Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-11-12
WHAT THE TIDE DID.

Jessie Burke, the heroine of nv story,
sat, on this warm summer afternoon, in
a small, plainly furnished room, in the
dwelling house of old Capn Benson,
the keeper of "Shining Light.
The houe was attached to the light
house tower, and the whole structure
was situated on sandy belt of land,
projecting out into one of our we'll
known harbors on the Atlantic coast
Jessie was sewing, and occasionally he
would glance up from her work, and
look out of the small window and aero IS
the shining water; at these times she
would sigh as her eyes scanned the far
horizon, aud as she turned back to hel
sewing, te II would fall upon her work.
She was small, slight figure, with
clear cut features, dark brown eyes, and
soft golden hair; thoro gh lady, in her
plain calico gown, and looking out of
place in the grim old light house and
uncongenial surroundings.
Jessie soas out of place and to explain
how she hapE ened to be there, must 90
back year, to the time when Jessie
Burke, as happy and fortunate a young
lady as we often see, lived with her par
ents and younger brothers and sisters in
o large Eastern city of these United
States.
MIR. Burke was apparently well-to-
do and highly respected gentleman,
blessed with loving wife and family
Of fine looking, happy children; for be-
side Jessie, who was then twenty, there
were tifteen-year-old Margie, Robert, and
Justin, respectively eight, and six, and
lastly "Baby Rue"
But alas for the short lived prosperity
OF our happy family That fatal bubb
OF stocks which so many of our citizens
have cause to remember in the summer of
1S-, and which when it broke reduced
30 many hundreds of men from atfluence
to poverty, fell heavily--how heavily
only he himself knew-on our good
friend, Mr.. Burke. Subject as he had
always been to heart disease, he was un-
able to survive this last shock, and died
one August morning about a 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 than her mother, for beside
her keen and despairing grief at part ng
from her father, with whom she had al
ways been the favorite child, 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 Lc
forever, would have broken her heart,
but which now, with her other trou les,
wa almost too much for her slender
strngth. For Jessie had for the
pat six months been engaged to a
young gentleman of fine phys cal and
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 the heir of rich
old uncle, who had educated him and
by whose aid he had reached his present
position so, with such bright future
before him, his engagement to Jessie had
not promised to be a long one. Regi-
nald was absent on a business trip at the
time Mr.. Burke's failure occurred, and
much as she loved him, and on that very
account, perhaps, Jessies resolution of
Immediately releasing him from his en-
gagement was soon taken; and more
than that she intended to hide from him
so etfectually that he should not be able
to get the fainte,t clue to her where
abouts, for she knew that the brave and
generous fellow would not rest until he
had found them, and that he would In
sist that they should be married immedi-
ately, and also take upon himself the
support os her helpless family. ''We
must not be drag upon him mother, :"
she said. she is young, and-and will
soon forget me-" she added with an ef-
fort. So in pursuance of a plan she had
formed at her fathers death, she began
to make preparations for the removal OF
the family to the small seaside town in
which her father had lived as boy.
Mrs. Burke's health was too poor to al
low her to be of much help at this juno.
ture, and 1t was by an almost superhuman
energy and strength that Jessie arranged
the whole journey, engaged a small cot.
tage at Sea View, and superintended tho
removal of the family thither, with the
few articles which they had kept from
their old home, before the first of the
following September and before hel
lover had returned from his journey.
1t was part of Jessie's plan to leave nc
trace or clue behind them as to where
they had gone, and this was done the
more easily, as most of the families will
whice the Burkes were intimate were out
of town at the time of Mr.. Burke's fail
ure and death.
The Burkes themselves had been pre-
vented from going to the country early
in June, on account of the illness O.
''Baby Rue" and after her recoN cry they
had put off their trip until business af
fairs should allow Mr.. Burke to accom-
pany them.
Now, alas they were going TO tn,
country, but under what altered circum
stances, and without the father fo
whom they had waited
A small, very small, income had beer
left to Mrs. Burke after the settlement o
her husbands property, and with this
and Jessie's earnings as a dressmaker il
their small village, they were able to liy
on quietly for year when something oc