Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-05-14

lATTlb EOdIotDtcH anu hANCNsi
fell away from her as if by magic,
under the tender touch OF those white,
dainty fingers.
81 think you must have been nam
ed Margaret, said Mrs. Dye one day,
land it is such pretty name that if
you are willing / shall call you Mar
garet hereafter
The child gladly assented. 1t was
the last tie that bound her to the old
life, and she was only too glad to re-
linquish it.
Margaret was delighted with country
] life. She liked TO watch the robins
feeding their young in the boughs of
the old apple, just before the kitchen
door, and see the shadows of the
clouds drift across the meadow grass,
while the mingled odor of roses and
newm own hay filled all the air with
| fragrance. But most of all she liked
TO see and handle the rare and curious
specimens that Captain Dye had
| brought to his wife from foreign
| lands. There were beautiful shells
whose colors were as delicate as those
of the flowers, pieces of coral which
mad lain in the deep caves of the ocean,
wood carvings from Sarrento, ingen-
ious little toys from Geneva, feathered
flowers made by the Hottentots, and
stuffed birds of gaudy plumage that
sat on quaint brackets in wonderfully
life like attitudes and seemed to be IN
perpetual state of home sickness for
their native forests in the tropics.
There was a room opening out of
Mrs. Dyes chamber where these
things were kept, and here
with Margaret, and, as she sewe@ and
sang ballads of sea life and of ships
| that had gone down at sea, the child
would amGse herself by exploring old
chests and boxes, bringing forth from
their depths longforgotten treasurcs
that had lain hidden away from the
light of day for many, many years.
Often. the recollections called sp by
the sight of these things would bring
tears to the eyes of the sad faced
woman, and the old song would die
suddenly on her lips.
And Margaret, CHANGING at the
bearded face of the portrait hung over
| the mantel in Mrs. Dyes room, would
turn away to hide her own tears. She
knew, without asking, the cause of
this sorrow, for she had been told,
long ago, the sad story of Captain
Dyes death Low his ship, the Daunt
less, had been wreck off the coast of
Norway, in a terrible gale, and all the
crew had persisted in sight Of land,
and how the people had gathered on
the shore TO watch the ship go down
in a sea so dreadful that no one, not
even the bravest sailors, dared go to
! the rescue.
Sire had heard that Captain Dye
| had been seen after the last of the
crew hrd been swept overheard, cling
| ing to the mast as the last awful wave
swept over the deck just before the
ship went down.
She knew that Mrs. Dye, unable to
bear the sight and sound of that
rolling, restless sea, that called up
such horrible pictures of that last
scene in the cruise of the
Dauntless. had left her seaside cot
taga that had been her home since she
first entered it, happy, girEsh bride,
aud made herself home in the west,
away from the sight of the sea which
had become so hateful to her.
Once, when Margaret was arrang~
ing the contents Of little japanese
cabinet, she came upon necklace
composed of little wooden balls, or
beads, exquisitely carved, and emit
ting strange, pungent odor.
Attached to the necklace, as a pen
dant, was a cross Of similar wood, the
ends tipped with fretted gold. She
gave a cry of raptureous delight
"Oh, how beautiful she sighed.
80, Mrs. Dye, may I wear it just
once2 Only once please will be so
careful y
Seeing her rapturous delight over
the necklace, Mrs. Dye told her she
might keep it for her own, to wear
whenever she pleased.
After sthat Margaret wore it cons
family. She never seemed to tire of 1t
and was never weary of
expatia5ing on its beauties,
and in the cxuberance of her graft
tude, she thanked Mrs. Dye again and
again.
Mrs OLeary used to say that a
W lAbN p Etih ~ wa bA0AGut kbtA
luck, she would say, Il only wish 1t
may bring it TO you instead of me. If
| could only do something for you,
who nave done SO muck for me. -
Perhaps you may-who lnowsl'
answered Mrs. Dye kindly, for, though /
anything like good fortune for her /
self seemed unlikely enough, she
could not bear to s2dGen the child's F.
heart by saying so.
1t was bright day in autumn, aud /.
Margaret was going to the city with /.
Mr.. Cantwell, the farmer who had
brought her from the city to Mrs. !
Dyes that night in early summer
which already seemed SO long ago to
the happy little girl
She had filled a basket with bou
quets, 70 sell, and laughing and sing
ing, she climbed up into the old .
wagon, as happy as child could be.