Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1893-03-09
Sai4t MARI Beacon


Two years had passed since the
nigbtof the wreck. Stephen and
Nancy had long been married, and
aSsix-months' babe laughed in its
cradle. They were prosperous in
worldly things, and their cottage
held more creature comforts than
any other in the village. But its
inmates were not happy. Stephen
was sadly changed. He had grown
gloomy and morose. He found no
happiness in his wife and babe, and
was seldom in his home, but spent
his time, when not on the water, in
the village tavern. There'he would
stay all the long night, leaving poor
Nancy to watch and wait, with 4
heart full of the sickening anguish
that only q wife can feel, till dawn
came, when he would return, with
unsteady step and flushed face. to
throw himself ca the bed, sleep
heavily few hours, and then be
of again. Nor was this all her
trouble. Her father, too, had lost
his old self. He had always been a
hard man to his fellows, but to her
he was the most tender. affectionate
parent. Now this was gone. The
scowl never left his face. He avoid
ed her and her babe, and when he
did not go to the tavern with Steve,
he would take bag of provisions
and spend days in his boat on the
bay, but he never went on the ocean.
Poor Nancy's life was very dark.
and the weight OF her short twenty
years had worn deep burrows in her
brow. But with q true wife's de-
votion, she Rugged her baby closer,
and hoped that brighter days would
come. The second anniversary of
the wreck was near at hand. when
one morhing, as Nancy sat at break
fast, with Steve and her father, n
neighbor rushed in and announced
that Hugh Green had just been
found hanging in an old hut, cold
and dead.
Nancy shrieked and threw up her
hands. sad the men sat silent with
blanched faces. The woman went
on
q ant mudk tux back by it,
fur yer know Husa's been kinder
half off this long timS. Sort o act
ed as if he vas scared all the time,
and was afeared to be alone. Thar
they go now, Nancy, takin' hin
home
And the two women, drawn by
the morbid curiosity of their class
ran out to look after the crowd
AS they disappeared, Job spoke.
She's ketched poor Hugh first
| wonder how long afore she'll gi
us! Don't she never come fur you
Stcve?'
The sweat stood on Steve's fore
heard.
Come for me! Great God! sh,
amt never away from me a mint
nor has mt been since that cussed
day. And now it amt only me
but she's after the baby! i never
look ut the cradle that she hint 4
standing by it, her white arm,
stretched out, a saying, Come.
That is why go away SO much.
know she won't leave me, and if
take her off, she can't be after tn,
young un. Talk about your brim.
stone hellsl They can't tech our
Eli, father
job laughed his hard laugh.
Tech it! I'd like to git into il
O spell, jest to rest! I'll bet old
Hugh is rubbing his hands now,
and chuckling over us. But he
won't hev the laugh long, for she Ii
fetch me soon, curse her.
Here Nancy returned, and the
men took their hats and left the
house. The day passed away, and
neither Of them returned, and M
night closed in the wind began to
rise, as fora storm. Nancy brought
in large pile Of wood. and after
eating her lonely supper. settled her.
self for the long weary night she
knew was before her. She did not
60 to bed, for the excitement of the
day had so unsettled her nerves that
she knew sleep was impossible.
The baby lay calm and peaceful in
his cradle, and she sat down beside
him to watch the old Dutch clock,
the spoil from a long-ago wreck,
tell the hours till daylight. Then
she heard, not Steve's familiar step,
but the sound Of several feet ap-
preaching the house. She fastened