Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1894-02-14
COMMENTED BE.
SKIPPER BEN'S GIRL.

If, IN your travels you ever visit
the rugged coast of Cornwall, you
may come upon "The Cove" with
it's clusters of brown, gray, and
black wooden houses, having queer
uneven roofs and crooked chimneys
and it's narrow strip of pebbly beach,
backed by high frowning rocks.
You are very likely to find boats
drawn up upon this beach, some OF
them overturned for caulking, and
great heaps of kelp and seaweed
showing how far up the water
comes at high tide. And climbing
over the boats or playing along tn
beach, | am quite sure you will find
little girl--a brown faced, bare
footed little girl in a faded pink
frock, whose hair is like seaweed, a
rich chestnut underneath, but faded
to sort of nutty tinge where the
sun strikes it.
If you ask this little girl who
she is, she will peep shyly up at
you through her tangled hair, with
a pair of eyes which will win your
love at once, and will answer IDOL
ly." Then she will run away and
hide among the boats, with hel
brown curls shaking over her blush.
ing cheeks. But if you ask any
one else-say the old lobster man
yonder, examining his lobster pots
beside his warped and leaky old do
ry, or, better still, old Captain Ora.
YES, as he stands on the quay every
day, or sits by the stove in 'Lishs
fuckers shop, telling of the fishing
when he was young, he will say
"That?" Oh, that's Skipper Benz
gal!'
1t is strange story, and it al
happened some years ago-a grea'
many years ago, Dolly would say
when Skipper Ben was not skip
per at all, but merely young fish
erman. He lived with his ole
mother, in the little brown hous,
which stands quite by itself by tn,
waterside. And over in the black
ish-looking cottage, with the shin
giles down the sides, lived his sweet
heart-a rosy lass named Dolly
They had always been friends eve
since they were old enough to g
about, and sailed boats together il
the pools among the rocks, or fishes
from the quay. AS they grew old
er the Cove, lust kind of under
stood" that they were to be marrie'
as soon as Ben should become owne
or part owner of a fishing vessel.
Ben was an industrious fellow
and was always off at the Banks
Each time he came home, he laid
little money away in an old stock
ing, for he was saving up to bu
this boat, and once, while he wa
on a fishing cruise with Captain
Pratt, the Captain told him of
prime little schooner he had a
home in the Cove, which Ben Nigh
secure for the contents of his stock
ing, and in payment for his service
that season. Ben came home
happy, happy youth. He had al
ready cherished his new possession
the Dolly" And as he walked u
the narrow, crooked street of tn
little fishing town, he wondere
why all his comrades should loo
at him with such solemn, pityin
chances. Poor Ben! he soon learn
ed why they all looked pityingl
at him. His sweetheart, Dolly
was dead. Two weeks before, sh
had been buried in the little grave
yard upon the hill. Poor Ben, in
deed! He was never the same ma
afterward. He kept the Dolly an
took pride in her, going off to tn
Banks, and, becoming in time, on
of the first fishermen in the Cove
But he never was boy again; al
his light-heartedness had vanished
and be became grave, moody, an
silent. For some years, he LIVED
when he was at home, alone in tn
little brown house-for his mothe
was dead, too. A lonely time h
had Of it, when he was not at tn
Banks. In the evenings he woul
sit for hours with his pipe, starini
into the fire, and thinking how dit
ferent it might have been if onl
Dolly had lived.
One night there was a terribl