Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-10-31

he came home again. And IL was SO
whenever he went, for they were
sweethearts from the time she nestled
her baby face on his breast, when he |
picked her up from the wreck. She
was sixteen when they were married,
so near as we could guess, and Hiram |
was a man of twenty four. Sne pray
ed him to stay home then, and he say
ed a year, but no fretted for the sea,
and went again, thinking, pspose, that
his wife would get used to it, as all
wives hereabouts must do. But sh
never did-never. 1t was just pitiiul
TO see her going about, white as
corpse, when Hiram was away, never
looking at the sea without shudder
like a death chill. All through the
war, and Pearl was just shadow when
he came home the last time
After the war?
Yes, sir; but he made no money oi
any account, and so he went again,
after staying home long spell. We'll,
| he never came back. ,Twasnt no
manner of use telling Pearl he ives
lost; she'd just shake her pretty head
and said: He'll come back. Not a
mite of mourning would she wear, even
after his own mother gave him up and
put on black; for, sir, it stands to reason
he's dead years ago.
1t looks so.'
of course it does. Nobody else
doubts it excepting Mrs. GOldby's last
words was: I'm going to meet Hiram,
and they say the dying knows. But
even that didn't make Pearl think so.
She wore mourning for her that had
| Ho arlt, Shn KnOUp6 M
but no weeds. Weeds was for widows,
she said, and she wasn't widow
! But the stonc?'
'Well, sir, Pm coming to that. A
year ago, sir, fine gentleman from
France came here hunting for chlld
lost on this coast. He'd heared OF
Pearl by happenstance, If there is
such, and came here. When he saw
1.-THE clothes, he jest tainted like Wo-
man.
She was related, then"
The strangers voice was husky, but
the sea air was growing chilly.
Her father, SIR
|; He took her away?
He tried to. He told her of splen'
, did home he had in New York, fol
he'd followed his wife and child, sir
to the city they had never reached. He
was rich, very 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 had she lived?'
Sewing, sir, mostly. The cottage
was old Mrs. Goldby's, and bless you
Pearl didn't eat more than bird, and
her dresses cost next TO nothing. Bu
: there's no denying she was very poor
very, and yet the grand home ano
big fortune never tempted her. So hel
father came of and on to see her unit
April. An be died, sir, an left our
Pearl all his fortune and the grand
house in New York. But she'll never
go, sir. She'll die here waitin' fol
2 Hiram, who'll never come
I he stranger lifted his face, that had
been half hidden in his hand, and said
There was a shipwreck in the Pa
cific ocean, Davy, years and years ago
land one man only was saved. Saved,
IDavy, by savages, who made him G
slave, The worst of slaves! But one
day this sailor saved the life Of the
chief and he released hin. More than
that, he gave him choice spices ano
woods, and sent him aboard the hrsl
passage ship. So the sailor-landed
in great city, sold nj:
presents, and put the gold
/, in safe keeping. Then he Travelled Till
he reached the seaport town where ne
was born, and coming there at sunset,
heard the story of his life from the lips
of man-cutting his tomb stone
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. Then, painting
d with exertion, he held out his Drawny
hand to the stranger-a stranger no
llonger. i've done no better work in
my life, Than I've done in the last
five minutes, Hiram. Go home, man.
and make PEARLS heart z lad
] sYou will prepare her, Davy!
She don't need it, Hiram-she don't
need it. You asked me about the
stone. The neighbors drove her to
orderiny it, twitting her that now she
rich she grudged the stone to her hus-
bands memory. She told me TO cut it,
but says: Don't put dead upon it,
Davy. Put lost at sea, for Hiram's lost
I but he'll be found and come back to
me- She never looked at 1t Hiram,
never. And there's not an hour, and
hasn't been in ten years, that she's not
looking for you to come back. 10 to
her. man. and the Lords blessing be
upon you both.'
SO, grasping the hand, brown hand,
Hiram G0ldby took the path to the
little white cottage where he was born,
forty>five years before. The sun had
set, aud darkness was gathering, but
little CLEAN of light streamed from the
window of his cottage. He drew near
softly, and standing on the seat in the
porch looked over tie curtain into the
neat but poor sitting room:
1t was not the grand house, Pearls
heritage In New York, but Pearl was
there. A slender little 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 plain dark one,
with white ruffs and apron. She had
been sewing, but her work was put
aside, and presently she came to the
open window and drew aside the cur
tain. She did not see the tall figure
drawn closely against the wall in the
porch, but her dark eyes looked mourn
fully toward the sea, glimmering in
the half light.
My darling!' she whispered. Are
you dead, and has your spirit come to
take mine where we will part no m ore?'
Only the wash of the waves below
answered her. Signing softly, she said:
Is it my darling? l feel MIN so near
to me | could almost grasp him.
She stretched her arms over the low
window sill, and a low voice answered
her: Pearl! Pearl!'
The arms that had so long gra5ped
onlp empty cir were filled then, as
Hiram stood under the low window.
DO not move, love- she whispered,
pressing her soft lips to his; L always
wake when you move
But now,' he said tenderly, 'you are
already awake. See, Pearl, your trust
7 t. Sc,