San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-09-20

one side TO the other, trying to follow
his movements. Whoever left the
little boat on shore that morning
must have forgotten that the tide was
rising; for in a very short time, loos-
ened by Trotty's eYertions, and raised
by the incoming waves, it has worked
gradually away from the sand, and
when Trotty, tired of the fish, looks
around in search OF other amusement,
she finds that she is, what seems to
her, long way out at sea. AT fist
she does not mind it very much, for
she is quite used to the water, papa
has taken her out in his own boat so
often this summer. But after a while
she grows hungry. and tired of dane
ing over the waves. She thinks of
the nice breakfast at home, of nurse
and baby, of mamma, and wonders If
she misses her little girl. Two great
tears come into her blue eyes.
"Oh, mamma, want you'll Why
don't you come and look for me9" she
sobs, sitting down disconsolately in
the bottom of the boat.
The tears in the blue eyes roll
down Trotty's cheeks as she
lays her head against the cushioned
seat, and draws her white apron over
her face. She cries bitterly for q
while, then the sobs grow fainter, I'M
til, rocked by the motion of the boat,
Trotty falls asleep as soundly as if
she were under the pink curtains in
her own bed at home.
Now, this same May morning, re-
turning home after long voyage, a
great ship comes sailing over the sea.
There are a number of people looking
for the land they have not seen for
so many days. The captain stands
on the bridge looking through his
glass at the different places they are
passing. By-and-by he looks at
something nearer, something small
and white, that comes dancing over
the waves. AS the ship approaches
he sees that it is little boat, and that
there is pretty child lying in it.
Now the captain has a little girl just
the age of Trotty, and when he sees
her sleeping under the striped awning,
he thinks how badly he would feel
were his own little one carried away
like that; so he gives orders to have
the vessel stopped, and sends some
sailors in boat after the little wan
derer. Bv-and-by Trotty wakes up
suddenly, and finds that she has been
carried on to the great ship, and that
she is lying in some ones arms, sur
rounded by strangers, who are all
looking at her. But although Trotty
is very much frightened at the water,
she is not at all afraid of the people;
so she struggles down from the cap
tain S arms, and says gravely as nurse
had taught her:
"How do you do?"
This makes everybody laugh.
Then tall young man who is sitting
close by her lifts Trotty on his knee.
"Come here, little one," he says,
"and tell me your name, and how you
happened to be so far from home"
ats Trotty. I'm looking for I'm
Gle Fred"
Just then she sees one of the pas
sengers waving a handkerchief to an
outgoing steamer they are passing.
She jumps down, and pulls out the
wee handkerchief, together whit he
poor star-fsh and mammals locket.
both of which she has entirely for
gotten. They fall on the deck, while
Trotty dances about, waving good.
by to the steamer. Her new friend
stoops, picks up the iocket, and toss
es the star-fsh back into the water,
where he is quite happy again.
"Trotty," he exclaimed suddenly,
"who is this?"
"Oh, that's Uncle Fred" answers
Trotty.
Then Trotty is more astonished
than she has been all the day, for the
young man snatcneS her up, Kisses
her, and asks her so many questions
that she can hardly answer them; but
she tells him all about mamma. and
thinks it very strange that he has
never heard of papa or the baby
brother. He is never tired of asking
sbout grandpapa; but when they
speak of him, Trotty thinks her new
acquaintance is a very strange young
fellow, for when she tells him what
nurse and mamma said about Uncle
Fred, and how gaandpapa grieved for
him, a tear rolls down his cheek.
"Bless mel" cries Trotty, wiping it
away with her handkerchief. "Pears
to me Uncle Fred makes everybody