News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-10-01
Capt. Joe and Jamie.

sea over the Tantramar dykeI
1t was about sunset, and fierce or.
ange-red CLEAN thrusting itself thro'
a rift III the clouds that blackened the
sky, cast strange glow over the
wide desOlate marshes. A mile hack
rose the dark line of the uplands.
with small, white farm-houses already
hidden in shadow.
Captain Joe Boultbee had just left
his wagon standing in the dykeroad,
with his four -year-old-boy on the
seat. lie was on the point of cross
ing the dyke, to visit the little land
ing place where he kept his boat,
when above the rush and whistle of
the gale he heard James voice. He
hurried back a few PAGES before he
could make out what the little fellow
was saying.
"Pap," cried the child, 81 want to
get out of the wagon. 'Fraid Bill
going to run awayl"
"Oh, nonsensel" " answered Captain
joe "Bill won'trun away. He does
MT know how. You stay there and
don't be frightened and III be right
back"
'But, pap, the wind blows me too
hard piped the small voice, plead
ingly.
"Oh, all right, said the father, and
! returning to the wagon he lifted the
child gently down and set him on his
feet '.Now,'' he continued, it's too
windy for you out on the other side
of the dyke. You run over and sit
on that big stick, where the wind
can't get at you and Wait for me.
And be sure you don't let Bill run
away"
AS he spoke the Captain noticed
that the horse, ordinarily one of the
most stolid of creatures, seemed to-
nightpeculiarly uneasy; with his head
up in the air he was shifting nervous
ly, and glancing from side to side.
As Jamie was trudging through the
long grass to the seat which his faith
er had shown him, the Captain said,
"Why, Bill does seem scaly after all;
who'd have thought this would scare
him ?"
"Bill don't like it" replied Jamie
sit blows him too hard" And, glad
to be out of the gale, which took his
breath away, the little fellow seated
himself contentedly in the shadow of
the dyke just then there was clat-
| ter of wheels and crash. Bill had
whirled sharply about in the narrow
road, upsetting and smashing tie
light wagon.
Now, utterly needless of his mas
| ter's angry shouts, he was golloping
in mad haste back towards the up
lands, with the fragments of the wag-
on at his heels. The Captain and
Jamie watched him flying before the
wind, red spectre in the lurid light.
Then, turning away once more to see
his boat, the Captain remarked, "Well
laddie, | guess we'll have to foot it
back when we get through here. But
Bills got to have a licking for this 3"
Left to himself Jamie crouched down
behind the dyke, strange, solitary
little figure in the wide waste of the
marshes. Though the full force of
the gale could not reach him, his long
curls were blown across his face, and
he clung determinedly to his small,
round hat. For while he watched
the beam ofred light, till the Jagged
fringe of clouds closed over it, and it
was gone. Then, in the dusk, he be-
gan to feel little frightened but he
knew his father would soon be back,
and he didn't like to call him again.
He listened to the waves, surging,
beating, roaring, on the shaals be-
yond the dyke. Presently he heard
them, every now and then, thunder in
against the very dyke itself; upon
this he grew more frightened, and
called to his father several times; but
Of course the small voice was drown
ed in the tumult of wind and wave,
and the father, working eagerly on
the other side of the dyke, heard no
sound of it.
Close by the shelter in which Jamie
was crouching there were several
great tubs, made by saving molasses
hogsheads into halves. These tubs
in fishing season were carried by the
fishermen in their boats, to hold the
shad as they were taken from the
net. Now they stood empty and dry,
but highly favored with memories of
their office Into the nearest tub
Jamie crawled, after having shouted
in vain to his father.
To the child's loneliness and fear
the tub looked ''cosey," as he called
it. He curled up in the bottom, and
felt q little more cOmforted
Jamie was the only child of Capt.
Joe Boultbee. When Jamie was
about two years old, the Captain had
taken the child and his mother on a
voyage to Brazil. While calling at
Barbados the young mother had
caught the yellow fever. There she
had died and was buried. After that
voyage Captain Joe had given up his
ship, and retired to his fathers farm
at Tantramar. There he devoted
himself to Jamie and the farm, but
to Jamie especially; and in the sum.
mer, partly for amusement, partly
for profit, he was accustomed to ospenC
a few weeks drifting for shad on the
wild tides of Chignecto bay. Wherever
he went, Jamie went. If the weather
was too rough for Jamie, Capt. Jot
stayed at home. AS for the child