Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1878-09-26

| nOluef sue knOWeQH OF, out not WeeQ'
Weeds was for widows, she said, and sh
wasn't q widow ia l.. sgg-.ss .. ..
! "But the stonea'' T '.zs'' ~ f fsr
Z "Well, sir, I'm coming to that. A yes
| ago, sir, a fine gentleman from Franc
came here hunting, for child, lost o
this coast He'd heard of Pearl by hal
pen chances, If there is such, and cam
here. When he saw the clothes, he jul
tainted like q woman.''t !. srFz.s5s
s3sShe was related, then2"
The strangers voice was husky, but th
sea air was growing chill.
"Her father, sir.D = -
Gle took her away2" 49,
.s"He tried to. He tod her ola splend
ed home he had in New York, for he
| followed his wife and child, SIR, to th
| city they had never reached. Il He wa
rich and lonely. He begged his child t
90, but she would not. Hiram will com
here tor me- she said, ssand he must Tin,
me where he left mel = ~ =:
"On what has she lived9"
"Sewing, sir, mostly. The cottage wa
old Mrs. Goldby's, and bless you, Pear
did not eat much more than bird, ant
her dresses cost next to nothing. Blu
there's no denying she was very poor
very, and yet the grand home and big for
tune never tempted her. So her fathe
came on and on to see her, until April
An he died, sir, and left our Pearl all III,
fortune and the grand house in New
York. But she'll not 60, sir, she'll dit
mere, waiting for Hiram, who'll never
come"
The stranger lifted his face that had
: been half hidden in his hand and said
There was shipwreck in the Pacific
Ocean, Davy, years and years ago, and
one Elan was saved-saved, Davv, by say.
ages who made hin a slave, the worst Of
slaves! But one day this sailor saved the
life of the chiefs daughter, who was in
the coils of hugh snake, and the chief re
leased him. More than that he gave him
choice spices and woods and sent him
aboard the first passing ship. SO the sal
lor landed in a great city, sold his pres
ents and put the gold in safe keeping
Then he travelled till he reached the sea.
port town where he was born. and CON-
ing there at sunset, heard the story Of
his life from the lips of a man cutting his
tombstone
Not word spoke Davy. Standing
erect, he siezed an immense sledge ham.
mer, and with powerful blows from strong
uplifted arm, dashed the arble into
fragments. Then, painting. with exertion
he held out his brawny hand to the stran.
ger-a stranger no longer.
1--WE done no etter work in nv life
than I've done in the last five minutes
Hiram. Go home, man, and make Pearls
heart glad. She don't need it, Hiram
she don't need it. You asked me about
the stone. TIE neighbors drove her t.
ordering it, twitting her that now she wa.
rich, she grudged the stone to bel
husbands memory. So she told me t.
cut it, but says, Don't put dead upon it
Davy-put lost at sea; for Hiram's lost
but he'll be found and come back to me.
Sue never looked at it, Hiram, never. Anc
there's not an hour, nor hasn't been tel
ten: years, that she hasn't been looking TO
you to come back. Go to her, man, anc
the Lords blessing be upon both of you
So, grasping the hard, brown nand
Hiram Colby took the path to the littl'
white cottage where lie had been borl
forty five years before. The sun had Sc
and the darkness was gathering, but {
little CLEAN of light streamed from tn
window Of his cottage. He drew nea
softly, and standing on the seat of tn,
poarch, looked over the ha | curtain int,
the neat bur poor sitting room.
1t was not the grand house, Pearl
heritage in New York, but Pearl hersel
was there. A slender woman, with
pale, sweet face, and black hair smooth,
banded and gathered into rich braids a
the back of her shapely head. Her dres
with plain dark one, With white ruffles
cuffs and e apron.
She had been sewing, but her work wa
put aside, and presently the came to tn,
open window and threw aside the curtain
She did not Gee the tall figure draw
closely against the wall in the marrow
poarch, but her dark eyes looked mourn
rully toward the sea, glinmering in tn
half light.
my darlingl" she whis pered, "are yo'
dead, and has your spirit come to TAX
mine where we shall part no more2"
Only the wash of the wave oelow an
swered her. Signing softly, she said
lis my darling coming?I feel him 8
near to me, could almost grasp him j..
She stretched out her arms over tn
low window sill, and low voice answers
her ''Pearl! Pearl!''
The arms that had so long grasped on
| ly empty air, were filled then, as Hiram
| stood under the low window.
"Do not move, love-" she whispered
pressing her soft lips to his; Il AWAY
| wake when you move"
| ''But now" he said, "you are alread
awake See, Pearl, your trust was hea1
en-given. 1t is myself, your fond, tru
husband, little one, who will never leav
you again. 80
ut is true! You have comep. ,Sh
cried at last, bursting into a torrent Q
| happy tears. II knew you were not deac
You could not be dead and my heart nc
tell me-" 1t was long before theyscoul
think of anything but the happinesssof
reunion after the many years Of separa
ton, but at last, drawing Pearl closer
Hiram whispered-"I walked from j.
love, and am enormously hungry" 10.
And Pearls merry laugh chased tn
last shadows from her happy face, an
she hustled about the room preparing
supper. -
Supper for twor' she cried gleefully
The grand old house in New York i
tenanted by its owners, and Hiram goe
to sea no more; but in the summer tim
two happy people come for quiet mont
to the little white cottage at Monkton
and have always to listen to Days tai
of the evening when he was cutting Hi
am Goldby's tombstone, and ended b
smashing it into atoms. -. "a ~. ~ '~>
"For," is the. invariable ending OF th
tale. "Pearl was right, and we wer
wrong, all of us; for Hiram Colby wa
lost at sea, sure enough, but he was nc
dead. and he came to~her faithful love o
she always aid be would"
A Practical Sweetheart.
: A nice Young man empl0ved in tn