McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1883-09-13

tiously toward the stern, and looks
down into the water. She sees q curl
GUS little fish swimming about-very
curious indeed, thinks yrrotty, as she
hobs from one side to the other, trying
to follow his movements. Whoever left
the little boat on the shore that morn
ing must have forgotten that
the tide was rising; for in
a very short time, loosened by
Trotty's exertions, 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, a long way out at sea.
AT first she does not mind it very much,
for she is quite used to the water, papa
has taken her out ip his own boat so
often this summer. But after 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.
sob, mamma, l want you! Why
| don't you come and look for me?" 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 while, then the sobs
grows fainter and fainter, until, rocked
by the motion of the boat, Trotty falls
asleep as soundly as if she were under
the pink curtains of her own bed at
home.
Now this same May morning, return
ing home after long voyage, a great
ship comes sailing over the sea. There
are number of passengers on deck
watching 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 some
thing nearer, something small and
white, that comes dancing over the
waves. AS the ship approaches, he
sees that pit is a little boat, and that
there is a pretty child lying in it. Now
the captain has little girl at home 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 che little wanderer. By
and-by Trotty wakes up suddenly, and |
finds that she has been carried on
to the great snip, and that she
is lying in some ones arms, surrounded
by strangers, who are all looking at
her. But although Trotty was very
much frightened at the water, she is not
at all afraid of people; so she struggles
down from the captains arms, and
says, gravely, as nurse had taught her.
GLOW do you do?''
This makes everybody laugh. Then
a 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
to be so far from home"
''It's Trotty. I'm looking for Uncle
Fred"
Just then she sees one of the passen-
gers waving handkerchief to an out
going steamer they are passing She
jumps down, and pulls out the wee
together with the poor
star-fsh and mammals locket, both of
which she has entirely forgotten. They
fall on the deck, while Trotty dances
about, waving a good-by to the steamer.
Her new friend stoops, picks up the
ocket, and losses the star-fish back into
The water, where he is quite happy
again.
"Trotty," he eNclaims, suddenly,
who is this?"
ooh, that's Uncle Fred" answers
rrotty.
Then Trotty is more astonished than 6
she has been all dsy, for the young i
nan, snatching her up, kisses her, and S
lsks her so many questions that she can t
hardly answer them; but she tells him !
vi about mamma, and thinks it very
trange that he has never heard of papa S
n the baby brother. He is never tired q
# asking about grandpapa; but when v
hey speak of him, Trotty thinks her S
lew acquaintance is very strange q
'oung fellow, for when she tells him Z
What nurse and mamma said about Un- q
lie Fred, and how grandpapa grieved a
or him, Il tear rolls down his cheek. b
"Bless mel" cries Trotty, wiping it il
way with her handkerchief. 6 Pears e
0 me Uncle Fred makes everybody
ry." n
"And pears to me-" answers her o
riend, 'twhen Trotty goes home she o
I'LL make everybody very happy. You b
ear little girl. believe you are little L
NIGEL sent to bring me hope of for n
iveness." "
mo, I'm not,'' replies Trotty; ''but v