Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1886-11-20
WHAT THE TIDE DID.

Jessie Burke, the heroine of nv story.
sat, on this warm summer afternoon, in
a small, plainly furni he'd room, in the
dwelling house of old Capn Benson,
the keeper of Shining Light".
The hou was attached to the light
house tower, and the whole structure
was situated on a sandy belt of land,
projecting out into one of our we'll
known harbors on the Atlantic coast.
Jessie was sewing. and occasionally he
wou d glance up from her work, and
look out OF the small window and aero IS
the shining water; at tdese times she
would sigh as her eyes scanned the far
horizon, aud as she turned back TO hei
sewing, a te r would fall upon her work.
She was small. 81 ght figure, with
clear cut features, dark b own eyes. and
soft golden hair; thoso gh lady, in her
pain calico gown, and looking out of
place in the grim old light house and
uncongenial surroun tings.
Jessie ioqs out OF plaoe-and to explain
how she hap. ened to be there. must 90
back a year, to the time when Jessie
Burke, as happy and fortunate young
lady as we often see, lived with her par
ents' and youn 2er brothers and sisters ir
large Eastern city of these United
Stat IS.
Mr.. Burke was apparently well.to-
do and highly respected gentleman,
blessed with 10 ing wife and family
of fine looking, happy children; for be.
side Jessie, who was then twenty, there
were fifteen year-oli Margie, Robert, and
Justin, respecti' ely eight, and six, and
lastly "Baby Rue"
But alas for the short lived prosperity
of our happy family. That fatal bubbe
OF stocks which so many of our citizens
have cause TO remember in the summer of
1S--, and which when it broke reduced
so many hundreds of L en- from aftluence
to poverty, fell heavily--how heavily
only he himself knew-on our good
friend, Mr.. Burke. Sub ,ect as he had
Always been to heart disease he was un-
able to survive this last shock, and died
one August morning about week after
his misfortune, Leaving his sorrowing,
and poverty-stricken family dependent
upon their own resources. Deeply as
this combined catastrophe affected Mrs.
Burke, who had naturally rather deli
cate constitution, poor Jessie had even
more to bear han her mother, for beside
her keen and despairing grief at pait t ng
from her father, with whom she had al
ways been the fayoriie ch Id, she had the
anguish of another, even harder parting
TO endure--a parting which at any time,
had she known it as she did now, to be
forever. would have broken her heart,
but which now, with her other trou lies,
wa almost too much for her slender
strngth. For .Jei had for the
pat six montls been engaged to a
young gentleman of fine physical end
intellectual qualities, and to whom she
was devotedly attached.
Reginald Turner was not wealthy. but
besides his health, energy and good bust
ness prospects, he was IN her OF rich
old uncle, who lad educated him and
by whose aid he had reached his present
position; 30, with such a bright future
before him, his engagement to Jessie had
not promised 10 be a long one. Regi-
nald was absent ON business trip at the
time Mr.. Burke's failure o. Cured, and
much as she loved him, and on that very
account, perhaps, Jessie's resolution Of
immed iatsly releasing him fir m his en-
gagement was soon taken; and more
than that she intended to hide from him
so effectually that he should not be able
to get the fninte { clue to her where
aboufs, for she knew that the brave aud
generous fellow would not rest until he
had found them, and that he would in
sist that they sho Id he married immedi-
ately, and also take upon himself the
support o. her helpless family. I'VE
must not be a drag upon him mother
she sad. ''He is yo Ing, and-and will
soon forget me, /" she added with an ef-
fort. So in pursuance OF plan she had
formed at her fathers death, sue began
TO make preparations for the removal Of
the family to the small seaside town in
which her father had lived as a boy.
Mrs. Hurkes health was. too poor to al
low her to be of much isclp ut this juno
ture, aud It was Ivy an almost supefhuman
energy an strength that Jessie arranged
the whole journey, engaged a small cot
tage at Sea lew. ard SUI erintended tho
removal of the family thither, with the
few arii les which they had kept from
their cd b me, before the first Il tho
following eptember and before her
lover had retur ed from h $ journey.
Il was ut OF e>sic's plan TO cave no
trace or lue behind hem rs TO where
they had gone, an this was done the
NOR easily, rs most Of the fam lies with
viii the Iiui kcs were intimate were out
Of town at the time Of Mr.. Burkc's fail
ure and death.