American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-06-26
HIRAM GOLDBY,


tombstone:
HIRAM GOLDBY,
Aged IS
LOST AT SEA, JANUARY, 1854.
The last six was nearly completed.
A strange pallor gathered for q mo-
ment upon the strangers face, and
then he drew q long, deep breath, and
said
lis not ten years a long time to be
cutting letters on tombstone, friendp"
Ell, STRIP
The stone-cutter looked. shaded his
eyes with his brown hand, as he turned
his face to the setting sun.
'sThis is 1876" WIS the grave re-
ply, "and Hiram Colby must, have
been ten years under the waves
"Well, sir, that's the question lis he
therer' 80
lis he therea Your stone tells us
hs is. and has been there for ten
years.
Eyes, sir. SO it does-so 1t does. And
yet she has ordered it. She came, over
. week or so back with q worried look
upon her sweet face that have never
seen anything but patient in ten long
years. and she said to me-syou NAV
cut q stone; Davy,' she says, and put
it up in the church-yard, and I don't
want to see it. I'll pay you Whatever
you choose to ask. Davy.' she says;
but he's not dead, and don't want a
tombstone 'Lor. num- says 1, he'd
n turned up all these years if he was
not dead But she shook her pretty
head, the prettiest I ever seen, sir, and
said she: My heart never told me that
he was dead, Davy, and I'll never be-
ieve it till my heart tells me son
His sweetheart questioned the
stranger. -
Ills wife, sir--his loving, faithful
wife. that's had poverty, snd loneliness,
and misery, her full share. and might
ha' bettered herself.
How was that"
MIR. Miles, sir, the richest ship
owner hereabouts; he waited patiently
for seven long years, trying 10 win her.
Then he said that she was free even if
Hiram came back"
"Enoch Arden" muttered the
stranger.
What did you say, sirP''
Nothing. nothing. What answer
...n Hiram's dead,' said she, I'm
his faithful widow while I live II HI
rams living. I'm his faithful wife,
Mayb you are from the city, sir, and
have heard the story of our PearI?''
"What story il that?''
"Well, sir, it q been told many times
more particularly in the last year, but
you're welcome to what know of it.
There, that 6 is done, and Pll leave
the Scripture text till morning. If you'll
come to the gateway and take seat on
some of the stones, III tell you. that is,
II you care TO hear it."
a. do care" was the grave reply;
:" 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 a matter of
thirty-three years back, sir, that there
was q wreck off Monkton rocks, that
you can see from here, sir, now tide
low. Cruel rocks they are, and many
q wreck they We seen, the more the pity.
You see them. sir?''
81 see them"
"Well. sir, this one wreck, thirty
three years ago, there was nothing
washed ashore but bit of a giri-ba
three or four years old, with skin
like lily leaf, and great black eyes.
Hiram Colby 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
cottage, sir, the second white one on the
side Of the hill"
II see it."
"Well, Hiram took the baby there,
and Mrs. Colby was the same as a
mother to her-a good woman-God i
bless her soul-the widow Goldby"
els she dead, thenp'
faye, sir, six years agone. The
baby was telling you of, sir, talked a !
foreign lingo. and was dressed in rich |
clothes, that must have cost a power of |
But never would Hiram or the |
widow sell them, putting them up
in case the Child was ever
looked for. She was that pretty, sir, !