Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1893-04-28


l was to sail for Wilmington on the
Sarah Jane first thing in the morning.
And nearly ready to cry, the poor lit
tie thing stood there in the lantern
light with her baby hugged tight to
her breast, the picture Of distress.
"I never sot eyes on your Mr..
Smith, and never hearn tell of him,
and there amt no possibility for you
to 60 on any such craft as this here"
said the old fellow, $50 you'd jest
better come ashore with me, nom, and
Pl take you to respectable tavern
"The little girl nearly broke down,
but with tears in her eyes and great
sobs in her voice, she told the captain
her story and begged him to take her.
And when he said that he had no
room, no place in which he could put
her and nothing to give her to eat, she
declared that she could sleep on deck
and if they had hard tack and water
that would be enough for her, and see
ing denial still in his grim old face
she choked down her sobs and sat
resolutely down in her chair and said
she would stay, they must take her. .and
that was the end of it. The captain
still expostulated, but she said with
lofty air that the letter from the pay
master general of the navy, which she
had in her pocket, was authority
enough for him, and that he'd be paid
for the passage if that was what he
wanted. and that (with great empha-
sis) she was-going-to-stay?
''Then she rocked back and forth
with great spirit, and as the baby be-
gan 10 whimper, Yes, mothers dar-
ling, it is going to see its father, and
no cruelhearted old sailor is going to
make it stay any longer! There,
there, there, go-to-sleep, go-to-sleepP
at was hard fight, but she won!
The old fellow gave in grumblingly
and went below to see about ways and
means. He gave her his own bunk
and rugged up screens for her, and
she had presence of mind enough to
smile and thank him warmly when he
showed her the miserable hole, and to
praise the greasy bacon and hard tack
and wietchei coffee they brought her
in the morning.
1.-THE voyage was hard one, but
she sat on deck in her chair all day
long. The few men on board were
very respectful, and the captain and
mate made much of tie baby. There
was nasty weather rounding Cape
Hatteras, and at one time they were
in great danger. but the little woman
could not be made to 60 below.
Advice, entreaties nor commands had
any effect. Stationing herself abaft
the mainmast, or somewhere on deck,
she stuck out the storm, her eyes
turned always to the sou'-sou'- west,
where Jim was.
s'And when Mt last they glided be-
hind the breakwater aud the harbor-
masters boat put out to meet them,
with Jim on board, there she stood,
near the bow, her baby in her arms,
her eyes brimming with tears and her
face transfigu gured with gladness."
"She was plucky little girl" said
the judge, as Pond concluded, "and
luckier, too, than many another poor
wife was in those days. But did they
never learn anything more about that
fellow, Smith?'
"Yesl The husband wrote to a
friend in the Office and the matter was
Investigated. Smith was discharged
with little extremely plain talk from
the general which resulted in his de-
parture for other scenes"
"But where comes in that vivid
personal interest which you said you
had in the story?" asked Middle
brook.
"Why," said Pond, as he relighted
his cigar, 81 married the baby
Washington Star.