The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1885-06-20

"" o.
THE HOME OF WILLIAM JONES'
Not far from the spot where William Jones
had landed, and removed some little distance
from the deserted village, with its desolate
main street and roofless habitations, there
stood low, one-storied cottage, quite as black
and forbidding-loolxing as any of the aban-
doned dwellings in its vicinity 1t was built
of stone and rooted with slate but the door
way was composed of old ships timber, and
| the one small window it contained had orig
inally formed the window of a ships cabin.
| Over the door was placed, like sign, the
wooden figure-head of young woman, naked
| to the waist, holding mirror in her hand
and regarding herself with remarkable com
placency, despite tho fact that accident had
deprived her of a nose and one eye, and that
the beautiful red complexion and jet black
hair she had once possessed had boon entirely
washed away by the action Of the elements,
leaving her all over of a leprous pallor. The
rest of the building, as l have suggested, was
Of sinister blacIness, though here and there it
was sprinkled with wet sea sand. Sand, too,
lay on every side, covered a small patch,
originally meant for a garden, and drifted
| shickly up TO the very door.
To this cottage William Jones ran with his
treasure trove, and, entering it without cere-
mony, found himself in almost total dark
ness; for the light which crept through the
blackened panes of the small windows was
only just sufficient to make darkness visible.
But this worthy seaside character, having, in
addition to a cats predatory instincts, some
thing of a cats power of vision, clearly dis
cerned everything in the chamber he just en-
tered--a rude, stone paved kitchen, with an
open fireplace and no CRATE, black rafters
overhead, from which suspended sundry lean
| - n r1,tn1a Of NvDnIan chairs n
table, and in one corner a sort of bed in the
wall where human figure was reposing.
Setting down the trunk on the floor, he
marched right over to the bed and uncere-
monously shook the individual lying upon
it, whom he discovered to be a man, mutter-
ing in q heavy sleep Finding that he did
not wake with shaking, William Jones bent
down and cried Justify in his car:
Wreck wreck ashorel"
The effect was instantaneous. The figure
rose up in bed, disclosing the head and Shout
ders of very old man, who wore red cotton
night cap and whose hair md beard were as
white as snow
"Ehl Wheerl Wheer" he cried in a shTill
: treble, looking vacantly around him.
wake up, old 'un,' said William, Selling
him and shaking him again. 'Its me, VIII
liam JONES'
. ''williaml Is it my son Williamr' re-
r turned the old man, peering out into the
l darkness
''Yes, father. Look ye now, you was
Y attacking again in your sleep, you was. A
! good thing no one heord you but your son
4 William. Some o these days you'll be letting
5 summat out, you will, if you go on like this. "
Y The old man shook his head feebly, then
!, clasping his hands together in a kind Of rap
n turc, he looked at bis son and said:
It ''Yes, William, was a-dreaming Oh, it
r was such heayingly dream! i was a-stand-
II ing on the shore, William, and it was a-blow-
It ing hard from the east, and all at once l see
e ship as big rs an Indiaman come in wi all
sail set and 20 ashore; and l looked round,
t, William dear, and there was no one nigh but
ID YOU and me; and when she broke up l sec
d goll aad silver and jewels come washing
# a i no just like floating weeds, and the
H. druwcdel, every one of 'em, had rings Oh
p, their fingers and gold watches and cheens
and, morcn that, that their hands was full
so Of shining gold; and one on 'em-a lady
of WiIiam-had bright diamond ring, as Iii
III as u walnut; but when tried TO pull it off i
of wouldn't come; and just as pulled out m,
ce leetle knife to cut the finger Off and put il il
ng my pocket, you shook me, William, and wuk
NE up. Oh, it was n heavingiy dream!"
X William Jones had listened with ill-lis
ry guised interest to the early part Of thi
ut . SlM cen, nut On IT'S tAhNluSlblls llt EtNe III
cr- other grant Of undiss1mbled disgust
,ur We'll, you're awake now, cid 'un; 50 jun
oct up I've brought summat home. Loo
he sharp and get u light
ut Thereupun the old man, who was full
dressed in pair Of old woolen trousers and
-ay guernsey slipped from the bed and bcgu
fumbling about the room. lie soon fom
not what he wanted--a box of matches and
@ o rude, homemade candle, fashioned Of lon
coarse reed dipped in Sleeps tallow; bu
yer owing TO the fact that he was exceeding
ale feeble and tremnlous, lie was so long in ligl
for ing up that his gentle son grew impatient.
till Here, give 'un to me!' said Willal
tom 'You re wasting them matches just as if tn
her cost nowt. A precious father you are, n
no mistake"
ling The candle being lighted and burning w
lich a feeble fame he informed the old man
latt what he had found. In moment the lat
fat, was down on his knees, opening the !
imy ard greedily examining its contents. /
IS Of William pushed him ilnpatiently away a
med closed the lid with bang.
AIRED "Theer, enough o that, old 'un! You Ii
cath the light while l carry the box in and pu
away
tt IAN right, William dear-all right"
it's turned the old maa, obeying gleefully.
oubt know'd we should have luck, by that bca
have full drcam.n
The two men-onu holding the light
open the other carrying the trunk-passed thro
lasp- a door at the back OF the kitchen and entC
d TO an inner chamber. This chamber, too, {
0 his tanned window, which was so blocked
had however, by lumber Of all kinds that Ii
icing or no daylight entered. Piled up in 6
ltain confusion were old sacks, some partly
/ old some empty; coils of rope, broken Q
If Il broken fragments of ships plunks, rotten
barnacled; a small boats rudder, dirty S
= one several oilskin coats bits Of iron ballast
e box other notsam and jetsam: 50 that the cf
: nv ny ter hal q salt and fsh-like smell, suggest
the hold Of some vessel. But in one col
- 4 tho room was a small wooden bed, wi
~ mattress and coarse bed-clothing, and h
- IN; on nail close to it was certain femi
80, attire which the owner Of the caravan W
-. huVS recognized as the garb worn by
-, Oh the morning of her first appearance.
III, -. Placing the box down, William Jones
fully covered it with portion of an old
,,.,. ats summat, but it amt much,n he
tered, discuntentedly. Lucky them c
-, s,,r,, guards didn't see me come ashore. If
49,, did, though, it wouldn't signify; for W
= - GOuting on the sea belongs ohm as find
- 4 sound startled him as he spoke,
-, looking round suspiciously, he saw Mai
- tcrlng tho room, loaded with broken '
:, ~ But sho was not alone; standing behint
~. ~ in the shadow was a man-none other, in
'u' 'u than Monk, of Monkshurst.
"a. While hiatt entered the room to I
: " IN IN down her load Of wood Monk stood /
- -. " doorway. His quick eye had noted the
Ho''''u ments of father and son.
ksMpra f,1unIar William .IpnpgFN he