The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-03-17
MRS. WILKINS.

Far. up on. tie Atlantic coast then
stood. years agt, two fine mansions bull
by British 1Tsries, who had intended Il
become greet landed proprietors and d
gather a lIage tenantry around them
But, having been dissatisfied with the re
suit of the Revolutionary war, they had
returned to England, leaving for the us
of anybody who chose to occupy it the
property they could not sell.
"A few of their worlImen and servant
remained behind, and soon a number oI
fishermen and wreckers Joined them
and formed a squatter colony in tn,
grand houses which had, of fcourse, beer
stripped of everything that could b,
carried over the sea.
The houses soon suffered for want d
repairs. The hinges grew rickety and
creaked !: the loose clapboards fiappet
in the wind, and owls and bats reared
their young in the garrets, adding thei
hootings and futterings to the othel
wild noises.
Soon two or three of the families bull
little board houses near by, and it was
noised abroad that the Howard. Man.
sion" and. the "Vaughn Mansion
were haunted.
Then everybody heard unearthlj
knockings and groanings, and when
good, sturdy ghost was said to havl
been actually seen promenading ths
broad halls and staircases, there was
general stampede. Families slept il
their boats, or IN sheds, till they couli
put up better shelter, rather than re
main In the old mansions, where thei
fears gave them no peace.
Some of the squatters proposed buill
ing from -the-mRterials of the HLz
sions !" but keen Yankee, who 81
saw-mill near by, assured ther5
the only way to get rid of the CID
to burn the houses up, and volya
there was no objectionsrks.ssG
- them dotFlT,,' -
sold new boards for building h
of the fishermen. The ghost
feet high, and SO was the Yankee
As there were no schools and chu
near enough for the people to attn
we need not wonder that they WEI
superstiJious and ignorant.
While the men worked hard portion
of the year, the greater part of theil
time was spent in lounging about theil
boats, or at a miserable tavern a mile
up the coast.
The only person of real energy In thi:
fsherman's settlement at the time O
which we write was Molly Ann Hull, {
gaunt, homely girl, who could fish, row
of the men. She might have been seer
III the offing almost any morning, while
the men were.all sleeping, fishing, with
c. ii L. 4
and somebody else tarpaulin hat OF
her head. EE
Notwithstanding her honeiiness and
rough ways, her energy Kindness to til.
poor and strong flial affection made
her n heroine there. She had supported
her aged parents ever since she was /:
years old by ircessant and hard toll.
Near the Hull shanty was a deep gorg
in the lofty sand-hilis, down which
stream poured in. torrents at certain sea
/ sons People often wished to GROSS thil
stream. So Molly Ann tied tin hon
to stunted pine tree on both sides o
the stream, and at the first blast of thi
horn she flew to her, boat and rowei
men, and even horses, Sover in her boat
/ for 10 cents each. = -
All the girls ofsSquatterville. as thi
place was playfuAy called, married .
they grew upeexcept Mary Ann. Thl
idle fellows were afraid OF her. They
knew she would. want them out o.
their bsds in the. morning, and make
them Work rs she did herself.
But her day came at lastl
+ One winters night, vessel was
wrecked inst off the coast, and Molly
] 0f
roused the men and went out with them
to endeagor to save the passengers. Sew
eral were saved. and from among then
She took home, to her fathers poor cot
tage great, israwny aown-East saibri
whose hands were frozen, and also Tee
little pink-and- white tailor, who saidhe
had come, from Liverpool to Americs tc
| get into business as a 'aberdasher.
- That long, stranges word charued
J Molly Ann
+ Before they were able to leave, eeh
of those men had asked Molly Ann tobe
his wife. When questioned about II,
I without any prudish afrs, she said
I'm at my wits end<to decideNh
tween 'em whether to marry for lae
or money Henery Edwards has fse
like chany doll, and rs so Iadylik
But he hAs:ohly $50 that. was IN bit
around him, ,-and.a trunk full of trssc
he saved to sell. Jinkins looks Just lie
our own men, but then he's got S30tin
the bank, and q farm down Maine wy
worth $500 more"
The little pink man said, eff she e.
fused him he'd drownd himself in be
stream shed made sacred by rovAg
over"
But the other great, hearty felbw
said, "H she refuses to me, I'll go hone
and marry some smart Yankee girl, nd
quit the sea and live on my farm p
So Molly concluded to marry the nan
who would "drownd himself for len
sake; and Jenkins, whose ardor Ns
considerably cooled by the time bis
| frozen hands were web, gave her $50br
his board and for her trouble In ta@e
care of him, and departed In high gle.
/ Molly AIMS ambition had long bsn
to set up iittlestore in deserted M
house, and thus meet a great waniin
the hamlet So, putting Henry a.
wards trunk of suspenders, buttas,
! crayats, etc, IN there, she set OF WI
him to be married by the nearest JusEce
of the Peace.
After the ceremony. she retund