St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-01-26

sea; of him it must be said that. AS
love came late, it came strong as
well.
"Don't go, Jack" she pleaded amid
her sobs. II know it's selfish. but [
can't help it. Don't leave me! |
shall never see you again if you do"
Her distress, her unbounded love,
appealed to him powerfully. His
resolution was severely shaken.
Nothing but the sailors ingrained
honor and habitual self-discipline
held him back, as he said:-
For heavens sake, Thankful,
don't tempt me away from duty!
leave you only because must; but
the time will be short, All our ar
engagements are for short voyage;
expect me back by the next New
Year. | shall hasten everything for
your sake"
She went to sleepless bed that
night. In the morning her fathers
glass showed her the Chevalier far
out at sea. For many DAYS she
went about hcavy-hearted. Her
mother watched aud ptied her, and
her own heart bed afresh
But youth is the season Of hope,
and love is it's twin; and as the
months of that spring and summer
went by, the girl felt more and more
as though she were only enduring a
brief probation toife-long happiness.
News had reached her Of the
Chevalier and her beloved. FIRST
came a letter from Rio, full of love
and promise; then an incoming
whaler reported speaking the
Chevaier in the far South Atlantic,
and that all on board were well /;
and then a letter from Lima All
was well, time was flying. the
promised time for the reunion was
approaching. There is rarely, yet
sometimes New England autumn
when the mellow Indian summer is
prolonged from November far into
December, and the year fades away
in days of velled sunshine, when
nature seems i'll dream and winter
is held back by some strange spell.
1t was SO this year Down to the
first day Of January there was Meth
er snow nor frost; a siivery mist sat
upon the sea; the days were like
( May-day>, but with q soitened sun
I the nights were balmv and glorious.
AS Thankful and her mother sat out.
side the cottage, they could see the
/ lights rom the town and the BAY.
The sounds OF laughter and talking
came up to them everything seemed
/ under a charm.
SO it was on that New Years eve.
They sat there late, talking Of the
dead-ot the absent-hardIy daring
to talk OF the future. The night was
bright and starlight, everything was
visible yet indistiuct At that place
and time, nobody had been abroad
for an hour, all were at home keep
ing New Years eve. Just then
Thankful directed her mothers at
tcntion TO a figure advancing slow
" up The slope toward the cottage
"Wherc?' asked Mrs. Benson, 81
don't see it.
"Why, theren' said Thankful
with outstretched finger It's a
man. He's coming this way He
he looks like Jack.
She started up aud advanced 10
meet him Mrs. Benson strained her
ewes, bur could see nothing like a
human figure. She saw Thankful
advance few PAGES, stretch out her
arms, as ii to embrace some one, and
thcn tall senselesS to the ground
When Mrs. Benson carried her in
and revived her, she started and
cried for lack
My dear child, be calm!" said
the mother He is not here. He
has not been here. "
eyes, yes!--he was. | saw him
almost touched him. He came close
up to me-and then he disappeared
and could not see him
The mother looked at her with
grief and ave.
Dear Thankful, she said with
deep solemnity, be SttOng-cdst
your burden on the Lord-and bear
your grief as | have borne mine
You have not seen John Sturdy; you
have seen his double. You will
never see him again"
For the next year their lives went
on with that sense of chastened
sorrow that possesses those whose
only hope in this world is reft away
Mother and daughter drew closer
together in their companionship Of
bereavement. Life for them was all
in the past; their present comfort
was merely that of ministering tc
the sick and afflicted about them
and thus to LEARN the luxury of do
ing good"
The only news that had been re
ceived from The Chevalier was dark
" confrmatory Of the vision that
Thankful had seen. One OF The
boats had been found floating in the
South Pacific, empty and oarless; 6
ship wrapped in fire from stem to
stern had been sighted afar off il
those waters, where help could no.
be extended, nor inquiry made.
They lived on during that year
and sorrow grew old and was still
as dark as ever. Their neighbor'