Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-04-05
The Mysterious Widow.

During the summer of 1914 the Brit
ism had laid claim to all that portion oi
the district of Maine lying east Of the
Penobscot. Shortly before the arrival
of the English squadron, Commodore
Samuel Tucker had been sent around to
Penobscot Bay to protect the American
coasters, and while the British sailed up
TO Castine he lay at Thomaston.
1t wss q schooner that the Commodore
commanded, but she was a heavy one,
well armed and mann,d; and she carried
the true Yankee ''grit" upon her decks,
of which tae enemy had received from
them rather too many proofs. On the
morning of the 2Sth of August a messen-
ger was sent down from Belfast with
the intelligence that a British frigate
vas coming from Castine to take him
Tucker knew that the British feared
him. and also that Sir John Sherbrooke
had offered large amount for his cap
lure.
When the Commodore received the
intelligence his vessel was lying at one
of the low wharves, where he wonld
have to wait two hours for the tide. but
he hastened to have everything prepared
to get her off as soon as possible.
The schooner's keel was just cleared
from the mud, and one of the men had
been sent upon the wharf to cast off the
bowllne, when a wagon, drawn by ,ne
horse, came rafting down to the spot.
The driver, rough looking country
man, got out upon the wharf, and then
assisted middle aged woman from the
vehicle. The laly's first inquiry was
for Commodore Tucker. He was poin-
ted out to her, and she stepped upon
the schooner's deck and approached
him,
Commodore" she asked, "when do
you sail frem here?'
I'VE sail right off as soon as possible,
madam"
"Oh, then, know you will be kind
to me-" the lady urged, in persuasive
tones. my poor husband died yester-
day, and 1 wish to carry bis corpse to
Wlscasset. where We belong. and where
his parents will take care of it"
"But, my good woman, 1 shan't go to
Wiscasset
If you will only land me at the
mouth of the Sheepscot, 1 will ask no
more. can easily find boat there to
take mo up"
"Where is the body?" asked Tucker.
lin the wagon" returned the lady. at
the same tin, raising the corner of her
shawl to wipe away the gathering tears.
81 have a sum of money with me, and
YOU shall be paid for the trouble.
Tut. tut, woml1, If accommodate
you; there won't be any pay about 1t. ="
The kind hearted old Commodore was
not the man to refuse favor, and
though he liked not the bother of tax
ing the woman and her strange accom-
paniment on board, yet he could not re-
fuse.
Some of the men were sent upon the
wharf to bring the body on board. A
long buffalo robe was lifted off by the
man who drove the wagon; beneath 1t
appear d neat black coffin Some
words were passed by the seamen as
they were putting the coffin on board,
which went to show pretty plainly that
the affair did not exactly suit them.
1t may have ben only prejudice on their
part. but the seamen should be allowed
a prejudice once in a while, when We
consider the many stern realities they
have to encounter. Ere long the coffin
was placed in the hold and the woman
was shown to the cabin. In less than
half an hour the schooner was cleared
from the wharf and standing out from
the bay. The wind was light from the
eastward, but Tucker had no fear OF
the frigate now that she was once out
of the bay.
In the evening. the LADY passenger
came On deck, and the commodore as
sured her that he should be able to
land her early on the next morning.
She expressed her gratitude and re-
marked that before she retired she
should like to look and see that her
husbands corpse was safe. This was
of course, granted, and one OF the men
lifted off the hatch that she might go
down into the hold.
II declare" muttered Daniel Carter.
an old sailor, who was standing at the
wheel, s.she takes on dre'fuuy J!
"Yss, poor thing said Tucker. as he
heard her sobs and groans.
"D'ye notice what'n eye she's got z
continued Carter.
No." said Tucker, ''only twas
swollen with tears
MY eyes but they shone, though,
when she stood here, looking at the
compass"
Tucker smiled at the mans quaint
earnestness, and went down to the
cabin.
. When the woman came up from the