The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-02-25
THE STORY OF KIT.

beach of white single, just inside the har-
boris mouth, so that all day long Kit could
see the merchant ships trailing in from sea
and passing up to the little town, or drop
ping down to the music of the capstan song,
and the calls and the creaking as their
crews hauled up the sails. Some came and
went under bare poles in the wake of pant
ing tugs. but those that carried canvas
pleased Kit more. For a narrow coombe
wound up behind the cottage, and down this
coomDe came not only the brook that
splashed by the garden gate, but small
breeze, always blowing. so that you might
count on seeing the white sails take IL and
curve out majestcaliy as soon as ever they
came opposite the cottage and hold it until
under the lee Of the Battery Point.
Besides these delights the cottage had a
plantation OF ash and hazel above it, that
climbed straight to the smooth turf and the
four guns Of the battery; and garden with
tamarisk hedge and bed OF white violets,
the earliest for miles around, and fuehsia
tree three times rs tall al Kit. and plnk
climbing rose that looked in at Kits windo "
ana bossomed till late in November. Here
the child lived alone with his mother. Fol-
there was vagueness OF popular opinion
respecting Kits father; while about his
mother, unhappily, there was no yagueness
at all. She was handsome. rowed
ner, and a dress of violent hues. Decent
wives clutched their skirts in passing her,
but, as q setotf, she was on excellent terms
with every sea captain and mate that put
into the port
All these captains and males knew Kit
and made pet of him, and indeed there
was curious charm in the great serious
eyes and reddish curs of this child whom
other children stunned. No one can tell #
he felt lis isolation; but Of course it drove
him TO mems friend ship, and to wear a
mans solemnity and habit of speech. The
woman dressed him carefully. in glazing
colors, out of her means, and as for man
ners, they would 10 doubt have become
false and absurd, as time went and knowl-
edge came; but at the age Of they were
those Of a prince.
My father was n ships captain, too" he
would tell a new acquaintance, but lie was
drowned at sea-Oh, a long while ago; years
and years before was born"
The beginning OF this speech he had
learned from his mother; aud the misty
antiquity of tile loss his own childish i'm
agination suggested. The captains, hear
ing It, would wink st each other, swallow
down their grIns, and gravely inform him
OF the sights he would see and the lands he
would visit when the time came for him,
too, to he ships captain. Often and often
/ have seen him perched, with his small
legs dangling, on one of the green posts on
the quay, and drinking in their talk Of
green iceberGs. and flaming parrots, and
pig tailed Cinnamon; OF coral reefs OF all
marvellous cOlOrs, and suns that burned men
black, and monkeys that hung by their tails
TO the branches and pelted the passers- by
with cocoanuts and the rest OF it. And
the child would 90 back to the cottage in a
waking dream, heading bright clouds of
fancy with perhaps a little carved box or
knick-knack in his hand, the gilt OF some
bearded, tender-hearted ruffan. 1t was
pitiful.
OF course, he picked up their talk and
very soon could swear, with equal and ap-
paIiug freedom. in English. French, Ger
man, Swedish and Italian. But the words
were words to him and more, as be had no
morals Nice distinctions between good
and evil never entered the little room where
he slept TO the sound only OF the waves that
curved round Battery Point and tumbied on
the beach below. And / know that one
summer evening, when the scaudalized
townsmen and their welded wives assem-
bled and marched down TO the cottage with
intent to lead the woman in a 'ramIidiug,
the sight of Kit playing In the garden and
his look of innocent delight as be ran in 10
call his mother out took the courage out OF
them and sent them home up the hill like
sheer.
or course the truth must have come to
him soon. But it never did, for when he
was Just the woman took a chill and died
IN week.
Sue had left little money, and the
Vicar, rather than let Kit 90 to the work
house. spent 1t TO buy the child admission
to an orphanage in the Midlands, hun
bred miles away.
So Kit hung the rose-tree with little
scraps OF Grape, and was put, dazed and
white, into train and whisked a hundred
miles off. And every body forgot him.
Kit spent two years at the orphanage in
an antique, preposterOus suit - snuff
colored coat with Iapels. canary waist
coat ana corduroy small clothes And they
gave him his meals regularly. There were
ninety-nine other boys who all throve on
the food. but Kit pinned. And the ninety
nine. being full Of food. made racket ut
times; but Kit found it quiet-deathly
quiet, and his eyes wore listening look.
For the truth was, he missed the noise
OF the beach, and was listening for It, And
deep down in bis small heart the sea was
piping and calling to him. AND the world
had grown dumb; and he yearned always
until they had to get him new canary
waistcoat, for the old one had grown TOO
big.
At night, from his dormitory window, he
could see a very rosy light In the sky. AT
first he thought this must be pillar of fire
put there to guide him home; but it was
only the glare of furnaces In a manufactur-
ing tOwr. not lar away. When he found
out his heart camenear to break; and after
ward he pinned still faster.
One evening a lecture was given In the
dining-room at Orphanage. The subject
was "rhe Holy Land" and the lecturer
illustrated it with views from his magic
lantern.
Kit. who sat IN one of the back rows, was
moderately excited at first. But the views
Of barren hills and sands and ruins and
fn1 n off N
while. He had closed his eyes and the lee.
tnrer's voice became siDg-song in which
his heart searched, as it always searched,
for the music of the beach; when. by way
of variety-for it had little To do with the
subjective lecturer slipped In slide that
was opposite to depict an incident or the
homewaId voyage--a squall in the Mediter-
ranean.
1t was a stirring picture with an inky
sky and the squat bursting from it and
driving a small ship heeling over white
crested waves. OF course the boys drew
their breath.
And then something like strangling sob
broke out on the stiffness, frightening the
lecturer; and a shrill cry
Don't go-oh, don't go! Take me-take
me home!
And there at the back of the room a
small boy stood up on his form and
stretched out both hands to the painted
ship, and shrieked and painted.
There was blank silence. and then the
matron hurried up. took him firmly in her
arms and carried him out.
Don't go-oh, for the Lord A'mighty's
sake, don't go!"
And as he was borne down the passage
lis cry sounded among the audience like
the wall of little lost soul.
The matron carried Kit to the sckroom
and put him to bed. After auietng the
child a bit she left him, taking away the
candle. Now the sickroom was on the
ground floor and Kit lay still very short
while. Then he got out of bed, CROPPED for
his clothes, managed to dress himself and.
opening the window, escaped on to the quiet
lawn. Thea he turned his face southwest,
toward home and sea-and ran.
How could he tell where they lay? God
knows. Ask the swallow how she can tell,
when in autumn the warm south is fire in
her brain. l believe that the seas breath
was in the lace of this child of seven, and
its scent in his nOstrils. and its voice in his
ears. calling summoning all the way. |
only knew how he ran straight toward bis
hnma hundred miles off mud that nay