The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-09-26

from the first time he nestled her baby
face on her breast, when he picked her
ND from the wreck. She was sixteen
when they were married, as near as we
could guess; Hiram was a man of
twentyfour. She prayed him stay at
home then, and he stayed year, but he
fretted for the sea, and he went again, |
thinking, / s'pose, that his wife would |
get used to it, as well as all wives here |
abouts must do. But she never did
never 1t was Just pit1able to see her |
go about, white as a corpse, when Hiram
went away, never looking at the sea
without shudder like a death chill.
All through the war it was just awful,
for Hiram enlisted on board man-o'-
war, and Pearl was just a shadow when
he came home the last time"
"Aftet the warp
Yes, sir; but he made no money of
any account, and so went away again,
after staying at home a long spell.
| Well, he never came back. 'Twasn't
no manner of use telling Pearl he was
lost; she'd just shake her pretty head
and say: He'll come back Not
mite of mourning would she wear, even
after his own mother gave him up and
went in black; for, sir, it stands to rea-
son he's dead years ago."
" 1t looks So"
"Of course it does; nobody else
doubts it but Mrs. Goldby. Old Mrs.
Goldby's last words we're Pm going
to meet Hiram and they say the dying
know. But even then that didn't make
Pearl think so. = She wore mourning for
her who had been the only mother she
knowed of, but not weeds. Weeds was
for widows, she said, and she wasn't
| widow"
"But the stone"
Well, sir, I'm coming to that. A
year ago sir, a fine gentleman from
France came here hunting for child
lost on this coast He'd heard of Pearl
by happen-chances, if there is such, and
came here. When he saw the clothes,
he Just tainted like woman"
"She was related, thenF'
The strangers voice was husky, but
the sea air was growing chill.
"Eer father, sir" ...r.-
He took her away?"
He tried to. He told her of 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 wonld not. Hiram will
come here for me- she said, and he
must find me where he left me- ,"
"Oh what has she livedp'
"Sewing, sir, mostly The cottage
was old Mrs Goldby's, and bless you
Pearl did not eat much more than 6
bird, and her dresses cost next to moth
: ing. But there's no denying she wa
] very poor-very, and yet the grant
2 home and big fortune never tempted her
! So her father came off and on to see her
:, until April. An he died, sir, and lef
4 our Pearl all his fortune and the grano
s house in New York. But she'll not 60
t sir; she'll die here, waiting for Hiram
: who'll never come"
= The stranger lifted his face that hat
t been half hidden in his hand and said
: "There was shipwreck in the Pacif
:, Ocean, Davy, years and years ago, ant
/: one man only was saved--saved, Davy
by savages who made him a slave, tn
worst of slavesl But one day this sailo
saved the life of the chiefs daughter
who was in the coils of huge snake
, and the chief released him. More thai
= that, he gave him choice spices ant
y woods, and sent him abroad the frs
. passing ship. So the sailor landed in
- great city, sold his presents and put tn
:, gold in safe keeping. Then he travele'
till he reached the seaport town wher
l. he was born, and coming there at sunset
i heard the story of his life from the lip
= of man cutting his tombstone"
Not word spoke Davy. Standin
!, erect, be seized an immense sledge ham
70 mer, and with powerful blows fro1
- strong, uplifted arms, dashed the MAJ
y BILE into fragments. Then, pantin
- with exertion, he held out his Drawn
y hands to the stranger stranger n
4 longer. ~
- "Tve done no better work in my lif,
I than I've done in the last five minute
- Hiram. Go home, man, and max
- Pearls heart glad. She don't need i
-, Hiram-she don't need it. You aske
4 me about the stone. The neighbol
- drove her to ordering it, twitting HI
~ that now she was rich, she grudged tt
- stone to her husbands memory. s
= she told me to cut it, but says, Don
y, put dead upon it. Davy-put lost at Sc:
a. a for Hiram's lost, but he'll be found al
.S ..s come back to me- She never looked
y it Hiram, never. And there's not 6
~ hour, nor hasn't been for ten years, th
- she hasn't been looking for you to con
- back. Go to her, man, and the LORD
be blessing be upon both of you.'''
: So, grasping the hard. brown han
ri Hiram Goldby took the path to the lit
,sa white cottage where he had been bo
IL forty-fve years before. The sun h
~ set and the darkness swas gathering, b
little CLEAN of light streamed from t
or window Of his cottage. He drew ne
s. OBJ 4l,>< ,G
bo porch, looked over the hall curtain in
~ the neat but poor sitting-room. @
u" 1t was not the grand house, Pear
N. heritage in New York, but Pearl hers
'H was there. A slender woman, with
pale, sweet face, and black hair smooth
var banded and gathered into rich braids
'1Vi the back of her shapely head. II
h;s dress was plain dark one, with VIII
c+oo ora ruf1es, cuffs and an apron.
If She had been sewing, but her swo
was put aside, and presently she Cal
to the open window and drew aside
oes curtain. She did not see the tall fgl
INF drawn closely against the wall in
# narrow porch, but her dark eyes look
ave mournfully toward the sea, glimmeri
IF in the half light. g
!, a "My darlingp' she whispered, "s
ou, you dead, and has your spirit come
i take mine where we shall part no more
"I Only the wash of the wave bel
answered her. Signing softly, she sa
the ais my darling coming? feel b
call SO near to me, could almost gr,
tier him." - <.- -.,......
hat She stretched out her arms over
ks, low window-sill, and low voice
low swered her: Pearl! Pearl!'
and The arms that had SO long grasl
lore only empty air, were filled then,
Hiram stood under the low window.
''Do not move, love-" she whisper
rty- pressing her soft lips to his: :" I alw
ling wake when you move.
aby But now," he said, "you are
Il l.