Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1891-11-11

shy WAS IKE INK, and the mad seq
thundered until the old farmhouse
shook to its very centre. They were
down ON the strand, his father, and a
half dozen fishermen-himselfa a sturdy
lad, following like young spaniel
Hard work lay before the men. A
stately vessel lay out on the bar. and
the strong gale was driving her to
pieces.
Boat after boat started out as her
booming guns begged for assistance ::
but each one was swamped or driven
back. 1t was mere desperation, an
old sailor said, no boat could stand
such a gale-they could do nothing
His father chuckled to himself, and
bringing out sturdy craft of his own
placed himself at its helm, and went
out into the darkness, never to return
again, the men averred; but Harry
did not believe it. He had never
known his father to fail, and he sat
down amid the crash and roar to
watch and wait. And not vainly; for
by-and-by the sturdy boat beat its way
back, bringing only one trophy, a lit
tie sea waif that the old man had
picked up-a tiny girl child, with
iiaxen hair and blue eyes.
The rough men bore her up to the old
farmhouse, Harry trotting ON behind;
and before day dawn the booming
guns were silent, for the stately vessel
after brave fight had gone down be-
meath the hungry waves.
Capt. Melville and his wife could do
nothing more or less than to adopt the
little storm-gift and bring her up as
their own child. Accordingly they
took OIL her fine apparel and clothed
her in gray homespun; and she ran
barefooted on the sands, and PLAYED
with the white-haired children of the
fishermen. Syria was her name
every article of clothing she wore at the
time of the wreck was marked with it;
and small jewelled locket, tnat hung
from her neck, bore the same sigma
ture. Too fine and fanciful her foster
parents said, and would have laid it
away with her apparel; but the child's
name seemed to cling to her, to be part
and parcel of her identity. So they
called her Syria, after all; and as she
merged into maidenhood the lads called
her the "belle of the ocean"
She and Harry had been sister and
brother for ten years, eating their fru-
gal meal from the same porringer, and
sharing the same bed in childhood;
and in maturer years lthey were undi-
vided. Watching the purple and
golden sunsets; drifting out up the
sunrise sea; walking the silver sands
always together. But all these pleas
ant days were at an end now-Harry
was going away. The thing had been
talked of for months by the farmhouse
fireside. Captain Melville favored it.
The sea was the right place for Harry,
he said, and berth in the Black
day.
Harry's mother opposed the plan
with all her might-the lad could make
living at home. Yet she set herself
to work making warm trousers and
knitting heavy socks. Syria helped
her in silence. The lad himself said
nothing; he found it very hard to
make up his mind to go at all. His
ambition was unbounded, his possibil-
ties brilliant, and the great untried
world very alluring; but his love for
the old Headland farmhouse and its in
mates was stronger than anything else.
Yet he had come to decision at last,
and he was not the boy to change his
mind.
"Yes, the Black Dragon sails at day
break, and Fm going in her, Syria"
and his voice tremulous.
The girl stood silent moment; then
putting the question with a forced
laugh,-
Chow far are you going Harry?"
she said. "When do you expect to
come back?"
s'The Black Dragons bound round
the world, | believe" he responded;
'sand as to coming blackwell, it will be
wears before l see the Headlands again,
1 guess"
Then a sudden light blazed up in his
eyes.
"Shall you miss me when Pm gone,
do you think, Syria?" he asked.
A swift color bloomed in her fair
cheeks, and her eyes overfowed with
tears.
so HarryI" putting out her hands
piteously. 81 shall die when you are
gone!"
Those who knew Harry Melville,
and called him rough and ugly scarcely
would have recognized him at that
moment, his face was SO transfigured-
Clasping the little, outstretched hands
in his, he bent over her with look in
his eyes such as young mother might
lavish on her first-born babe; and she,
bending and yielding like graceful
vine, let her young head, with all its
wealth of sunny gold, droop down and
rest upon his shoulder. Thus, for one
sweet moment, they stood in silence,