Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-11-19
CAPE ANN LIGHTS.
A THANKSGIVING STORY.

hSO, ny inc IOuSH, StronS nanuS OF Oaru-
ner ChenOweth himself, stands in a nook
for red by a within of the seas own-a
dent in the land where the waters rush
in and out at the bid ling Of the moon
now surging and roaring, and creeping
and crashing, over and between the great
irregular piles of granite boulders; now
curling and foaming and dimpling on
sweet summer days away up to the
orchard. walls and licking with its strong
salt lips the low fields where. in the hot
weather, the cattle love to stand up to
their middles in tle cool water.
Dorothy Chcn0weth has listened to the
roar and sob of the breakers on the Cape
Ann coast all of her life. She has
watched the storms of twenty winters
come looming grayly up from the east;
and she has seen twenty years of suns
rise up to meet her glad young eyes from
far and away across the heaven kissing
line OF the Atlantic. She has learned to
love the changeful moods of the great
waters'-to love, too, and almost to live
by, the varyings of the deep.
Dave Chenoweth, Dorothy's father, is
master of one of the largest of the Glou-
cester fishing smacks, and the farm is
managed by her brother Joe. Dorothy
is housekceper, and takes charge of the
dairy and the poultry, and sends into
Gloucester of a market-day the sweetest
tubs of butter, and the whitest cream
cheeses, and the largest eggs of any one
round about the country.
And Dorothy-a strong, straight, tall
girl, with large brown eyes, and braids
Of brown hair, and red sweet lips max
ing the one touch of vivid color in her
pale, round face-Do othy has a lover.
Indeed she has many, but Jack Kendall
so the neighbors have it-has made his
mark on Dor thy heart.
He is big, splendid, fair fellow, sun
shine in his blue bright eyes, and sun
shine in his curly G lden head. Jack is
mate of ave thcnoweth's boat, the
Susan Jane, and bcs DIS owing a very
good bit Ct Ian inland, already has
enough laid by in the bank at Gloucester
to fit out a boat OF h own with next
year.
Jack had been counting Dorothy
Chenoweth for over year-peope said
they were engaged when, one day in
July--Jack and her father were busy
nending their sails on the porch and Joe
was off haying-it came out that it fell
to Dorothy herself to take the butter
and the cheeses and the eggs into town.
''Hey, Sis" called Dave Chenoweth
TO his daughter, as she was starting off
in the old farm-wagon, her dark eyes
shining under her pink sunbonnet
Eyes, father!' answered she, pulling
up the gray mare with nervous jerk.
'Stop to Squire Redlon's as you
sg'long; Mis- Rcdlon told me as she'd be
l-wantin' butter an eggs, come along
bout now-morc'n they he'd of their
OWN. Fred's got home. an there's lots
o. company over yon."
Every well, father"
Dorothy drove away, glancing back
with Smiling eyes to Jack, mending his
nets on the porch; she did not forget to
stop at Squire Led on's.
Mrs. Redlon sent word by the cook
that she would take all the eggs and a
dozen cheeses; and as Dorothy Cheno-
wcth, with her firm, b:own hands, I'M
wrapped the white chceses from the
linen cloth, and set them on the big
platter Mrs. Redlon's cook held up to
her at the wagon-side, Mrs Redlons son
. came around to the back of the house,
looking for his fishing tackle.
He did not fine it. He found Dorothy
Chcnoweth instead.
1t seemed to him that he had never
before seen anything so beautiful 1t
seemed to him that he must have been
unconsciously seeking, in all the far
foreinn lands that he had lived in for 50
may years, for just this tall, slight,
strong young woman sitting there before
him in slip of summer sunshine witt n
dismal brown frock and terrible pink
sun-bonnet.
1t was only the beginning of July, but
Jack Kendals summer ended that soft,
warm day.
He knew it-felt it--coud swear that
the winters cold was gnawing at his
heartstrings, as eagerly watching for
Dorothy, he at last saw her drive slowly
down the lane.
Fred Redo was sitting beside her.
Both were talking so interestedly that
neither of them noticed him leaning on
the messy wall, or saw that the humps
were already lighted in the lighthouse
Dorothy always had supper Cd tho
table Just as the Lights were lighted, bu
tonight she had, alas forgotten alto
gether about supper.
Fred had come to the farm to SCI
Dave, to talk over lis old childish days
when Dave Chenowch was only SECOND
mate himself, and not married yet, anC
when Fred Redlon loved to sit on hi
knee and listen to stories of the Glouces
ter gales and the bonny fisherman's life
he made of it,
So the sumner ended for Jack.
And so it began for Dorothy
What new worlds Fred opened to her
what books lie brought her to read
what longings and cravings wec born il
her girlish breast And the long walk
on the rocky beach, where hand IOuchc
hand in mute, growing acquaintanceship
and the twilight wanderings all acros
the Cape, thre ding the narrow sheep
tracks, and stopping to pull the w!lc
flowers as t, ey wet. And the home
comings when the stars were out. and nj
the meadows shone with dew; when tn
sea lay locked in calm, melting into TIL
great quiet of the summer sky, and whcl
the Cape Ann Lights shone ont in splen
dor yonder on Thatchers lonely island
Those lights always made Dorothy re
member Jack. She knew not why, bu
in some sorry fashion they did TIL
lights were ther1 for fishermen, JAG
was fisherman, and it always seeme
to her as if in some inscrutab'c way the
were bidding her not fer set Jack Ken
dal
She glanced over to the face of tn
man who, at the lane gate, stood no,
looking into her eyes.
1t was the face of an artist, poet,
dreamer-one of tho C men who ma
IL.