Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-04-17
THE WHITE MAIDEN.

Her name, or where she came from, was
mystery to all aboard.
A strange but beautiful little maiden
she was-picked up from a drifting, seal
skin canoe, near Hudson's Strait, by the
crew of the New London ship "Apollo."
For many days the lone ship, with ice
plated bow, had vainly cruised in quest
of the missing sealing bark "Walrus," !"
which was commanded by the searching
captains beloved young nephew, Carl
Refer, who, it was now feared was lost,
with all his men.
Queer enough it was to fall in with a
girl-waif ahoat in this desolate region.
But little she seemed to heed the cold or
the gloom of the frosty cline. Merrily
did she laugh when she saw the ship;
somehow her voice had the tinklin9
sounds of drops of ice falling upon the
waters of crystal cave. She wore a
coat of white bear-skin, and from fur
cap of the same material, her long, light,
faxen hair, powdered with the snow,
which was falling, hung to the hollow of
her back.
Everything about her, except her eyes
and lips, looked white, from her jaunty
round hat to the soles of her gaiters,
which were of white sealskin. Her com
plexion was like the snow itself, her skin
as smooth as ivory, and even her eyes
were of light blue, but soft, brilliant
and full of expression. And yet they
who caught the starry glances of those
eyes felt as if shaft of ice had struck tC
their very hearts.
Why was this? 1t was hard question
% answer, for never was maiden gifteC
with lovelier features, or with more
shapely head and face than she, anC
never was naivette, with childlike limo
cence of manner, more plainly shown b.
a girl of fifteen
GLOW white she isl said the captain
to his second officer, Roberts "a dark
handsome youth of nineteen.
''How white she isl" muttered thu
boatswain, uneasily.
"How whitel how white!" echoed al
the crew.
She could neither speak nor under
stand English, but she clapped her hands
as if glad to get aboard that ship.
The captain by signs inquired if sh
was not cold and hungry, and invite
. her to the cabin, where she could war;
herself, and where the stewards wit
would procure her refreshments. Sh
scooped up little snow from the raj
and minced it with her pea-ly teetl
Then she rubbed more snow over ht
fingers and cheeks, as if to imply thI
she loved it, and was not cold.
eating snowW muttered the supel
stitious old coxswain. "Does she mea
j, she lives on it? Ay, it would seem 81
y and she has the look of a frost spirit, {
" something of that kind, come to brir
bad luck to us all!'
1t was, however, soon shown that Il
Y White Maiden meant she had an app
- tite; but before entering the cabin 81
picked up quantity of snow, put it {
be the capstan, and to the surprise of 6
A the officers fashioned with a skill tru
wonderful little snow-ship, with hu
lnasts, jib-boom, and even some of Il
rigging. Around this she piled squa
pieces of snow, made to resemble ic
then with one hand she pointed to t
image she had made, and with the 9th
far away to the northwest, where flo
and columns of ice were dimly visible.
The spectators thought it was easy
co understand her meaning
ga ship-a wreck in the ice off tt
way, and she was from the wreck-col
to tell us about it, said the captain.
''Perhaps it is the very craft we {
in search Of" remarked the captai
second officer, Roberts.
-, "There was no women aboard
";,e aite bark Walrus," said the captain. ISL
on. there is no knowing but this girl n
somehow have got aboard. We v
look for the craft, and God grant that
, may prove to be my nephew's, and tt
we may find him safe and sound"
Days passed ere the ship could ms
any progress on her course, owing
battling winds and currents. The wi
JIb became colder, and from truck to d.
she was so sheeted with ice that it '
hard to work her sails and rigging.
the bow, the figure of the good Apo
eral which was made of wood, and was b
inu- low, became filed with salt water, VIII
had frozen, and now threatened to bl
the image asunder.
n One morning, therefore, the capt
VI had the statue brought to the after-de