Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-12-25

and Redeemed the dark rdIUeEs OVeFusdd
The fisherman nets were hanging On the
wall. Some homely pots and pans
twinkled on a rough shelf in the corner.
Beside a great bed, with long, falling
curtains, a mattress was extended on q
coupIe of old benches, on which five little
children were asleep, like cherubs II a
nest. By the bedside, with her forehead
pressed against the Counterpart, kDelt the
children mother She was alone. Out
side the cabin the black ocean, dashed
with stormy ioam-hakes, moaned and
murmured, and her husband was at sea.
From his boyhood he had been fisher
man. His life, as one may say, had been
a daily fight with the great waters, for
every day the children must be fed, and
every day, rain, wind or tempest, out went
his boat to fish And while, in his four
sailed boat, he piled his solitary task at
sea- bis wife at home patched the old sails,
mended the nets, looked to the hooks, or
watched the little fire where the FISH soup
was boiling. As soon as the FIVE children
we're asleep she fell upon Der knees and
prayed to Heaven for her husband IN BIS
struggle with the waves auc darkness.
And, truly, such = life as his was hard.
The likliest place for fish was mere speCk
among the breakers, not more than twice
as large as his own cabin spot obscure,
capricious, changing on the moving de-
ert, and yet which had to be discovered In
the fog and tempest of winter night by
sheer skill and knowledge of the tides and
winds And there - while the gliding
waves ran past like emerald serpents,
and the gulf of darkness rolled and
tossed, and the straining rigging groaned
as if in terror-there amidst the icy seas,
he thought of his own Jenny; and
Jenny in her cottage thought OF him with
tears.
Sac was thinking of him then and pray
ing. The sea gnll's harsh and mOCking
cry distressed her, and the roaring Of the
pillows on the reef alarmed her soul. But
she was wrapped IN thoughts Of their
poverty. Their little children went bare
foot winter and summer. Wheat brea3
they never ate; only bread of barley.
Heavens the winds roared like the bel
lows of a forge, and the seacoast echoed
like an anvil She wept and trembled
Poor wives whose husbands are at sea
How rrible to say, My dear ones, father,
lover, brothers, sons-are in the tempest.
But Jenny was still more unhappy. Her
husband was alone-alone without as ist-
ance on this butter night. Her children
were too little to assist him. Poor mother
Now she says, 81 wish Chey were grown
up to help their father" Foolish dream!
In years to come, when they are with their
father In the tempest, she will say with
tears, 81 wish they were but children
still"
Jenny took her lantern and her cloak.
1T is time, she sad to herself 80 see
whether he is coming back, whether the
sea Is calmer and whether the light is
burning on the signalmast She went
out There was nothing to be seen-bare-
ly a streak of white on the horizon. 1t was
raining-the dark cold rain of early morn
ing. No cabin win ow showed CLEAN of
light
All at once, while peering round her.
her eyes perceived a tumbledown old
cabin which showed no sign of light and
fire. The door was swinging in the wind;
the wlrm-eaten walls seemed sea cely able
to support the crazy roof, on which the
wind shook the yellow, filthy tufts of rot.
ten thatCh.
"Stay." she cried; 81 am forgetting the
poor widow whom my husband found the
other day alone and i'll. must see how
she j. getting OH"
She Knocked at The door and listened.
No one answered Jenny Shivered in the
cold sea wind
''She is Ill. And her poor children
She has only two of th,m; but she Is very
poor and has no husband.
She knocked again, and called out.
Hey, neighbor!" But the cabin was still
silent.
Heavens she said, chow sound she
sleeps, that it requires 50 much to wake
her.
At that instant the door opened of itself
She entered Her lantern illumined the
interior of the dark and silent cabin and
showed her the water falling from the cell
ing as through the openings of a sieve.
AT the end of the room an awful form was
lying-a woman stvetC he'd out, notionlesS,
with bare feet and sightless eyes. Her
cold, white arm hung down among the
straw Of the pallet She was dead. Once
a strong and happy mother, she was now
the spectre which remains of poor human
ity after long struggle with the world.
Near the bed on which the mother lay
two little children-a boy and a girl
slept together in their cradle. and were
smiling in their dreams. Their mother.
when she felt that she was dying, had
Iai3 her cloak across their feet and wrapt
them in her dress 10 keep them warm when
she herself was cold
HoWasound they slept in their old tot
tering cradle, with their calm breath and
quiet little faces! 1t seems as if nothing
could awake these sleeping orphans. Out
side the rain beat down in foods, and the
sea gave forth a sound like an alarm bell
From an old crevieed roof, through which
blew the gale, a drop of water fell en- the
dead face and ran down it ike a tear
What had jenny been about in the dead
wOman's house? What was she carving
off beneath her cloak? Why was her heart
beating? Why did she hasten with such
trembling steps to her own cabin without
drling TO look back? What did she hide
IN her own bed behind the curtain? What
bad she been stealing?
When she entered the cabin the cliff
were growing white. She sank uoon the
chair beside the bed. She was very pale;
ii seemed - if she felt repentan e. Her
forehead fell upon the pillow and at inter
walls. with broken words. she murmCred to
herself, while outside the cabin moaned
the savage sea.
My poor man! 0 heavens, what will
he say? He has alrea " so much trouble
What have | done now? Five children
on our hands already Their father tolls
and tolls, and yet. as if he had not care
enough already, | must give him this
care more. Is that be? No, snothing. |
have done wrong He would do quite
right to beat me. Is shat he? No! So
much the better. The door moves as if
some one were coming In; but no. To
think that [ should be afraid to see him
enter.