The Newtown bee., 1880-03-10
The Stone-Cutter's Story.

The Stone-Cutter's Story. He was whisthng over his work, care less, from long custom, of the solemn significance of the letters he was cutting nearly at the end of the days journey, sinking slowly to rest upon the bosom of the broad Atlantic, whose waves washed the shores of the little seaport town of Monkton. A stranger, handsomely dressed in gray, with large, lustrous brown eyes, came to the fence that was around the yard where the stone-cutter worked, and read the lettering, almost completed, upon the tombstone:
 HIRAM GOLDBY
 Aged 35,
 LOST AT SEA, JANUARY, 1866
 The last six was nearly completed. A strange pallor gathered for a moment upon the strangers face, and then he drew a long, deep breath and said:
 " Is not ten years a long time to be cutting letters on a tombstone, friendp" "Eh, sirp"
 The stone. cutter looked, shaded his eyes with his brown hand, as he turned his face to the setting sun.
 "This is lS76," was the grave reply,
 
 ten years under the waves"
 Well, sir, that's the question is he thereP"
 "Is he thereP Your stone tell us he is, and has been for ten years."
 "Yes, sir, it does-so it does. And yet she has ordered it. She came over a week or so back with worried look upon her sweet face. that I have never seen anything but patient in ten long anA Gha i'd tn aU cut stone, Davy,' she says; and put it up in the chsrch-yard, and 1 don't you choose to ask, Davy,' she says tombstone LOT, mum; says l, he'd turned up all these years if he was not dead.' But she shook her pretty head, the prettiest l ever seen, sir, and she said: My heart never told me he was dead, Davy, and I'll never believe it till my heart tells me so.'"
 His sweetheartP" questioned the stranger.
 His wife, sir-his loving, faithful wife, that's had poverty, and loneliness and misery her full share, and might ha' bettered herself"
 ''How was thatp"
 MT. Miles, sir, the richest shipowner hereabouts, he waited patiently for seven long years, trying to win her. Then he said that she was free even if Hiram did come back"
 'Enoch Arden" muttered the stran- ger.
 What did you say, sir"
 Nothing, nothing. What answer did she make Mr. MilesP"
 ''' If Hiram's dead, said she, I'm his faithful widow while live. IfHiram' s living, I'm his faithful wife, Maybe you are from the city, sir, and have heard the story of our Pearl?"
 What story is thatp"
 Well, sir, it's been told many times, more particularly in the last year, but you're welcome to what know of it. There, that six is done, and I'll leave the Scripture text till morning. If you'll come to the gateway and take a seat on some of the stones I'll tell you, that is, if you care to hear it."
 "I do care" was the grave reply; |" I want very much to hear the story''
 Maybe you're some kin to the Pearl of Monkton that's what they call Mrs. Colby hereabouts. It's matter of thirty-three years back, sir, that there was wreck of Monkton rocks, that you can see from here, sir, now tides low. Cruel rocks they are, and many a wreck they've seen, the more the pity. You see them, sir?"
 "I see them"
 Well, sir, this one wreck, thirty three years ago, there was nothing washed ashore but bit of girl-baby three or four years old, with skin like lily leaf, and great black eyes. Hiram Goldby found her on 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 cot tage, sir, the second white one on the side of the hill" 'I see it."
 Well, Hiram took the baby there, and Mrs. Goldby was the same as a mother to her-a good woman, God bless her soul--the widow Goldby."
 ''Is ale dead. thenp'
 "Aye, sir, six years agone. The baby was teiiing you of, sir, talked foreign lingo, and was dressed in rich clothesF that must tt9ave cost q power of money. But never would Hiram or the widow sell them, putting them up carefully in case the chile was ever looked for. She was that pretty, sir, and that dainty, that everybody called her Pearl, though she was not lflsaour girls, but afraid, al- ways deadly afraid of the sea. I have seen her clench her mite of hand and strike at it, for she had bit of temper in SIer, though nothing to harm.
 When Hiram made his first voyage, for'they were all seafaring men here ,abouts, and there was @othing for lad to do but ship, the Pearl was just q little washed out lily, fgatting until lie came;hoRae again. And it was so when ever he went, for they were sweethearts from the fast time he nestled her baby face on his breast, when he picked her up from the wreck. She was sixteen when tbey were 4larried, as near as we tonld gEess; HiEatg was man Gf