Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-10-16

young fellow OF Tour and twenty-wa'
moo,lily leaning.
AYE. bot he takes on badly wi ~
she said. jerking her head In Andrew
dircction. "Im main sorry for him too.
He al'ays were sweet ON her. ye knaw.
an I do believe she'd a had him II tina,
man fro Grimsby hadn' cceae this way
wi his pert. wcel favored face"
Further tattle was cut short hy the
appearance Of the letter bag. In all thcr,
must have bcen Close on n dozen letter.
IA gocdly batch for Port ~ Bcde j,
was one Of the last which the postmai
held aslant 20 catch tho light Mis-
kellettr' he called out whcozily.
"why. that nun b. HildA" eaclaiui'
ell ono Of the bystandcrs "She isn't
here Yen haze TO take u mp TO th'
house
"I'li ave ye the wax. said Andrew,
stepping forward "I'm bound that
way. an I'll sco she gets It,"
Don't tell her o. the going. ON o.
that Grimsby chap" cried the fshwifs
before mentioned. "It'll drive her clean
daft Conscience sake. Audrey. don't
tell her that"
During the period we are dealing with
education ai Port 81 Bode was at a
woefully low ebh Not 90 people In the
whole thorp could write their names
or recognize them when pcnned Few
could rad anything but print" Fewer
still were able Ia puzzle out written
characters Among this community An
dpw Copley was rcckoncd 'finc
,clolar,i." and by virtue of this rcputa.
ton his services were In frequent de.
mand by tho-e wha having passing
need of the Earning. chanccd 20 b. In
the bad books Of the rector OF the we-.
leyan minister.
With the ''gammer's" injunction
cchoing Ina his ears. Andrew stole quick
ly toward the cottage occupied by iiilda
Kellett and her widowed mother
Miss Kellett. Port ST. Dc,le. >" said
he, furtivcly scanning the supcrscrip
ton. Its fro that scamp ~ ] live
An now. belize. she'll haze mc to read
it 90 her." slackening his paoe. hc add
III grimly; "shall tcll't to hcr-shall
II It'll kill her. say they. an thcy'rc
right-it will.
lie stuffed the letter into his jacket
pocket long before he came abr, ast oi
the cottage Rapping tattoo on thu
door. he lifted the latch. and-as wa
the custom--walkcd straight Ia. a
slim. fair haired girl pcepod into the
room from q side door. ''Oh, its you.
| Andrew. a" she said. coming forward.
"Aye. it'sme. I cam just 10 ask how
your mother l. today"
"sho's q piece better this morn. but
she rested III Last night Nellie an mc
sat up wi her most all night. but she's
dropped OF asleep now. TAX chair,
Andrew
Andrcw perchcd himself on the o'igc
of the nearest rush bo,tomed chair and
fumblcd hosiiatingly with his cap h.
tween his knees. IL was doom by the
Trawlors' when the letters came" he
said after q strained interval. Their
was one for yc. Ililda. an ! made fr"
20 say I'd bring H. Here It's. "
"fOr me,'' and lIilda's eyes bright
onc,i as she stretched out her hand
"Then It's fro Ben. isn't II, Andrcwr
"lts the Grim.by mark" rcplic
Andrew shortly.
Then IL must IL fro Ben. lie sai'
he'd let me know ~ som n the bril
got hack To- Grimsby. An how tr,rl
blod for him all through that storm o
Monday Hut he's safe-this shows he''
safe. Andrew. A piainti,e look Of
alarm crypt into her blue eyes as An
drew. never answering. kcp, his gar
clampcd 10 the floor This shows he
safci" she r,pcaici quaveringly.
"P'mps that letter may oontradict u
all, but there was deal % nasty tall
abou, tho Vampires how she's gon'
doom 4 the
Read II 20 me. =" cried llilda, thrust
ing the missiyo into his hands "fe
know can't myson. Read IL, Andrew.
Taking firm grip u his lips, Andrew
opened the letter and glanced at th'
signature Its moan fro him.. h'
said. "It's wrote by Peter worlcy, th'
skipper o. the Vampire"
"No, fro Benz exclaimed Hide
trcmulously. "IIe isn't-deadi"
Andrew nodded "DrownedW b,
murmurod huskily.
Clutching Mt her throat, liilda sank
into q chair and hid her face In hei
palms Presently she looked MP hei
lips pallid, her eyelids scarlet IL cal
tsar IL now. Andrew. " she said. "Reaf
10 all 10 me. F"
The caligraphy Of the Vampire MAJ
ter must have been all but illegibl'
judging from the difficulty Andrew hS
In deciphering IL. He read slowly, hum
ming and having through the Who'll,
spistlc. Here IL the gist Of IT, In the ~
cent heavy gales the Vampire crazy.
undermanncd timber ship-had sprung
q leak, her crew being eventually COM
pelled 10 abandon the laundering ,esse'
and take 90 the longboat Their perilou
case was little bettercd thereby. fo'
twice the boat had been capsixcd. When
she was righted tho second time, only
four of the sailors succeeded In scram
bling into her OF the two men missing.
the mate, Ben Webb. was one. The sur
yiyors were picked up ON the following
day and landed at Grimsby. II was In
fuifillment Of q pledge made at tho out
set Of their peril and In fateful antici'
patton Of its outcome that Captain We
sley now broke the sad news 10 tho dead
mans sweetheart.
Even In the intensity Of her grief
Hiida had thought Of her mothers much
needed slumber. and not cry escaped
her lips. Andrew. the big. clumsy. soft
hearted general, saw that no sympathy
Of his could soothe her distress. She
must Just "fIet her dole" And 20 he
left her with her sorrow.
81 had TO dot" no muttered. strtd'
ing backward. "An It's better that
nor t'other-its better" fcrvcntly he
added, God send she doesn't let any
body else read it!'
lie might have bcen at peace ON that
score To Hilda the skipper's letter wa
n the last words Of her drowned lover
IA sacred thing. not lightly TO bc fin
gercd or spoken o. She psic.,A u away
with the sundry ribbons, gloves and
cheap gewgaws Ben had given her. "a
be treasured with them throughout this
side Of time
They who bcst know tho Port st.
Bcie folk will least accuse them OF
want Of heart Out Of sheer mercy fo'