The Dillon tribune. [volume] (Dillon, Mont.) 1881-1941, 1886-09-17


was no more than ! ami when
you saw her two summers ago she
was yol' oi, 1S. Yer know Maggie was
rs good looking II girl as yer could lind
hereabout.. an MANY Il Teller us has come
here with his boat IL simmer time has
been kiilt. q took wi her. was kind o
prou.! to have en-, 81. TOO. FOR I'd /. PIE
::io,ls good opinion q MAGGIE. al., l like!
to see 'cm back me up |, Wvrcn' every
one she'd take to. ic',:. r,tr she'd MAKE
her clr.'ce liI.. :.ny E.l.. Wruls! Ma-@:@.
let her go Sa;lin' w;lci,vre, she ";:ii:e't.
knew she n:;,S; N; kind q lonesome here
in winter al IN *ls;,;incr | was Tor sCr
to have all ri,c cheer she could. Nec that
she ever coinpiaineSi. She w;r, !! good
girl. an comfort to NE sam1rer i'm
winter, was Maggie.
cts goin' ON thre. years now, mister.
. that Il little after the Jun" Na.%y'e got to
lie IS there was !: yo,,u:: tc,ltr "' co'.:c
oyer here to stay He WAS /. :soGi-lo''..
in chap. strong an quick. an ATS handy
in Il boat as anyone 1 ever see. lie
seemed to kind O like it. here. III the
bcginrin' he hired one OF my boats by
the week. an when he'd had il that way
about four weeks he took ii for the sea-
son. Well. was glad to let him have it,
for i, was often as he'd take Maggie out.
an felt easy when l knew. Maggie was
with him. for. as I told you, he was
strong and handy in Il boat. an felt as
no harm could come to her when she was
With him. One bright mornin III Sep
TENDER. just aforc they sailed away. she
came Il runnin' into me an says us they
was ,a-goin' for Il long sail and wouldn't
he back till late. Well. it wasu't unusual
f.,,. 81 of,
especially o. moonlight nights. when they
could come in on the tide an the night
wind an this time didn't begin worry
in about EN- Until it yet to I've very late
an they hadn't come back. Some
folks as was at the house walked
the beach between the inlcts with me
till late in the night: but we saw
nothin' of them. But bless ne. | didn't
give 'em up. II had been II fine day. an it
was u clear. bright night. an kind q
trusted the No.,E. teii2r, for Ike seemed
kill, % fond O Maggie AN | thought he
wo,llttn' t let II" harm come to her. An,
sure as Yer live. hex, day. early in the
nnrnin'. we spea the boa, sn:li'.' up the
inlet. an began wavin' an ..u,,tin' 10
'cm for joy. But some one as h;;;l Il spy
glass said they wasn't u|oari--uu'. mister,
they wasn't. The Teller as WAS in her
came from the Jersey coast. am he said us
q man aud Il girl had landed there the
day before. an the nia.l-t yNN:.. gsnal-
loOkin' chap. he said-hut! paid him to
bring the boat over. Id kept up pretty
well I'LL then, but when | klow'd she
wasn't come back, an felt all Of Il sudden
us She might never come back. hid my
face iii my hands an cried like Il baby.
Folks tell me rs I WASN'T Il good one to lie
,..itl, FAN. H.
an guess they were about right. She
was all the world to ne. was Maggie. l
took her to NE as I; child an brought her
up, an set my heart on her. and for her
to leave me III my old days was mighty
hard. When l got q,ietcd down they be-
gan to comfort me ,.-Sayil' IL; she might
come back. Nh. mister. If she only had.
I'd have welcomed her. for she was still
my little Maggie, an I'd la' loved her as
much ~ ever. But i, got 10 he winter
an spring an summer an on toward fall,
an heard nothin' Of hcr
ut WASN'T much lnorc than a year
after she'd left when one laornin' Il Teller
came suilin' over from the shore with
what hc said was ii telegram for me. 1t
came from the city. al it read that il
was to % to one q the hospitals there I'd
find Il girl as would like IT, see me: an it
told N" IL come quick. too. for she was
very low. perhaps a-dyin'. Yer may
know who the girl was: an it's likely yer
know, too as ! wasn't long a-gcttiu' to
her. But wasn't any too soon. She
was lynn Oh II cot. an when she saw me.
it WAS just I'LL she could d" t" stretch her
arms ont to me, so she could put 'en
around me an press her poor. pale face
against mine.
''Father,' she whispered, Il went back
on yer-and yer who'd been SD good an
kind to me: am, father, want yer to say
before | 'lie as you've forgiven me-
II couldn't say m,hin'. mister, just
held her closer. hut guess as when she
felt my tears a-ollin' down on her face
she know'd she'd got what she wanted.
held her till they told me she couldn't
speak no more. an then laid her hack.
1t was only IL few minutes after that she
lived but ufore she died she opened her
eyes once more an moved her lips.
bent down to her AN she could just
whisper:
Father. I'm sure Yer haven't gone
back on me. I'm sure Yer forgive me.
f3ut-father-l want you t" forgive him,
too For-tather-l'vc furyiven-'"
The old man buried his face in his
hands and snbletl. while the dog moved up
close I" his master and hnwled pitcu,sly
The plan" was still ia,lgling in the other
room aud the singing was ut its ,,uiest
But he didn't seem to hear it, After
| awhile. though. they got through and.
missing him. began to call for him. hut
before he went ont he passed his hand
gently over the dogs back and said. turn
ing to me: II forgive her. mister, an
I've tried to forgive him, hut it's more
than poor old man like me can tlo. III
try again. mister; III try hard for the lit
tie girls sake. know rs his sins a-goil
tn llrA.n lin. IaE har., .o,n., t;,,,.. xI.;,..,