The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-06-24
THE sTONE.CUTTRR.s STORY.

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less. nom long custom, of the solemn
Significance Of the letters he was cut
ting in the white marble. The June
sun was 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 let
tering almost completed, upon the
tombstone:
HIRAM GoLDBY,
AIRED as
Losr 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 long. deep breath. and
said-
/" L not ten years long time to be
cutting letters on q atombstone, friend?''
Eh, sirf'
The stone-cutter looked, shaded his
eyes with his brown hand. as he turned
his fAce to the setting sun. q
"This is 1876" was the grave-re-
ply, sand Hiram Goldby must have
been ten years under the waves
Well. SIR. that's the question lis he
as he therea Your stone tells us
he t. and has been there for ten
years"
Eyes, sir. 90 it does-so it does. And
yet abe has ordered it. She came over
arWeek or % back with . worried look
upon her sweet face that have never
seen snything but patient in ten long
years. and she said to me-syou may
cut . stone; Davy.' she says, sand 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 q
tombstone Lor, num-. says /, he'd
NOT dead But she shook her pretty
head, the prettiest ever seen, sir, and
said aha: my heart never told me that
he was dead. Davy. and I'll never be-
Heye &c tn my heart tells me so.'"
His sweetheartf' questioned the
"His wife, sirEhis loving, faithful
wife, that's had poverty, and loneliness,
and misery, her full share. and might
ha' bettered herself"
sHow was that?"
..Mr. 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"
.sEnoch Arden" muttered the
"What did you say. sirP''
ssNothing. nothing. What answer
did the widow make, Mr.. Milesr'
"sH -HirAm's dead said she, TIM
his faithful widow while live. II Hi
rams living. I'm his faithful wife.
Maybe you are from the city, sir, and
have heard the story of our Pearir'
ssWhat story II thAtr'
"Well, sir, It's been told many times,
moro particularly in the last year, but
you're welcome to what know of it.
There, that Is done. and I'll leave
the Scripture text till morning. II you'll
come to the gateway and take . seat on
some Of the stones, IN tell you. that is,
II you care to hear it."
ssI do care" was the grave reply;
.I wsnt very much to hear the
Story"
of lfonkton-that'swh 3 what they call Mrs.
Colby hereabouts. It's . matter Of
thfrty-three years back. sir. that there
was 8 wreck on Monkton rocks, that
you can sec from here. sir, now tides
low. Cruel rocks they are. and many
wreck they've seen, the more the pity.
You see them. sire''
ssI SEQ them"
"Weil, sir, this one wreck, thirty
washed ashore but . bit of girlbaby
"a IL cHsn