Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-05-07
THE MADONNA OF THE TUBS.


ike nshetinen before him aud fishermen,
please God, to come after him, tossed by the
Nagaries nt the sea aud her tOilers, had
breasted his way to life aud love.
lie was man OF sparse words, except when
in liquor or in temper, and he took but few,
and with the feint of care relesSness or stolidity
used by men OF his kind to mssk the rare
and so confusing emotions of "A lifetime, TO
tell his short, true tale
ave was lost in the iug and drove 10y the
weather, and we was picked up six days to
sea by trader bound to Liverpool. That's
all. Her name was the Rose Of ne West
derned silly name Tor merChantman. She
took me an KEEP me--tor my dory mate was
frozen, and htBl she heaved overboard-till
she hailed the IdR DcUScHcOck, of New
York city, homeward bound. And that's 5
about all. The Van DCUscHcock she took me,
and she got in at midnight, so | took the
train TO Boston, for I'd lost the boat--she'd a
pen cheaper. Have you got piece OF squash
pie in the house? I'm hungry. I'm glad TO
get home.'
The fisherman paused with final air,
aud II left to himself 1t is doubtful if he
would have added another word To his story
from that day to this Men OF the sea are not
so fond as traditonally believed of detailing
their thrilling escapes They suffer too
much, and 1t is comfortable IL forget
| Well-yes," reluctantly, " | said my
| dory mate was fruze. | didn't saw who he
! was. I've no objections, as know of onl Y
| l hate TO think of HIM. job Ely was my
| dory mate. Yes. Wewss together 10 see to
| our travis, and We drlfted oil in the fog
| you could "a cut it with a duh bread-kuife I,
| and we couldn't find our way back to the
| Ibby +. SAT- and that's ali. ! hate to think
| ont, because he died first
| .'There was a bite OF ship-bread and water
| We had aboard the dory agin accident-l
| like 10 have something's they KEEP me.
| But it was almighty cold. Don't you re-
member the spell o weather come along
about Thanksgiving Well Job Ely fruze.
He froze TO death. So had to do the rOwiu'.
NsV.s l-.., l.
like TO heN the body. | thought I'd make
| shore along some o. them dosarted beaches.
| SO KEEP him, but covered his face, and |
couldn't make shore, and 1t was God
| Almighty cold. | rowed for six dsys-nigh
| To seven. like to died-Nelly Jane, don't
take on so' Don't, my girl Set i'll my lap
awhile-never mind the children. Why.
| how yo shake ana tremble! Why, look a,
/ hear! DDS Do tr. I'm a livin' man.
| I've got YOU in these here arms. Bless the
girl? Emma Eliza, what ails your marm ?
Has she took on this way all this while-for
| "ls3 How peaked she looks, and pale and
| saller-kind q starved There, Nelly Jane
| Give me a mite o suthin' for her can't YOU
| She dooz look starved. DON'T tcdRt ROthiR'
| but It ElSS Here's twenty of 'aIn " hO
| ever heard of a woman beln' starved for
kisses Why, what girl you be! Why,
| this is like courtin'-Old married folk like us.
| Why, sho! don't know but it's icUtk a
mans dyin' and comm to life to court his
own widder-this way.
"Well, yes, l did get pretty cold. Fact is,
| | fruze my hands--froze 'em stiff Fortunate
they friz To the oars, 50 l KEEP a.rowin.
| Time agin give out, and like to lay down
alongside poor Job aud give 1t up; but then
they was friz to the oars, SO had to keep a
rowin'. Curious thing, now. One night,
that last night before sighted the Rose 0J
| the West, WAS nigh about gone. You CAM
think how sick was o. the sight of JOb-he
| looked so. But i couldn't bear to heave him
over Well that night tell you the Sunday
mornin, TRUTH heerd RATE singin' and
| Emma Eliza playin' to him on the instru
| ment, and | heerd Rats sing
Pull for the shore, father
| l heerd him plain as Judgment with tb,
girl jinin' in the chorus. But heerd Raj,
quite plain and loud,
| 'PUH for the shore, Father, pun for the shore,
Curious, want, it? HOt0'd that hmm
tune kitOw her chart, nayigatin' all then
waters after me? Say? ? | heerd her. She
needn't tell me. l heerd my little son
sngin' to his father-me's good rs dead
man-and by the ltvin' God l up an
| pUiied'
"What did you say, Rafe ? don know.
| My hands was froZe. Can't say what | can
| do for a livin' with 'om Till I've tried. Have
TO stay ashore maybe. / hain't got so Tar as
that don't mind my huads, SOS I've got
! my folks
"What did holler back the night went
away? l don knows / know. You mean
hadn't oughter had 'em. / thought ont a
sight. hoped she'd forget 'en. l kinder
thought she would. $50 De T@' | don't re-
member sayin' $50 be !" mlsremember
Rafe. Guess it must "a ben-yes, yes-sure
enough. Sho! Yes, yes | was a.calIin' To
poor Job-him ahead Of me, for was late-I
says, Job Ely! .JOb EYy" says |.
81 never says knew you say so, father.
says, l think, believe he said, 80 be /.
| cdntcd to say knew you says SO, ia
ther."
"Td oughter, Rafe. But I'm afraid |
didn't"
"Fa-ther, did you hear me say" But
Rafe stopped. He could not ask his father
Did you hear me say, Marin says she's
sorry :" The fine instinct OF the tisherman's
enid was equal to that emergency. Rafe
did not ask the question, and never will.
Father" once again. Rafe came up
ahd leaned against tho big wooden rock
ing chair wherein the two sat Occurring"
the massive, puzzled, tender man, the
little woman, laughing and crying in her
Widows dress. Father, what did you
hIitE about when you thought you'd DO froze
and drownded all that time?''
"My son. said Henry Salt, after a long
silence, which nobody, not even the babV
or the other baby, seemed to care or dare
to break-''my son, Thought about VoltJ
poor mother. L see that latch wants "A
screw, added the fisherman in his leisurely
natter-oi-iact voice. ~ guess I'll fix 1t
AFTER you've warmed the pie up, Ellen
Jane"
But Emma Eliza, whether from such OK
cess OF lthly blessedueSs as to lead her to
lear that ones heavenly prospects might be
sighted, or whether from some vague sense
Oh saying her prayers or whether solely out
oi RESPECT ior the Instrument will never be
known, danced madly to that melodious
member OF the family, and walled out the
general ecstasy in the lugubrious strains of
The Sweet By-and-byr
-" But 1 never Thought OF its being yOtt -
helen Ritter, confronted in the entry of the
Dig empty summer hotel by that timely
artist whose need of models had made Raie
the proud support OF fatherless
| family, dashed out these words too i'm
petuously to be recalled. " You and hero
again. " She was dazzling with snow and
color. She would have drawn herself TO her
iuil height splendidly, but his was higher
In that gloomy place, by the light OF the
lonely and smoky Kerosene lamp swinging
from tue cold ceiling, 1t seemed indeed as II
ne outVled her in spendor As she looked
up, II was as If his mere physical presence
would break her heart and grind it TO DOW
uer-lt was so long since she had seen him.
Iher eyes clashed, retreated, advanced
uhitod ana held gloriously. They deiied
ea'h other, they adored each other tainted
auu blessed, challenged and yielded, blamed
anu lorgaNe, wounded and wOrshiDped, as
ohIy d lew men and women may in all the
world, and love the better for it, Tho story
OF years was told without a word the secret
oi anguish was said in silence the torrent of
JOY poured past dumb lips, aud there by the
Wlnler sea- on Christmas Eve in the dis
MAJ motel entry, by tho light OF tho smoky
kerosene, two souls without speech or Ian
Ensgo Iet, perhaps for the first time in all