The Washington critic., 1885-12-26
OLD POLLY AND HER BOAT.

III NllluNG IhtUlOIlcS, COulu OulJ SuN
that one day she saw n black-haired
woman moving along the shore of the
lake carrying a babe in her arms.
Where the woman and the babe stayed
for two nights nobody could say The
third day this woman was seen digging
up the earth in a little nook sheltered
by trees from the winds blowing across
Lake Michigan.
What are you doing?' somebody
asked her.
"What please; and you may do
what you please and / won't ask you
any questions about IL.
In two days what the woman called
cellar" had been dug by her, the
fat baby in the meantime sitting on
green knoll, sometimes playing with
dirty rag baby, sometimes rolling over
and stretched out for q nap. Then
came the transfers with load of small
ioists, boards and shingles Another
day came two carpenters, and they
quickly built a rough shanty home for
Polly" for somebody had found out
that this was her name.
In that shanty home by Lake Mich
igan black haired Polly became gray
haired cold Polly" The baby was
rough girl of twelve when Fanny Salter
attended school with her, and she was
known as "Old Polly's Betty
Betty is queer thing" said Fanny
to her mother one day, as before the
mirror she prepared for school. "She
is not good scholar, and the girls all
make fun of her and tease her. She
stands it we'll"
Fanny did not add that one day,
when herd of rough young girls had
rushed at Betty, pushing her one way
and then pulling her another, Fannie
had sprung inside this rough, hard.
handed circle and planted herself by
Betty's side as u defender. That
stopped the sport.
II think she is queer" said Mrs.
Salter, looking up from her knitting.
"They say she is old Polly's' grand
child. l wonder how they get along
this season."
ooh, Polly washes for folks, and
then she raises vegetables on her land"
wonder why they live down by the
lake? Why don't they come up into
the villageY'
II heard Betty once say her father
was sailor somewhere, and mother,
old Polly has a boat and rows it
good as man"
Il never saw Betty Or Polly in
church. -
NO"
After this remark, Fanny sat awhile
in silent thought Her mother con-
tinued her knitting Suddenly, Fanny
exclaimed: There, mother | mean TO
get Betty into the Sunday
you can just try. One thing will
do it If anything will"
What is that?'
kindness.
81 suppose So.
"Then add one thing morc-praycr.
Love and prayer will work wonders,
Fanny. don't suppose anybody ever
tried to get Betty and her grandmother
out to church or Sunday school. Some
times such people are the very ones to
respond to our efforts When we get
at them and get into them we find there
is something inside that may be really
lovablc."
Was there anything "lovable" about
the harsh voiced, harsh hammered cold
Pollyy" Have we not sometimes seen
flower growing out of the cleft of an
old ledge? If people only knew why
"Old Polly lived near the lake and
why she kept that boat and had learned
to row it, they might have thought a
flower was blooming out Of the ledge
"Old Polly"
How do you succeed with Betty"
said Mrs. Salter to Fanny one day.
81 keep doing things for her and try
to take her part, and | have got inside
old Polly's' house-have got rs far as
her kitchen.
"Well, Fanny, that is about all there
is, ] fancy, to old Polly's house down
stairs-at least they say so--and if you
have got that far you have made some
progress,
One day Fanny came home in great
excitement,
ooh, mother, Old Polly says Betty
may come TO Sunday school, and our
superintendent says she may carry the
blue banner next concert night.
"You have done wonders, and now
mean to see if | can't get Old Polly
out to the concert Just to see Betty"
1t did seem like night of wonders
when the next concert of the Sunday
school occurred. The scholars had an
exercise in which there was n process
sion, and then some one was chosen to
carry tasty blue banner. At this
concert there was the marching eXer,
else, and in it appeared Betty bearing
the blue banner,
nAO1 motbnr - coiJ Eonn,, 81
turned, and away back by the door was
old Polly in your black shawl"
"She said she would try to come, and
lent her my shawl.
All, kindness and prayer had been
the two angels that worked these Won
dcrs.
The days slipped by. Betty stayed
in the Sunday school, "Old Polly now
and then appeared in church. "Old
Polly" Betty" and "the boat" were
the three important object at the lake
side home. And what about the third
that boat? "Old Polly" would be
seen rowing it along the shore,
THAT'S queer, more than one said.
II was explained the morning of a
rainy day. Word came to the village
that two men were of in the water
clinging to u boat,
Not but two or three hundred feet
from shore, butt guess" said Tim.
Blodgett, the person bringing the
news and telling II almost breath,
lessly, Il guess-they can't swim
and"
Wen have boat there in flf.
teen minutes" said Captain Sal,
ter, Fannys father, and an old lake
pilot.
Fifteen minutesl The schooner tc
which these two men belonged had
struck rocky point and gone down in
the night, The crew had put of in
hot .trl.t al, -,