The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-12-11

Teal poem from her pocket:
.sYou were early in passing in your
composition, Ralph. / said they need
not be ready before Friday afternoon.
/ have corrected this, however, although
as 1 had not my blue pencil with me,
you must notice that Ihave drawn a red
line under both the misspelled words
and the errors in grammatical construc-
ton. 1 have made a cross against sew
eral false rhymes and the most seriously
defective rhythms. 1t is a pretty effort,
I think, and you have improved greatly
in punctuation"
My disgust and chagrin admitted of
no words. The only 1ove-letter I ever
wrote or aver shall, l crushed hurriedly
into my pocket, and was grateful that
the arrival of my grandfather diverted
attention from my crimson cheeks.
He entered with his most stately air,
and I readily perceived that his delay
was due to extra attention bestowed
upon his toilet. He had the natural
gallantry of a m and astonished
Miss Lincoln by kissing her pale brow
deliberately, with the words:
"Dear madame, allow me to salute
YOU" He performedth same ceremony
in connection with my mother, who sub
mitted gracefully, as she had done for
nearly twenty years, never daring to
cross her husbands father, of whom she
stood in an awe even deeper than my
own. The quaint courtesy of his man.
ner, too, recommended his greetings.
| OF me he took, as usual, not the slightest
notice.
My grandfather having politely seated
his guest, proceeded to draw out his own
ponderous armchair, a signal at which
my mother and l ventured to take our
places, and while old Cap'n Reuben was
addressing Miss Lincoln in his deep
tones, my mother poured the coffee and
served us all in turn, expressing her Sc
cret tenderness for me and her uneasy
consciousness of some trouble in my
face, by heaping a very pyramid of the
brownest buckwheatl cakes upon my
plate.
..You are, my dear young madam"
my grandfather was saying, engaged,
1 believe, in the occupation of teaching. y
Having heard that old Cap'n Reuben
was exceedingly deaf, Miss Lincoln
bowed silently in answer.
San honorable occupation" con-
tinued my grandfather; spray tell me
how many pupils have the happiness of
being under your instruction a tpresent.
..About thirty replied the teacher,
raising her silvery voice.
But the old man shook his head
mournfully.
Il do not hear you, madam. I have
listened too long to the roar of stor my
seas. The crash of winds and
waves fills my ears continually
and renders it hard for any
human voice to reach me. / have sailed
the seas, dear madam, for over half a
century, and I should have found a
grave long since beneath their tides.
There my father sleeps and his brave
father before him,-both stalwart men
in their time and the doors of many a
worthy deed. And my son, who ranked
with the best of his race, who sailed
from this port, on his twenty-first birth
day, Captain of as fine a whaler as ever
rode the waves-my son is gone be-
fore. 1t is not often that you see, per-
haps, a family on New England soil so
proud of pedigree. But my ancestors
were bold and hardy sailors whose
names will not lightly perish. All,
madame, it is a thousand pities that the
| DlOOo VI bnO 1bdtlllOIoS hOmS III llOlOs1 III
/ am old man now and mine is already
turning to ice within my veins"
Amidst all my Tuning rage and NOR
LITIGATION, / could see, with a certain
habitual pride in my grandfather, that
Miss Lincoln, meeting him for the
first time, was strongly impressed by his
words and manner. The ancient French
descent of our family was apparent in
his courtly bearing, made more emphatic
by the lordly air that years of sover-
eighty on board his ship had given him.
He added, moreover, to that intelli
gence and breadth of view which ordi-
narily distinguished the sailor, with his
varied experience of men and countries,
from the plodding and narrow-minded
farmer, the vestiges of an early educa-
ton in books and schools much exceed
ing that common among men of his
calling.
But as he sadly shook his snowy head,
lamenting for his sea-faring race soon
to become extinct, my teacher, forget
ting his infirmity, FASTENED to say, nod
ding and smiling toward me: ..But here
is Ralph, Captain Rainford, a good boy
and as bright as need be at his lessons,
whenever he chooses to study
He will always persist in seeing me
against the background of a black.
board and a map,"I groaned inwardly,
while my poor mother, who SO seldom
heard a syllable in my praise, grew
radiant with pleasure and deluged my
cakes with fresh supply of syrup.
NY grandfather had not heard the
teachers words, but he followed hel
glance and said, bending his shaggy
brows upon me with a frown:
NAY, madame, the Rainford mer
have passed away. The lad features
my son, but only as a shadow in the
glass. Manhood is declared in action
and this mopish girl in pantaloons-
dear madame, pray excuse the term
is but the hollow echo of voices hear6
no more. His arms are pipe stems and
his hands are claws. He has ever done
a deed, nor can, nor will. He bears the
Rainford eyes and hair, and dwells be
meath the Rainford roof, but as useless
ly as a picture on the wall. The mer
of my name, dear madame, sleep il
ocean graves, all save myself, whom
death has, maybe, forgotten, for nevel
yet has the spoiler sought a Rainford OF
land. All! if my son had left a son, and
not a doll, behind him, | would yet sal
the seas once more and be buried where
my father sleeps, in the far Arctic
Ocean, with an iceberg for my only
monument.
The melancholy majesty of the ole
mans manner had brought the tears tt
his listeners gray eyes. He noticed
them, well pleased, and when, on rising
from the breakfast table, she equipped
herself for school, wrapping about he
shoulders a warm, red cloak, with hoo(
and hanging tassel, not the timid re
m-onstrances of my mother nor the chill
of the wintry morning could RESTRAIN
the gallant old gentleman from offering
the teacher his arm to the school-house
We were doubtless a comical littl,
company as we made our way acros:
the frozen fields, treading cautiously or
the ice-crIIsted drifts of snow and fol