The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-02-26
OUT OF THE WATERS.

lust listen to its roar. The waves are
rising fast. It's going to !'a a bad night
along the coast / hope no ship is close
inshore tonight, unless it is sure Of
making u good harbOr."
These words We're spoken by II fisher
man of middle age, who, with two or
three others, had made a call upon old
Tom Greggs, who on account OF age and
stiff Joints had been laid 10 for a year
or two; stranded like any other hulk
upon the sands and rocks, as he express
ed it, and waiting for some high sea to
set him afiOat again, or to bury him
close to the spot where the cabin stood
which had sheltered him for so many
nights in the years which had gone 50
swiftly past.
Old Tom had for some yrs dwelt
alone. He had been married, but his
wife had long slept in the old moss
;c.,tHn graveyard inland beyond the
cliff. To cheer his solitude and listen to
tie yarns he could spin often brought
his ncighbOrs to his cabin. On such
occasions, the old mans face would light
", showing plainly that he was glad II
e3e those who climbed the rocks to Ills
humble abode.
the old man shook his head in de-
predatory sort of u way.
Il don't know anything worth telling
the stories / can remember, good and
bad"
" But you must tell us one" his visit
Ors all clamOred in chorus. 80 you
think that we've clambered up here on
such night as this, and going back with
our labor for our pains"
" thought you came up here 10 make
me friendly call; l didn't know that
you expected pay for it.
- But we do, aid another, Seth Wy
man by name. = Hear the tempest out
side! It is blowing Il perfect gale
Come, spin US yarn or we VIII be
B0urrying down the cliffs in Lee; than
two seconds"
I'm not afraid of your doing that,
boys. You would not leave an old hulk
like me all alone in such /; gale as tbs.
l know you too well for that 1t is al
most as bad II night as the one when old
Sim Rogers found his treasure on the
sands"
I" His treasure What was that? Did
he find n chest of gold left by Captain
Kidd, or was it a casket of diamonds?"
x wasn't neither, youngSter. Draw
your benches up a little closer TO the
fire. and | will tell you what it was"
They coupled with his request cheer
fully, for through the chinks IN the wall
cold SILVER down their backs. They were
satisfied, for they had got old Tom
started, and they were sure OF the story
which they had come through the dark
ness and storm to hear.
Old Tom saZed for Il moment or two
into the fire which blazed cheerily upon
the hearth, as though trying to gather
his wits together, and then he began:
"Old Sim Rogers, whom he got to be
along in years, and had sailed most of
his voyages, was not like me, cast on
shore where there was not u sail in sight
He had clipper little craft which kept
him well in sight, to see that he did not
run on to the rocks or get buried in the
QuicksandS. She was his cousins
daughter. and he being long dead, and
there being no one to take care of her,
she had come to live with him and be his
housekeeper, and for n dozen years she
had made good one. There was not Il
cabin anywhere along the coast that was
kept so neat and trim, and praises of her
as houSekeeper were on the tongue of
every good dame along the coast who
knew her good points.
Old Sim had son two or three years
older than the girl, and everybody said
they would make a match OF 1t some
day when Nellie should be little older
A good pair they would have been, and
there was no doubt but that they were
fond of each other; but one day the
young chap and his father quarreled.
that it was about l don't remember
VIC The old man had will of his own
reat scheboy Dick was as high tempered
what did he do but go off to
nus III and ship for three years
Var htehantman bound for the
thaaiee years were up, he |
~ =, and in all this time |
u single word from him |
whether he was living |
since repented OF |
would have given |
World to have him
said over and |
frequently Of |
Is Tor which |
&s past by !
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