The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-04-08
The ROMANCE OF THE SHELLS.

Francis, the Counts son, was like a
brother with my sister and me.
Our greatest pleasure was to run on the
cayes, or sand bars, and hunt for shells
We left at sunrise, a little basket on our
arms. The songs of the negroes, fishing
in their log canoes, came to us over the
water.
One winter day we returned from rum
ming on the sands. 1t was an evening
foreboding storm. Distant lightnings
darted across the sky. Julie was delayed
by endeavoring to tear up from sea-
fan shell. The tide rose until the sand
bank on which she stood became an
island. The poor girl became alarmed,
and, lifting her arms cried aloud for as
sistance.
The negroes, hearing the cry, came in
their canoes. Before they arrived, Fran
els had SWAIN across, and stood by my sis
ter, supporting her.
They carried her beneath the palm
trees which bordered the shore.
"Who will bring me shell?' she
cried.
And, as if she had power to COM
mand the elementary spirits, there sud
denly arose a deep, strange voice, which
exclaimed "Ip'
A man of copper hue, gray eyes, bushy
brows, long hair, dripping with salt
water, came forth from the waves, bear
ing the wished for shell.
Father Sassa!" cried all the negroes.
Father Sassa was neither white, mulat-
to, nor black. He was of the indigenous
Carib race. His family, last remnant
of the original tribes found by the Span
iards, had escaped the massacres of civil
ization, and taken refuge among the
rocks of our wild peninsula. But the
family had been sadly reduced under the
English rule of the island, and Sassa
alone survived. He bore the title of
cacique, though without subjects to rule.
His name was Sassagari, but the blacks,
following their custom of giving diminu-
tives, always called him Father Sassa
"Ah! what horrible shellp' l cried,
perceiving dark mass in the hand of
the Carib. "Why, 'tisn't worth the pain
it has cost. Throw it back into the sea,
Father Sassa.'
Little whites" said he, "you love
what shines, and for that reason do not
throw away this shell. 1t is colorless on
the surface, but it CLEANS within. The
stars of night have marked It's heart"
The cacique stretched out a hand
toward the last rock of the Coronelle
where his little hut cleaned out and
vanished every moment in the frequent
lightning.
Come there" said he, "and you will
learn more
The next morning we started for the
cabin of Father Sassa. We found the
Carib seated on large stone before his
dwelling, preparing nets for fishing.
"Who gave me this twine to mend my
net WITH" he said. u, Father Sassa, u
replied Julie.
"Who gave me this good knife to cut
the twine, make my wooden needles
cover my cabin with reeds, carve my
canoe" 81, Father Sassa," replied
Francis.
"And for that Sassagari went under
the water and saved your she'll"
But what is this shell, Father SassaP
Inquired
"See!" said the Carib, pointing with
/ r Il, n,
n,d ms mI'gel W v1T h h%t m,oo VI what % ro
,,eapeu E arounu NE nT.' fd'tor % whn ~"V ,ra,
,ih','t;s m, - tl, vail, saonroly
.lc illsV IN ''ieso i"i'us II ~ WIN ror
oteo,1I gmsod nr St ftars uI f-nno thair % boma IT.
escape from slavery the old Sassagari EN-
barked with his family in his canoe; but
he would not leave behind him thes'
shells ne % Mlli'es susPeJIeo SaiIe so,e y,
sei NY NY, o'GHe ohe+ 'e I'll 1neo aSnent roe wh,
iovad ,,',scIf bU sn,;ror ro;nn nndor III,
Sa.eu ~! Ioai os ,nh, "I,D.re n;nne 1 than % fa
ma,ei ra tho, nav tho, I@ sn9nod '' NV tba Hood
l n,oiv .l'''N rsa . oi oh"p ppI, ~ Thps;das Sossa
ar tnows ~ tho Ue~ uent Ubero thov ] SIMMER
: But but fp' keen the the She shell T Of Yesterday, it'll
roniv ~ri, He NV who ~ singa % in the sbeIis th
e lp; nlpp;nts Of the sen and who naints th
$ r iunr;se an their faces will make the star
; of heaven into their hearts,
: W. rraw mn Onr narents smoke q
$ sond;nS Francis and me- to France Whe
O Tnlio beard of this she siahedNwas agi
O tatod TOD "
n ~6noe vhon Francis c+ole I'm to he,
:. os sbe was sitting lacking ont on the sos
e ho % 'tia taL;n@ I her hand sa;5 in the tonde,
4 nU' nst t"nas. t"naDe >' '' '-''>' - '''' = ''s
9 > INV lJv what is if Won seem
i 81 :oo ' a. stin @ carrvinr yon yT Far ava
= from ,[ ,oe " " she e said i'd e ''
f I'm ,Pnr n vii I'll comn bool - saia Franci,
v Tbo dar af donor+,'re came W. had
d odien @ ~ irl;e naIa az sheet came to n
".;tb Lo. shaIIs She nave tbo Gne.t +
n. T'tn NJ IL g. IT, 49,