Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1891-01-16

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Through the meadow, up the hill
Their lost youth eYades them still.
Breczes come to greet each day,
Bells ring glad and mournful strains,
Apple-trees bloom still in May
only this sad fact remains;
our lost youth its flowers, its chimes,
Were the sweets Of other times.
-fMary A. Mason in Frank Lesiie's
LITTLE WHITE STONES
1t was in lonely little fishing ham
let that poor little Ruth was born, on
night when a storm ragged along the
coast ani made sad havoc amongst tht
shipping near the shore; on nigh
when m re than one great steamer
was wrecked at sea, and on the nighi
when her fathers little fishing smack
went down with all on board-all men
of her kindred-father, grandfather
and uncle. The old grandmother
knew the worst, as she held the new
born babe upon her knee before the
drifl-wood fire. The mother never
knew; at dawn her soul lad passed
away, and the old woman of seventy
and The babe of seven hours were
alone left Of the family that had filled
the little cabin the day before. A
happy, healthy, loud-voiccd lot they
had been, and strange silence settled
down upon the place where they had
been. The old woman could not even
weep.
"Im too frightened" she said, in q
trembling voice, and shaking like.ar
aspen-she w.o had been firm of stel
and loud-spoken as the Youngest, /
few-dags back. 81 "a afs.lr.ase- iss4--l
have been left to mind the child.
Maybe III live to be terrible old
ninety or a hundred It's awful to
think of! Awful, Awful"
But she did live, and the child
throvo. She had the cabin and a boat.
The hire Of the boat was about all She
depended on. Somebody planted her
little garden Neighbors sent in little
gifts Of food Some fisherman alway.
had her dinner in his basket. And
after while, the baby, with its
cunning ways, its creeping. its walk
ing, its first little babbling words,
gave her an interest in life
The baby changed into a little girl,
fiaxcn-haired, blue-cyed and rosy.
The grandmother was still The tremb-
ling crea ure with terror in her pale
old eyes that that awful night had left
her, but she grew no older. She was
never i'll, and she loved little Ruthy
with love approaching idolatry.
BY and by, Ruthy began to make
friends of her own age. When
the sloop he sailed in was in port, Jack
Parker, the eabin-boy Of the Dancing
Jennie, wa, nearly always with her.
Little parties Of boys and girls used to
play upoa the sand, or sail about the
shore, or catch crabs and pull the little
shell-iish from the rocks.
Before they were more than children
Ruth and Jaci, loved each other dear
", and when She was fifteen he had
asked her whether she would be his
wife when lie had wages enough 10
marry on, and she had promised before
he sailed next time. He had given
her little blue bead ring, and she had
cut off lock of her flaxen hair and
wrapped it in her only bit of ribbon
which he wore next his heart through
out the voyage.
Once when he came home he brought
her another present.
"Nothing much,n he said; "only
some little white stones that | found
IN some oysters | was opening for the
captains mess. | said they are pretty
and Ruth will like Them
Ruth thought them beautiful, and
made a little blue silk bag to keep
them in. She had a few pretty
things.
And so the youth grew older and
became a sailor, and Ruth was no
longer little girl; and at last the
Dancing Jennie went upon longer
voyage than usual, and time wore on
without news of her.
Ruth's old grandmother was taken
very i'll and soon died, and Ruth was
left alone. A few debts had been con-
tracted. and at all events a girl could
not live alone, and should be in the
way OF earning something, people
said.
The cottage was to be sold with all
in it. What with her grief for her
grandmother aud her anxiety about
Jack, Ruth was well-nigh broken
hearted. She accepted the fiat of her
neighbors, that snow she must 20 to
service" and she asked for the vacant
place st Captain Bright's and got it.
Aftel the funeral she Eat in the little
cottsge, and watched The sale At auc-