Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-08-06

paniment and the rest were shout
ing a boisterous song. | thought
then wOnld be a good time to ask
him what had become of the girl
whose childish features we were
looking at, so inquired, by way o.
introduction, if he had ever been
married. 1t was to this he had re-
piled "No, mister, I amt Spliced
nor never was
"But yer see,' he continued, as,
though he knew what was driv-
ing at, otis uncommon lonesome
here in winter, an many a time
when Pve heard some young one
ashore yonder as wasn't cared for
at home I've got its folks to let me
take it out here with me. The
children kind a cheered me up
durin' the long winter evenin's, an
when summer came I'd ask to have
'em stay bit longer. The little
ones would beg real hard, too, for
/ made a good deal of 'em, and
they thought kind O well O me for
it. Some O. them stayed few years,
but as they got big an could be
handy at home their folks fetched
'em away from me, an so at last
they all went all butlittle Maggie,
her as they used to call 'Unclc
Jake's little girl 1t was a bad
home I'd took her from, an afOre
she'd been with me long her father
wandered off an her mother died
IN the poorhouse. There wasn't no
one to take her from me then so
she stayed here; an right glad |
was to keep her. She was smart,
likely little thing, an thought as
I'd care for her an lay by bit o
money for her. When she first
came here she was no more than .,
and when you saw her two sum-
mers ago she was goin' on Is. Yer
know Maggie was as gOOd-lOOking
girl as yer could find hereabouts,
an many a feller as has come here
with his boat in summer time has
been kind o took wi her. was
kind o. proud to have 'em so, too,
for I'd a precious good opinion o
Maggie, an liked to see 'em back
me up. 1t werentt everyone she'd
take to, neither, for she'd make her
choice like any lady, would Maggie.
| let her 90 sailin' whenever she
wanted. ! knew she must be kind
o. lonesome here in winter, an in
summer | was for her to have all
the cheer she could. Not that she
ever complained. She was a good
girl,'an' a comfort to me summer
an winter, was Maggie.
ats goln' on three years now,
mister, that a little after the June
Maggie got to be Is there was a
young feller as come over here to
stay. He was a good-lookin' chap,
strong an quick, an as handy in a
boat as anyone | ever see. He
seemed to kind o like it here. In
the beginnin' he hired one Of my
boats by the week, an when he'd
had it that way about four weeks
he took it for the season. Well, !
was glad to let him have it, for it
was often as he'd take Maggie out,
an | felt easy when / knew Mag
gle was with him, for, as ! told
you, he was strong and handy in a
boat, an | felt as no harm could
come to her when she was with him.
One bright mornin' in September,
Just afore they sailed away, she
came r. m into me an says as
they was m for long sail and
wouldn't be back till late. Well,
it wasn't unusual for 'em to stay
ont till after sundOwn, especially o
moonlight nights, when they could
come in on the tide an the night
wind an this time | didn't begin
worryin' about 'em until it got to be
very late an they hadn't come back.
Some folks as was at the house
walked the beach between the in
lets with me till late in the night ;
but we saw nothin' of them. But
bless me, l didn't give 'em up. 1t
had been a fine day, an 1t was
a clear, bright night, an | kind o
trusted the young feller, for he
seemed kind o. fond o. Maggie, an
thought he wouldn't let no harm
come to her. An, sure as yer live,
next day, early in the mornln' we
spied the boat sailin' up the inlet
an began wavin' an shoutin tc
'em for JOY. But some one as had
q spy glass said they wasn't aboard
an, mister, they wasn't. The
feller as was in her came from The
Jersey coast, an he said as a maj
and a girl had landed there the day
before, an the mana young, good
lookin' chap, he said-had paid hin
to bring the boat over. I'd kept NJ
pretty well TIL then, but when
know'd she wasn't come back, an
felt all of sudden as she might
never come back, hid my face il
my hands an cried like a baby
Folks tell me as | wasn't n goot
one to be gettin' along with for The
next few days, am J guess they
we're about right. She was all th'
, world to me, was Maggie. tool
her to me as child an brought
her up, an set my heart on her, ant
for her to leave me in my old day.
was mighty hard. When ! go