The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-07-03

and he begged his mOther TO tell D1m /
what had happened. Then, when she
had told him, and his memory had found |
again its lost path, he cried out in his
agony, and called upon his God to take
him away, and would not be comfor.ed,
but hardened his heart to all sympathy.
He refused ever again to look upon the
schooner which had been his pride, and
when favorable opportunity offered he
shipped as second mate on board vessel
bound to Shanghai from Boston.
He did not return for three years, and
then, finding that his share in the Mary
Frances had realized more than enough
to keep his mother in her simple comfort,
and that he had goodly balance to bis
credit at the Office of the owners of the
Shanghai ship, he settled down in a
strange apathy that nothing seemed able
to break. His mother died and was
buried and no man saw him so moved in
all his life before: the tears coursed down
his bronzed cheeks, and in broken
voice he thanked the neighbors for their
simple tokens of coincidence. Then he
was again alone, and such solitude as his
was may men pity and God have mercy
upon, for save in time of storms no man
saw his face. When the wind rose in its
fury and the sea beat upon the shore,
Silas would walk up and down the rocks
and watch for what never came, and at
and at night go home and sit before his
lamp with the Cape Ann Chronicle
spread out before him. If by chance, as
sometimes happened, wreck drove
ashore, it was Silas who first set foot on
board OF her. We're any one saved, Silas
it was to whom the rescue was due; but
no man ever succeeded in thanking him,
for when the danger was past and the
need over, he would go into his house, and
he answered to no ones knock. The SIM
pie household duties he performed win
his own hands and the few provisions he
consumed we're left outside the door when
he had ordered them by letter. Only
children ever communed with him, but
to them he would sit and talk for hours,
and when he had done they would return
to their mothers more quiet, and less
needing the rod, than before they saw
him. His towns folks held him to be
insane; quite harmless, but not of sound
mind, and they We're not far from right.
He was scrupulously neat, but as he had
bought no clothes for two years, those
he wore were more patches than original
cloth. His expenses were almost nothing
but he owned a part of every fishing ves-
sci that went out of Saltport, and was
reckoned very comfortably rich by his
neighbors.
{ One day when one of his old crew had
gotten vessel and house and young
wife, Silas came to him and offered to go
a-fshing in his place.
ether amt no use in your leavin'
Ellen" he said. "You've jes' gut mar
ried, an she'll only cry fur ye while ye're
gone, an Their wunt be no pleasure in it
fur ye, an I'll jest go fur ye one or two
trips, an then if Ellen feels more wonted
to the idee O. your bein' away from her,
why ye can take yer own hellum. don't
want no part O. your lay, an I'll pay it
all over to ye when get it. don't need
it an wunt take it, but I know all
'baout it, an L amt goin' ter hev Eilen's
wedding to turn out cross fur her to
bear if | can help it. Do ye want me to
go in yer stid?"
And Ellen went up to him and threw
her arms about his neck and kissed him,
while her husband drew his sleeve
across his eyes and said to him in tones
which brayely struggled to be manful:
Isl, ye've done what nary man in Salt
port wouldn' done, an I take it as ye
offer it, an [ hope yer own cross'll be
easier fur it = when min tibet day on
the Frances when Mary was"
Hold yer tongue! I don't never think
O thet day. don't want no man to
think Of it, neither, but I'll sail in the
Flirt fur ye tomorrow il yell let me-"
'I'll let ye, an Ellen'll thank ye; I
can't, but if theirs ever anythin' t yer
want me ter do, Ellen'll see t it's done,
guess"
"Go, Silas, and may God be as good to
you as he has been to me. My heart
bleeds for you as it has done for five
years, but you've done mo a good turn
this day that'll make you feel happier
than you have in long time, I hope.
Good by, and God speed YOU"
So Silas went away for his old comrade,
and did not return for three weeks; but
at nine o'clock in the evening of the day
he left, while Ellen and her husband sat
alone, knock on their door was followed
by the entrance of frightened boy who
said that there we're thieves in Silas Proc
tors house.
81 was jes' going home FIN meetin' an
see light in ST Proctor's haouse an 81
Proctor's gone tishin' in your std, n
knowed you'd go over to his haouse n
ketch the burglars, an I'm goin' hum.'
And then he ran home and went to bed
too frightened to speak to any one else.
Ellen and her husband went to Silas's
house, which was but few steps from
their own, to see what was really the mat
ter.
you'd better take your gun, Tom, for