The record-union., 1892-06-08
THE LITTLE WHITE STONES.

! that poor little Ruth was born, on a night
/ when storm ragged along the coast and
made sad havoc among the shipping near
the shore; on night when more than one
! great steamer was wrecked at sea, and on
! the night 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 newborn babe
| upon her knee before the driftwood fire.
The mother never knew; at dawn her
! soul had passed away, and the old woman
of 20 and the babe of hours were all left
alone of the family that filled the little
cabin the day before. a happy, healthy,
| loud-voiced lot they had been, and a
strange silence settled down upon the
place where they had been. The old
woman could not even weep.
Pm too frightened" she said, in a
trembling voice, and shaking like an
aspen-she who had been firm of step and
! loud-spoken as the youngest, a few Gays
back. II suppose | must have been left
to mind the child: Some one needs to
mind it. Maybe Pll live to be terrible
old-90 or 100. It's awful to think of.
Awful! Awfulu'
But she did live and the child throve
| She had the cabin and 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 fishermen always had her dinner
| in his basket. And after awhile, the
| baby, with its cunning ways, its creep
! ing, its walking, its first little babbling
words, gave her an interest in life. The
baby changed into a little girl, tiaxen-
| haired, blue-eyed and rosy. The grand
| mother was still the trembling creature
with terror in her pale old eyes that that
wotul night had left her, hut she grew no
| alder. 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 cabin
! boy OF the Dancing Jennie, was nearly
always with her. Little parties of boys
and girls used to play upon the sand, or
! sail about the shore, or catch crabs and
pull the little shellfish from the rocks.
| Before they were more than children
| Ruth and Jack loved each other dearly,
and when she was 10 he had asked her
whether she would be his wife when he
| had wages enough to marry on, and she
| had cut off a lock of her tlaxen hair and
wrapped it in her only bit of ribbon,
which he wore next his heart throughout
| the voyage.
Once when he came home he brought
her another present.
Nothing much" he said, "only some
little white stones that found in some
| oysters l was opening for the Captains
mess. L said they are pretty and Ruth
will like them.r
Ruth thought them beautiful and made
little blue silk bag to keep them in.
She had few pretty things.
Nd co.. l,1 I L
came 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
| Ill and soon died, and Ruth was left alone.
| a few debts had been contracted, and at
all events girl should otlive alone, and
should be in the way of earning some
! thing, people said. The cottage was to be
| sold with all in it. w hat with her grief
| for her grandmother and her anxiety for
Jack, Ruth was well-nigh broken-heart-
| ed. She accepted the fiat of her neigh
bors that ''now she must go to service,'
| and she asked for the vacant place at
Captain Bright's and got it. After the
| funeral she sat in the little cottage and
| watched the sale at auction Of the poor old
Woman's pots and pans, big feather beds
and old wood stoves, of the long settle
| that had stood in the chimney-place since
! She was born, and the eight-day clock
! that tIcked out every moment of her life
! Then when the house was empty she took
| her little carpet-bag with her few clothes,
black paper silhouette of her mother
! when girl, and the little bag OF blue silk
/ IN which she kept Jacks last gift-the
| pretty white stones, and went to her new
| masters home as sad a little maid as ever
| crossed strangers threshold. The poor
| old woman was nothing to the rest of the
! world, but she was home, mother, father,
/ all sne had ever known, to little Ruth.
Jack was but cabin boy, but he was all
! to Ruth that Romeo was to Juliet.
She had no time for signing in bal
cony, even if there had been one in the
! Captains brand new red brick dwelling.
| She washed the dishes and polished the
/ spoons, and waited on the door and the
/ table, and carried the big baby about, and
! BACKED the Captains boots, and at night
/ climbed to her garret-roOm and sobbed
| herselft to sleep, thinking Of young Jack
/ lost at sea and OF the old grandmother ly-
/ ing in the little churchyard. No one cared
| for her tears now-no one knew them.
! The bow who would have kissed them
away, the old dame to whom she had ever
! been a darling child who must be soothed
and watched over, were both gone, and
/ so the autumn wore away. Winter came
/ and ChriStmas-tide was near.
go to the store, Ruth, and tell them to
| get me ten pounds of raisinS and five
| pounds OF currants, and a pound of
citron,' said Mrs. Bright one evening,
! just before dark. 'Run, Ruth, or the
store will be shut and old Simon aVay
! home. must begin my pudding. 1t is
| Christmas Eve, and a pudding is nothing
without stirring nothing at all; and tell
| them / shall want a little keg of lard the
| first thing in the morning for the crull-
| erS, sand to send it by Sam, for you will
| be busy enough without running errands.
| Il.
crullerS days before as some do. Now
run like wild, Ruth. | don't see how |
| forgot / hadn't the fruit, and be back as
| quick as you can"
Ruth obeyed. Her light feet took her
! down to old Simon's store in the shortest
| possible space Of time. She had given
| her order, and had the fruit in her basket.
and was hurrying toward the door, when
some one opened it and burst in.
| News! News!" he cried. "Newsi
| The Dolphin is just in, and brings three
! men picked up at sea on the wreck of the
| Dancin Jennie, all that were left Of the
| crew-Captain Parker, old Sam Gill and
| left Of them. They were starving 10
death and nearly frozen. They're just
| skeletons, Not man of them can stand
| on his feet. but they're alive, and the
! doctor says they'll get well. Mrs.
| Parker is almost crazy with joy. Old
GllIS daughter, 100. AS IOf lIJle JACK
| Parker he hasn't any kin, as far as we
| know, but the boys win give him well
! come"
| Old Simon's store was empty in
| twinkling. The loungers hurried up the
road toward the dock. but before them
| flew a little figure that seemed to have
wings. 1t was Ruth. She had forgotten
/ all about the basket OF fruit which she
| had thrown from her into the road with
/ out knowing it, Raisins and currants
! lay scattered in the dirt, and the chick
| n,.s ,..cra ma al.i1lm sLnrt ,nnrl- Of th...