Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1882-01-12

She stood IN the I'll .ssv tw;l;ehk
The swollen waters ruNsiao swiikIs
beneath her bare feet; ~ d6aky sye.
fxed intenfiv On sonnn .senE lo~,ss,,
down the stream; lilIIs straw lamb
clcsely clasped il her as
They called her s'e. nofhino
else. for the slim, liEk nbsd. lus.
trous-eyed maiden had ~ claim "a
any other name.
One mid winfek niel when TIE
snow lay white ard IL ~ fhs sur-
rounding hills and hils hlast wh;e-
tied through the valles Which Ma
plpthoEp neat'el the sw Buck
stone. sitting e8nAfoft in hsF china
nev eofne Mes 80 III 8 shnxn
rap at the door.
WHY. who can It be on snch q
nightr cried the widow. pushing her
spectacles up on her forehead. run
to the door, Tom I
Tom obeyed. asssss 80
Who's there?' he demanded.
Only the hoarae roar OF the wintry
blast answered him.
There's some one lurking about,
said Tom. I'll see what they're af-
ter
But he stumbled over something at
his feet. A basket, covered with o
eolored blanket.
What's thisT he cried.
The colored blanket was removed,
and underneath, all folded in fiannels,
they found little mite Of q baby.
Toms mother held up two depre-
eating hands.
Its g shame, she cried, and I q
lone widow. won't keep it: / wont:
it shall 60 TO the poor-hcuse In the
morning; now there; - as,
Tom was silent. sN
But when, the morrow came. and
the news got abroad. and All Maple
thorp came RockinR in to have q look
at the little foundlInx, Tom got be-
hind his mothers chair and pinched
her arm.
Mother, he whispered, when she
turned round. don't send the midget
away; / shall be big fellow coon and
I'll work for You both
His mother nodded and am;lad hnt
tears rose in her ewes. And Mr..
Thorndyke. the minister. came with
the rest. and offered to make some
provision for the child, she answered.
with curt decision:
I intend to keep it myself
So the little waif remained at the
small cottage, in the sunny pine woods
beyond the village of Manlethorp: and
when spring came on. in5zs1asslr.. Ma.
Blackstone carried her little charge to
the village church and the baby was
christened, the minister's wife stand
inc 0odmother 0nlv Reel And tha
sweet name suited her well; for the
bloom on her dusky cheeks, and the
dswy carnation Of her Young lips.
were as bright a. the heart OF that
queenly flower.
Rose was her name. but as she grew
into a slim slip of a girl. everybody
called her Kefpie. because she was
such wild, bright. defiant thing.
perhaps. and had such a fondness for
the water.
While other girls of her ACE were
playing at baby.house Rose might be
found on the shore of Cedar creek
launching her miniature boats amid
the shallowa. wadinO in tha eonl WA
ter with bare brown faet as aron;s;ta
in form as a sculDtor's mode. or
swinging in the forlr of an overhano-
ing willow. watching the wild ducks
as they sailed down the stream.
She's an out-an -out Kelpie, said
old Hawks. the Maplethorp miller,
and from that hour the name clung to
her.
Tom made good his promise, and
worked hard and willingly for his
mother and her adopted child; but
there came . time when the little
slumbering town was too small FOR
Tom. His growing capacities called
for some wider field of action. Where
mere = = VIII way !: generally open.
81. a nne opportunity came up. and
1om avaIled himself OF 1t at once
put II required . severe wrench 70
tear himself from Maplethorp and the
iittle cottage under the shelter OF the
pine woods
'helpie. I'm going. ne said. when
ne nad parted with his mother.
Inc gIri wss driving her lamhHinto
tnelr iold' but abe turned round and
laced him.
I'm going repeated Tom. stand
ing up straight and handsome = Vic.