waited patiently Tor ssven
long years, irving to win her: Then ne
said that she was free even II Hiram came
"Enoch Arden" muttered the stranger.
what did you say, sirg ,a'E Z -,
"Nothing. nothing. What answer did
the widow make, Mr.. MilesT
IIIf Hiram's dead, said she, I'm his
faithful wife Maybe you are from the
city. sir, and have heard the story OF our
pcarl? -, Ir
"What story is that" har Z.
aWell sir. It's been told many times
more particularly in the last yea, but your
Telcome TO what r know OF it There,
that an il done, and I'll leave the Scrip
inre text till morning. II you'll come TO
Tho yateway and take seat onsome OF the
stones, I'll tell you, that IS ii you care 10
hear it. -, ar
want very much to hear the story !,
aIaybe your some kin to the Pearl OF
what they call alrs. Gol'
hy kereabouts. It's matter OF thirty
three years back, sir, that there was
wreck off Monkton rocks, that you can
see from here, sir, now tides low. Cruel
roc%.s thew are, and many wrecks they We
seeu. the more the pity. You see them'
sir?'
"W T sir, with this one wreck, thirty
three wears ago, there was nothing wash
ed ashore but a bit of girl.baby three Or
fonr wears old, with skin like lily Leaf,
and great black eyes. Hiram Goldoy
found her on the rocks. He was q boy OF
trelve wears. strong and tall, and he ear
RED the child in his arms 70 ms Hotnet;
You may see the cottage, SIR, tne seconu
white one on the side OF the hill.
! well. Hiram took the baby there, and
Mrs, Colby was the same as mother 70
TIA good woman, God bless her soul-the
Widow Goldby.n
ais she dead, them
ave, sir, six years agone. The baby
was telling you OF, sir, talked q foreign lin
on and was dressed beautiful In rich
Clothes, that must have cost power OF
money, But never would Hiram or the
widow sell them, putting them up caretul-
" IN case the child was ever looked ior.
She was that pretty, sir, and that dainty,
that everybody called her Pearl, though
she was not like our girls, but afraid, al
wayS deadly afraid Of the sea. | have seen
her clench her mite OF hand and strike
at il. for she had q bit OF temper In her,
though nothing TO harm.
> "When Hiram made his tirst voyage, lor
thew were all seataring men herea6onts,
and there was nothing for . lad to do but
ship, the Pearl was Just little washed out
I'M. q fretting until he came home again.
And Il was so whenever he went, FOR they
we're sweetheaFts from the first time ne
nestled her baby face on his breast, when
he picked her up from the wreck. She
was sixteen when they were married rs
near rs we could guess; Hiram was man
Of twenty.tour. She prayed HIM to stay at
home then, aud he stayed year, but he
fretted for the sea, and he went again,
thinking, I s'pose, that his wife would get
nsed TO Il. as well as all the wives here
abouts must do. But she never did-ney.
er, Il was Just pitiable to see her going
about, white as q corpse when Hiram went
away. never looking ut the sea without ?
shudder ike death chill. All through
he war Il was Just awful, for Hiram enlist
ed on board man-o.war, and Pearl was
Just 4 shadow when be came home the
last time"
"After the war"
Yes, sir; but he made no money Of any