New Ulm weekly review., 1886-06-09

dog sprang to his feet and roamed
about the room uneasily before he
skunk back to his masters feet, /
was about to ask the question again
when one of our 7:srty proposed song.
While they gathered IN agroup around
the old piano in the corner, the old
man stole quietly to the door OF
another room and beckoned me to
follow him. As joined him he was
STOPPING over an old bureau fumbling
among some papers, whilst the dog,
who had slipped in after him, watch
ed him intently until he put his hand
on a tin type which he drew out and
showed me. It was the picture of a
child, and in the. features l recognized
"Uncle Jake's little girl" In thenext
room some one was playing a jangling
accompaniment and the rest were
shouting a boisterous song. Thought
then would be good time to ask him
what had become of the girl whose
childish features we were looking at,
SO inquired, by way of introduction,
If he had ever been married. It was
to this he had replied: "No, mister,
amt spliced, nor never was.
II.
"But yer see,' he continued, as
though he knew what l was driving a t.,
'1t's uncommon lonesome here in
winter, an many a time when I've
heard O. some young one ashore yon-
der as wasn't cared for at home, I've
got it's folks to let me take it out here
with me. The children kind a cheered
me up durin' the long winter evenin's,
an when summer came I'd ask to
have 'em stay a bit longer. TIE little
ones would beg real hard too, for I
made a good deal of 'em and they
thought kind o. we'll o. me for it..
Some O. them stayed a few years, but
as they got big an could be handy at
home their folks fetched en- away
from me; an so at last they all went;
all but little Maggie, her as they used
to call Uncle Jake's little girl 1t was
a bad home I'd took her from, an
aforeshe' been with me long her father
wandered off an her mother died in
the poorhouse. There wasn't none to
take her from me then, so she stayed
here; an right glad was
to keep her. She was smart,
likely little thing, an l thought as
I'd care for her an lay by a bit
O. money for her When she first came
here she was no more than 5, an when
you saw her two summers ago she was
goin' on l8. Yer know Maggie was as
good-lookin' a girl as yer could find
hereabouts, an many a feller as has
come here with his boat in summer has
hon,, 1v1v,I - +@ WI l.;
O. proud to have ;em so too, for Id a
precious good opinion O. Maggie, an I
liked to see EN- back meup. Itwern' t
every one she'd take to neither; for
she'd make her choice like any lady,
would Maggie. [ let her go sailin'
whenever she wanted. | knew she
must be kind o. lonesome here in Win
ter, an in summer | was for her to
have all the cheer she could. Not that
she ever complained. She was a good
girl an comfort to me summer an
winter, was Maggie.
"It's goin' on three years now, mis-
ter, that, q little after the June Mag
gle got to be Is, there was young
feller as come over here to stay. He
was a good-lookin' chap, strong an
quick, an as handy in boat as any
one ever see. He seemed to kind O.
like it here. In the beginning he hired
one OF my boats by the week, an when
he'd had it that way about four weeks
he took it for the season. Well, was
glad to let him have it, for it WAS Oft
en- as he'd take Maggie out, an l felt
easy when l knew Maggie was with
him, for, as told you, he was strong
and handy in boat, an I felt as no
harm could come to her when she was
with him. One bright mornin' in Sep
tember, just afore they sailed away,
she came a, runnin' in to me an says
as they was a-goin' for long sail an
wouldn't be back till late. Well, it
wasn't unusual for EN- to stay out till
after sundown, especially O moon
light nights, when they could come in
on the tide an the night wind,
an this time 1 didn't begin wor-
ryin' about 'em until it got to be very
late an they hadn't come back. Some
folks as was at the house walked the
beach between the inlets with me till
late in the night, but we saw notnin'
of them But bless me, didn't give
'em up. It had reen fine day, and
it was a clear, bright night, an l kind
O. trusted the young feller, for he
seemed kind o. fond o. Maggie, and
thought he wouldn't let no harm come
to her. An as sure as yer live next
day early in the mornin' we spied the
boat sailin' up the inlet. an | began
wavin' an shoutin' to 'e1n for Joy.
But some one as had a spyglass
said they wasn't aboard land, mis-
ter-they wasn't. The Teller as
was in her came from the JERSEY
coast, an he said as man an a girl
had landed there the day before, an
the mana young, good lookin' chap,
he said had paid him to bring the
boat over I'd kept up pretty we'll till
then, but when l know'd she wasn't
come back an felt all of a sudden as
she might never come back, hid my
face in my hands an cried like a baby.
Folks tell me wasn't good one to be
gittin' along with for the next few
days an | guess they were about
right. She was all the world
to me, was Maggie. l took
how, %~~