Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1880-06-26

OF the sea. have seen her clenCh ne
mite of hand and strike at it, for sh,
had q bit of temper in her, thougl
nothing to harm.
"When Hiram made his first voyage
for they were all sea-faring men here
abouts, and there was nothing for las
to do but ship. the Pearl was just .
little washed out lily. affecting until hi
came home again. And it was so when
ever he went, for they were sweet
hearts from the first time he nestled
her baby face on his breast. when hi
picked her up frsm the wreck. Sh,
was sixteen when they were married
as near as we could gsess; Hiram was ,
man OF twentv-four. She prayed hin
stay at home then. and he stayed /,
year, but he frette for the sea, and hi
went again, thinking. s'pose, that hi,
wife would get used to it, as all wive.
hereabouts must do But she nevel
did never. 1t was Just ptiable to see
her GO about, white as corpse, whcr
Hiram went away. never looking at the
sea without the shuider like a deatt
chill. All through the war it was jus,
awful, for Hiram enlisted on board .
man-o war. and Pearl was just Z:
shadow when he came home the last
time"
"After the WARP"
"Ycs, sir; but he made no money Of
any account, and so he went again
after staying home long spell. Well
he never came back. 'Twasn't no man.
ner of use telling Pearl he was lost
she'd Just shake her pretty head and
say: He II come back Not mite Of
mourning would she wear. even afte,
his own mother gave him up and put
on black; for, sir, it stands to reason
he's dead years ago"
Ii looks SO"
| "Of course it does: nobody else
doubts it but her. Old Mrs. Goldby's
last words we're I'm going to
meet Hiram and they say the dy-
ing know. But even then they didn' t
make Pearl think so. She wore mourn
ing for her who had been the only
mother she knowed of, but no weeds.
Weeds was for widows, she said, and
she wasn't 4 widow"
But the stone?'
"Well, sir, I'm coming to that. A
year ago, sir, fine gentleman from
France came here hunting for a child
lost ON this coast. He'd heard of Pearl
by Appropriateness, if there is suck, and
came here. When he saw the clothes,
he just tainted like woman
"She was related, then?''
The strangers voice WAS husky, but
the sea air was growing chill.
Her father. sir"
He took her away?'
HE tried to. He told her of a
splendid home he had in New York, for
he'd followed his wife and child, sir, to
a city they had never reached. He was
rich and lonely. He begged his child
to go, but she would not Hiram will
come here for me- she said, and he
will find me where he left me-"
"On what has she lived?"
Sewing. sir, mostly. The cottage
was old Mrs. Gold5ys, and bless you,
Pearl did not eat much more than a
bird, and her dresses cost next to moth
ing. But there's no denying she was
very poor-very, and yet the grand
house and big fortune never tempted
her. So her father came on and on to
see her, until April. And he died, sir,
and left our Pearl all his fortune and
the grand house in New York. But
she'll not go, sir; she'll die here, wait
ing for Hiram, who'll never come
The stranger lifted his face that had
been half hidden in his hand and said:
There was 4 shipwreck in the Pa
ellie Ocean, Davy, years and years ago,
and one man only was saved-saved,
slave, the worst of slaves. But one day
this sailor saved the life of the chiefs
daughter, who was in the coils of a huge
snake, and the chief released him.
More than that, he gave him choice
spices and woods, and sent him aboard
the first passing ship. So the sailor
landed in great city, sold his presents
and put the gold in safe keeping. Then
he travelled until he reached the seaport
town where he was born. and coming
there at sunset, heard the story of his
life from the lips of man cutting hi
tombstone"
Not word spoke Davy. Standing
erect, he seized an immense sledge
hammer, and with powerful blows from
strong, nplifted arms, dashed the mar
Bile into fragments. Then, painting
with eXertion, he held out his brawny
hand to the stranger-a stranger no
longer.
g We done no better work IN nv life
than I've done in the last five minutes,
Hiram. Go home, man, and make
~ Ia,,.. rl.,l
Hiram-she don't need it. You asked
me about the stone. The reighbors
drove her to ordering it, twitting her
that now she was rich she grudged the
stone to her husband memory. So she
told me to 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- She never looked
at it. Hiram. never. And there not
an hour. nor hasn't been for ten wears,
that she hasn't been looking tor you to
come back. Go to her, man, and the
Lords blessing be upon both of YOU"
So graspng the hard. brown hand,
Hiram Goldby took the path to the little
white cottage in which he had been
born fortyfive years before. The sun
had set and the darkness was gather
ing. but a little CLEAN of light streamed
from the window of his cottage. He
drew near softly and stood on the seat
of the porch, looking over the half cur
tain INTO the neat but poor sitting-roon.
:" 1t was not the grand house. Pearls
heritage in New York. but Pearl herself |
was there. A slender woman, with a
pale, sweet face, and black hair
smoothly banded and gathered into
rich braids at the back OF her shapely
head. Her dress was plain dark one,
with white rutiles. cuffs and an apron.
She had been sewing, but her work
was put aside, and presently she came
to the open window and drew aside the
curtain. She did not see the tall figure
drawn closely against the wall in the
narrow porch, but ker dark eyes looked
toward the sea, glimrhering
in the hall light.
Nv d,rlinpr, chn 1rhi,noro5 s.,ra