The Cecil Whig., 1885-12-19


still, for l didn't want to fri9hten' en-
an in a minute | knew it was Liz
and John.
81 felt wicked to listen, but | kne,
if stirred, likely's not he'd drag hi
anchor or sunthin'. So | KEEP Still
an'-wall, it was all arranged that the
should marry. He wanted to b
spliced right away, for he was jis
startin' on years v'y'ge to Trieste
But she said no, an showed him hoV
it would be better to wait until he go
back. At last he let her have her way
an then he kissed her, an they wen
away. | watched 'em as they walKet
through the moonlight, with his arm
around her waist, until they went into
her mothers house. | was glad fo
Liza, for John was likely lad. H;
was goin' as fust mate of the Louis;
and Mary, an if all went well, on hi:
next v'y'ge he would go as master
Everybody knew of it in a day or two
for John couldn't keep his happines:
to himself, an everybody was glad il
had turned out as it had.
"The next week the Louisa and
| Mary sailed an John with her. Aft9l
he was gone we could see that Liza
had not forgotten that she was prom
ised, for she never did a tking, mol
went in any company that she knew
John wouldn't like, an time an again,
when she was goin' over to Edgartown
~ = meetln', she got me to row her over,
though there ...lj!i2:nty Of y2lgo felI
lows who would a. been glad to do it,
But Liza didn't forget John, an all the
while he was gone she was gettin'
ready for the weddin' that was to come
off when he got back. She got some
letters full of pleasant talk, but after
the Louisa and Mary sailed from
Trieste for home, she never heard
ag'ln, an none of us ever heard
either.
"When the time had come and gone
when the Louisa and Mary was due,
and we heard nothin', we began to
think that we never should see her nor
any of her crew again an when she
was overdue three months, we knew
that it was all over with her. But no
body wanted to tell Liza so. She
knew it herself, though poor critter.
Every day for weeks an months she
came out, right where you are standin',
in all sorts O. weather, an gazed out to
sea for an hour or more. Bimeby she
got sick an nobody couldn't do moth
in for her, an she died. She said she
wanted to be buried in sight an sound
of the sea, so John could know where
to find her when he came for her. An
there's her grave yender, jest part O.
that clump O sycamore trees. Them
trees is landmark for sailors to steer
by. They see them the fust thing
when they are nearing port. The wo-
men said she TUX cold on the beach
an died o lung trouble. But know
better'n that
''What was it?" asked the listener.
81 tell ye-she had a CALL" said the
old sailor, lowering his voice to my
sterlous whisper.
"a call?"
eyes. The last time she came out
here it was pretty Geld and little hay
over the water, and the wind was off
shore. l was a-diggin' clans just over
yender, an kind O. watchin' her at
the same time. She stood as she al
ways did, right where you are now,
gain out to sea, an every little while
shadin' her eyes with her hand, as if to
see somethin' far out. Bimeby l saw
her run down to the edge O. the water
till she was up to her ankles in foam,
an then she stretched out her hands
over the sea an cried out: John, dear
John, come and take meH
"Then she fell in a faint on the beach
an a wave dashed over before l could
reach her. took her up an carried
her in my arms to her mothers house.
An when l laid her on her bed, you
may believe it or not"
"Please go on"
"Wall, p'raps it's big story to tell
but | saw her fall jest as plain as | see
you now, an l saw the wave curl up
an dash over her. But when | laid
her on the bed, her hair-it was jest
the color of the sunlight that streaks
across the water when the sun goes
down, an fell clear to her waist-it
was all drenchin' wet, an her feet, they
was wet, too. But all the rest of her
was dry as that air old jibboom, high
an dry on the sand"
"Did she die?'
'She never seemed to sense any
thing again. She laid jest where we
put her an said nothln' only jest what
she had said down on the beach
Every little while she would cry out
John, dear John, come an take me,
and jest before she died, she stretched
out her arms, as she did over the water
an cried out, John, I'm comm take
mep An then she died.
"They asked me if ] saw anything
when she ran down in the water, but
couldn't jestly say did, only there
seemed to be sort O. flash, like O.
something white in the mist something
like the glimpse of vessels sail only
it wasn't that. l don't know what il
was but it was something"
"And this is the poor girls grave,