The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1881-07-15

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she sank lifeless into the bottom of the boat
Home came old Yank after an unsuccessful
search, and staggered up the stairs to wher
he knew lie should find the weeping Frau
He reached the door of Minchcns room anC
, opening it found the poor woman crying OF
the coarse, little bed Hemerely touched he
: arm.
Gone" was all lie said, and turning, wen
! suddenly down to his own ROOM and ther,
cried like child Every day after did h,
climb to the top of Telegraph Hill, vainly
and toolishly he knew, hoping to see the
green Sally dancing on the innocent-lookins
waves. Descending he went to the Police
Station TO inquire if any news had come o
Alinchen. Hearing none, he walked sadly
home, wondering how he should again reply
to the sad questions in Frau Schmidts eyes
The morning after Minchen's disappear
ance dawned bright and warm on the ocean
The sun, as it looked down from the sky, saw
what old Yank would have given his eyes &c
sea little, green boat, with child wet an(
weary lying almost frozen in the bottom O
it. So the good natured sun shone warmly
on the closed eyes and pale cheeks of the lit
tie one, till at last she woke at his fond caress
and faint and weary tried to recall what haG
happened. Slowly it all came back to her
how her happy birthday had ended, how she
was floating there on the great ocean, with
not even an oar to help guide her to the land
she could just see rising from the water
"Must l float here till starve to death ~
she said, cor die of thirst" and then she re-
membered the half cake left in the tin box
from yesterdays luncheon, so she clambered
over the thwarts TO the box, found the cake
and began to eat, thinking all the while OF
dear Frau Schmidt and the roses in the box
at the window-how she should never see
them again, how she should float on and on
till storm crushed her boat and she should
be drowned.
So she sat thinking-our poor little Min
chen-all alone on the great ocean, when her
eye caught sight of sail, very small one
like that of Yank's other boat. Could it be
he? She would shout and he would hear
"Yank Yank p she called loudly, and waved
her apron briskly over her head.
Alloy y came back over the water. Yes,
it was he She thought he saw her. He was
coming, and, fainting, she dropped into the
| water. Nearer and nearer came the sail
boat. Some one jumped from its deck, swan
toward the sinking child, grasped her firmly
in one arm and swan with her to his boat
again.
When Minchen opened her eyes she saw
not 4ank, but the very queerest little man in
the world, with grizzly hair and whiskers-
| ne wore leather clOtnes, ana was alone In the
boat.
"Well, little girl" he said "whats your
name and how came you alone over there"
pointing with jerk of his thumb over. his
shoulder to the fast disappearing Sally;
"were you shipwrecked ?"
"Nno, sir, stammered Mlnchen; and then
burst into tears and cried as though her
heart would break. Between her sobs she
told the man her name; how she had always
lived with Frau Schmidt; how she loved old
Yank about her birthday, and how she sold
flowers to make a few dimes to help Herr
Schmidt, who loved her in place of his own
child, who died long ago.
The old man listened patiently, and then
said:
| "Minchen, live all by myself, over there
where you sec the hills rising from the
water. have no one to speak to no one 10
love me, or be loved by me- Will you come
with me, and be my little girl, and stay
among the hills with mep We can be hap
Ply, know. I'll teach you how to row and
hunt, and You shall be my little cook when
| have taught you how to broil fish over hot
stones" Then he suddenly stopped talking,
and Mlnchen only cried as she thought about
Frau Schmidt, and wondered why the man
did not sail with her to San Francisco.
Then, rs suddenly, be began to talk again
told her he went once in six months to the
village, where he exchanged his deer and
bear skins for clothes and flour; that there he
was known as "Grampa Grump," because he
never talked with the loungers and gossips
at the tavern. But why he lived so alone, or
what his name really was, Minchen, or any
one else, never knew.
He questioned Minchen closely about her
home and friends, and when she told him how
happy they had all been together, this old
man, whom men called gruti and rough en-
We'd the little ones friends their happiness.
| "They think her dead" he said to himself,
"and dead she shall be to them. ! will make
her love me as she does them, and with her
| love will come little joy TO my lonely life,
after all" So whenever little Minchen men
toned Frau Schmidt, or Yank, or the roses,
he frowned and looked so unhappy, that she
grew to know she must not mention them TO
| him, so she never spoke of them, but to her
own heart.
AT length they reached their journeys end
| The little craft was anchored in cove and
| Grampa Grump, lifting the child in his arms,
| waded through the water to the beach. He
| led her to rudely-built hut of logs, q short
distance from the waters edge, pushed open
| the door and showed her his one-roomed
home. He let her see his guns and fishing
| tackle showed her the pile of bear-skins that
formed his bed, and told her many stories of
his wild life among the hills, while they ate
their simple supper, After the meal was
over he made her bed of deer-skins, and
gently wrapping her in his great coat, kissed
her goodnight, and went down to unload
his boat.
| In the days and months that followed,
Minchen's life was very happy. She wan
dered over the mountains with Grampa in
/ search of game set trans for wild pipeOns