Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1883-04-13
WAITING.

One day, near the. end Of last Sep
tember-it was the first bright day we
had had for week or more-I strolled
down the main street of the. seaport
town where was spending my vaca-
ton, intending to go out on the salt
marshes back of the town. This main
street, although little more than a mile
long, has aseventful career in its brief
course as the road in tho Pilgrims
Progress Chart we used to. see, hung in
the sitting room of our grandfather's
houses. Starting, from the railroad, it
first passes the colony of fish -hopses and
their rows Of frames. covered with, dry
ing cod; then it plting ges Into the hurry
and hustle of the town, running the
gauntlet between the two rival grocer
les which stand insultingly face to face;
and passing the store in whose windows
are exhibited two lamp chinneys, a jar
of candy and box of pepper, while
overhead hangs the sign: ''B Bearse,
Commission-Merchant." Then comes
to the head of the' whslves, Swhere are
congregated,the men from the maekerel
fleet in the harbor, talking in various
languages, Or executing slow dances to
the tune Of Home, Sweet Home,'f
from jewsharps and accordeons; and
then it comes QUIZ IN the Sold village,
with the white church and the trim
houses and the fower-gardens full of
peonies and pansies and hollyhocks and
larkspurs in their season, and hemmed
in by white, ,picket-fences, each with its
green roll along the top. .is .,s
/ walked along here, catching n
sNf
the harbor, until I came ont to where
the houses were more scattered. Then
the road goes up a little hill, and from
the top you haye. an unbroken view of
the harbor ON one side, and on the other
the salt marshes. just beyond this hill
top and standing apart by itself, was
an old house.which had never noticed
much before, but which now attracted
my attention, and L stopped. 1t stood
back perhaps fifty feet from the road,
and was built in the common country
fashion, withsone story and pitch roof
slanting toward the road. The blinds
were all closed, and their green had
faded to alight blue. The white paint
of the house was much Of it washed off,
and what was left was peeling andcurl-
ing up. Through the crack between,
the boards Of the front doorstep was
growing a row of vigorous pigweed,
and the front yard was sea of Boune-
ing-Bets. There had been grape-as-
Dor at oneEside of the yard, but it had
gone to ruin, and the vine was trailing
among the weeds. You could tellwhere
the tlower.beds had been by the greater
luxuriance of growth, and along either
border of the, path, from the gate to the
doorway, Could be seen the twinkle,
here and there through the weeds, of
seashells. -,
The house was surely unoccupied.
But there was a certain air about
it which suggested something more
than this. 1T looked as if it were wait
ing for some one-perhaps very far off
now-to come and clear away the
weeds, and fill the flower-beds with
color, and throw open the doors and
windows and let in the sunshine. 'ae #
AS was, wondering what the story of
the house might be, white-haired man,
who had evidently been sailor, came
trudging down the road,
''Who lived herePn he said, in answer
to my question: "Why, this is old Cap'n
Peleg's house. You can't have been
here long If you haven't heard of old
Cap'n Peleg. Would you like to look
insidep Well, III just 60 along here to
my house and get the key" ~
He came back a moment later, and
pushed open the gate, which moved
slowly on hitscrusty hinges. We made
our way through the tall weeds to the
door, and here, too, the lock and hinges
were rusty; but at last the door opened,
and we went into little entry, and
from there into the parlor Although
the room was dark-for the blinds were
closed and the curtains down-yet the
light from the doorway showed that it
had cheerful home-like look. There
was red carpet ON the floor, and on
the walls we're hanging some bright
pictures ofhschooners under full sail
Here by the window stood big rock
ing-chair. with soft red cushion in it,
and there was another pulled up before
the Fireplace, and on the andirons were
piled brushwood and sticks-all ready
for the match. y 's~ = TT n
Its fifteen years since that fire was
built" said the old man, throwing
open the blinds, and then seating him
self in one of the chairs and rocking
softly" Yes, sir, eighteen hundred and
sixty-threeIi How time does fly.n
And is itwaiting for the ownerp" /
asked.
"Well," said the old man, whose
name, by the way, found to be Nehe-
miah, or Ne'miah, as he called it
Cap'n Ne'miah Blossom down,
and I'll begin the story and tell it right
through, and then you can answer your
1ItQCfinr, au n
"You see this house is quite old now.
Cap'n Peleg's father lived here, and
then Capn Peleg, and it's good now for
three or four generations more. That s
what the old man said when he built it.
lie was young man then, but he said:
I'm building this house for my grand
son as well as myself So he picked
out this spot, just sheltered by the hill,
and yet soft you can look down across
the harbor and see the vessels going in
and out, and he brought all the lumber
from down South mewhere-Southern
pine-in his vessel, and had the best
work put in. And sure enough, when
he died Belegi brought his wife here,
and counted on leaving II the same to
his boy. Now, If / only had daguer-
reotype of1Oap'n Peleg, that / raw
once, to show you. and one of his boy,
you might guess the whole story, all by
yourself. The old Cap'n had black
eyes and heavy eyebrows, and a heavy
jaw, and ciose-set mouth, and Hi--that
was the boyls name--he gave promise
10 take after his father
''But they got on together frst-rate.
Cap'n Peleg's wife died while Hi was
only "A bnvs and ao Cansn Peleo and M
had to make much Of each other, and
they were always together. and Cap'n
Peleg was forever making willow
WHSLE, drifgging a rabbit-trap, or do
Ing something else for ILL., He'd mar