The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-12-20
WAITING.

sky of gray. wind-swcpt. with low.
driving clouds. which threw down lit
tie nurries of snow every now and
then.
There were rocks upon the shore up
on which no yerdure grew. and far in
land the soil was poor. sterile, and in
hospitable for man and beast; little
grass grew-not mnch--and the fail
NJ the tbresher had not been needed
for many year.
IL was not place one would choose
10 live 10. after the summer had gone;
but there are many places in the world
that one would not choose 10 live In.
at any time. Ia tile summer. these
people found the means OF u poor live
iihood here. and so they stayed. In
the winter when cold and snow and
ice put their seals upon the coast. they
still lived on. waiting for the summer.
which after many months. would come
again. In the cellar they buried few
potatoes; some kits OF sailed fish were
stored away; great piles of driftwood
were stacked against the cabins. Then
they waited for the summer again.
Ia one Of these cabins "A woman
waited. who had waited YEARLY
through many a summer and winter;
and she differed from the others who
waited. I'm this: that she never cared
whether they came. Most OF the 9TH
ers who waited did care; in dull.
apaihctic way, life was dear to them.
but IL was not SO TO this woman.
Long years ago. so long that the
dozen brief summers and the dozen
long. cold. dreary winters seemed doz-
ems and dozens TO her. this woman had
been young aud joyous. and in a GER
tain wild. coarse way, she had some
claim 10 beauty. and she had been
strong Of mind, of will and of body.
Her 1.-THE, brown arms could handle an
oar ms well rs many men. Her firm
brown hands could hold the tiller or
the sheet Of the dory.
She had had lovers. too. For they
even made love. and played all the
parts of life. upon that bleak coast
But she had played fast and loose with
them until they had grown tired, one
by one and gone away, or married
other girls and settled down 10 the
dull routine life in which was neither
beauty nor gcntleness nor romance.
She wg ! not even jealous OF the wives
of these men. She pitied them when
their husbands got drunk aud beat
them. rs they sometimes did. When
their children came. she would 20 and
nurse them. and tidy up their poor
cabins little. aud berate the husbands
with shrewish tongue for their inn
providence.
Sorry enough am | for Jack Pur-
dy's wife, she would say to her moth
Ell. upon coming home from such m
errand she wanted him go bad.
Never rested till she had him fast.
Wouldn't speak 10 me for months when
Jack was worrying me TO marry him.
And now he spends the money that he
earns at the fishing for liquor and lets
her want. All! IL he were my man.
now, he'd do different. l warrant
YOU"
Better wait till you get man OF
your own before you tell SO fast what
YOU would do with some one else's. IL
YOU had taken Jack Purdy. now.
don't you think he would be drinking
just the samePn
Indeed he would not. mother. It's
not / that would let him take the
bread out of my chiIdren's mouths;
aud think no man would ever beat n
woman II ii wasn't for the liquor"
'Ahl Jane You're a bit daft on
that. Don't be always thinking of the
same thing my girl"
Indeed. am not always thinking
az IL. mother. And | am never sorry.
If man don't care enough for wo-
man TO give up his drink. he don't care
much. that's all. Then why should
shePn
"A bit of drink Is not always hurt
ing man. Jane. It's a rough life
they have. And il Is not n good thing
that woman should be growing old
here alone. | won't last much longer.
IL am better Oft than some VI the
other silly creatures. rs IL is. mother.
For dozen years. this woman had
been trying to comfort herself with the
belief that she was better orr rs IL
was. She had not wanted any of
these rough, registering Young fellows
who had danglcd after her for awhile,
aud then sOlnced themselves with some
other girl. She had felt above them;
she hal been above them in fact. for
she knew little of the world beyond
the coast. Not that she bad ever jour
neycd away from it--cxcept as hook
now and then. or n paper. or "A maya
zine had helped her to do SO. She
might. perhaps. have gone away from
all these things that were SO distaste-
full TO her. and seen something of that
outside world. but she had given her
promise to wait just there.
Willie rrcjor had been the likeicst
lad la the village; every Que had said
that OF him. Even as "A boy. he had
been master hand mt the fishing; be-