San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-12-21
81 do care was the grave reply; II


want very much to hear the story"
May be you're some kin to the Pearl
of Monkton--that's what they call Mrs.
Goldby hereabouts. It's matter OF
thirty-three years back, sir, that there
was wreck off Monkton rocks, that
you can SEQ from here, sir, now tides
low. Cruel rocks they are, and many
wreck they've seen; the more the pity.
You see them, sir?"
II see them
"Well sir, OF this one wreck, thirty
three years ago, there was nothing wash
ed ashore but bit Of girl baby, three
or four years old, with skin like lily
leaf and great black eyes; Hiram Gold
by found her down in the rocks. He
was boy Of twelve years, strong and
tall, and he carried the child in his arms
to his mother You may see the cottage,
sir-the second white one on the side of
the hill"
II see it"
"Well, Hiram took the baby there, an
Mrs. Colby was the same as a mother
to her-agood woman, the Widow Gold
by, God bless her soul!"
as she dead, them"
"Aye, sir, six years agone. The baby
was telling you Of, sir, talkeda foreign
lingo, and was dressed beautiful in rich
clothes, that must have cost q power of
money. But never would Hiram or the
widow sell them, putting them carefully
away, in case the child was ever looked
for. She was that pretty, and that dain-
ty that everybody called her Pearl,
though she was christened in the church,
Margaret, six months after Hiram found
her. Well, sir, we was as proud OF her,
though she was not like our girls; but
afraid, always deadly afraid of the sea.
I've seen her clench her mite of hand
and strike ut it, for she had q bit OF a
temper in her, though nothing to harm.
"When Hiram made his first voyage
for they were all seafearing here
abouts, and there was nothing for lad
to do but ship-the Pearl was just lit
tie washed out lily, fretting until he
came home again. And it was so when
ever 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 man of twenty
four. She prayed him to stay home
then, and he stayed q year; but he fret
ted for the sea, and went again, think
ing, s'pose, that his wife would get
used to it, as all wives hereabouts must
do. But she never did-never. 1t was
Just pitiful to see her going about, white
as corpse, when Hiram was away, never
looking ut the sea without shudder
like n death chill. All .through the war
it was just awful; for Hiram listed on
board man-o'war, and Pearl was just
shadow when he came home the last
time"
after the WARP"
"Yes, sir; but he made no money OF
any account, and 80 he went again, after
staying home long spell. Well, he
never came back. 'Twasnt no manner
of use a telling Pearl he was lost; shed
Just shake her pretty head and say:
He'll come back Not mite of mourn
ing 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.
at looks So"
"Of course it does. Nobody else
doubts it, excepting Mrs. Goldby. Old
Mrs. Goldby's last words were: I'm 60
ing to meet Hiram and they say the
dying know. But even that didn't make
Pearl think so. She wore mourning for
her that had been the only mother she
knowcd of, Int not weeds. Weeds was
for widows, she said, and she wasn't a
widow"
But the stonc?"
We'll, sir, I'm coming to that. A
year ago, a gentleman from France came
here hrnting for child lost on this
coast. He'd heard of Pearl by happy
instance, if there is such, and came here.