The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-08-12
THE MYSTERIOUS WIDOW.

Years ago, long before the province OF
New Brunswick was the populace place
it is now, there stood on the seacoast,
several miles from where the city of st.
John now stands, a little struggling vii
Iage, composed principally of fishermen's
cottages. Little better than huts they
were, and rough. unpolished, but hon
est and hard working set were their oc-
clpants. ln winter, when the snow was
piled high and the freezing winds blew
plercingly cold, the inhabitants of NJ
met in some one of the cottages, where,
with dance and song, they beguiled the
evening hours, as happy as though they
knew nothing of the bustling, busy
world shut out by their native hills. And
in summer the pleasant, moonlight even
ings We're spent in sailing over the bright
waters of the bay, OF in wandering in
pairs through the dim woods-some
sturdy, sunbrowned youth whispering in
the ear of his inamorita the "old, old
story"
Everything flowed on in that little sea-
coast village for years and years in the
same calm, monotonous way; almost
forgotten by the inhabitants was the fact
that there existed any other world but the
little one in which they lived. Some
times, it is true, rumors would reach
them of the bold manner in which the
revenue was cheated by the smugglers of
Eastport; but the honest fishermen, Sc
cuSs in their rockbound retreat, cared
little for this. At length, however, the
inhabitants were aroused from their
stagnation by quite a little romance, of
which the following is o brief summary:
Standing on a bleak, desolate sort of
eminence that projected somewhat from
the mainland was a little ruined stone
cottage. 1t had formerly been built by
one of the fishermen, who, finding he
could not reside in such cold, cherries
spot, had deserted it, and the hut had
long been without an inmate. 1t was
ever here the wind blew coldest in win
ter. and here the suns rays fell hottest in
summer. The summit of the dreary hill
was crowned with stunted spruces
dwarfed and blackened by the intense
frosts of many winters. Over the rocks
below broke, with dull, sullen roar, the
waves Of the Bay of Fundy; and often
times in the spring the tide would rise
so high and so rapidly as to entirely sur
round it, cutting it off like an island from
the mainland. The inhabitants had very
appropriately named it Bleak Point.
Such was the state of things when one
raw spring morning the news went fly
ing through the village that BLEAK Point
shanty" had got an occupant. A low,
black, rakish looking schooner had como
up the bay the night before; boat had
put off from her, leaving a woman on
Bleak Point. Then it had returned to
the schooner, which, before daylight, was
off and away.
OF course everybody was all aglow to
discover who she was, and what a wo-
man hardy and courageous enough to
live in so lonely place could look like.
This curiosity was soon satisfied for
after the first few days the new conner
did not seem disposed to conceal herself.
Let them rise as early in the morning as
they pleased they would find her up be-
fore them strolling about among the
rocks.
This wonder was still further aug
mented at finding her young and emf
nently handsome, with healthy brown
face, and the brightest, vivacious black
eyes in the world. The young men of
the village could speak of nothing but her
beauty; and the hours they should have
spent in catching fish were wasted in de-
vsng schemes to catch her. TheIadies
oil the village were, however, absolutely
scandalized by the utter Indifference
which she manifested in regard to dress
and indeed her garments generally
looked as though she had jumped into
them. She dispensed altogether with
hat and bonnet, and wore in its place a
silk handkerchief, knotted under her
chin after the fashion of the French
women. Still, even the jealous village
bellies were obliged to own that nothing
could have set off better the dark, bright
style of her beauty than the rich, brilliant
hues of her gay colored headdress.
For time the villagers held aloof from
the new conner; but finding their reserve
was met with careless Indifference on
her part. they soon began to change their
tactics. A few of the village maids and
matrOus called at Bleak Point shanty,
and though shocked beyond measure at
the universal disorder reigning without
and within, they left, on the whole, rather
favorably impressed by its mistress.
There was wicked twinkle in her bright
black eyes as she begged them to excuse
the state in which they found things, on
the plea that she wasn't used to house
keeping" All their endeavors TO dis
cover her name and business proved,
however, to be vain, but from several
accidental remarks dropped by her they
came TO the conclusion she was widow.
AS it was impossible for her to be
spoken of without a name they resolved
to give her one themselves and admir-
ing her bright black eyes and jetty locks
they concluded to give her that of Black.
Accordingly, the name by which the
handsome stranger was known in the
village was the Widow Black "-aname