The Indiana State sentinel., 1894-11-07
Here is q thing
Too young f0r such a place.

vet, and il was wonderful how such a del
icate little thing found a footing. It had
two neighbors as bright and beautiful as
itself, the golden aster and the dainty
Held rose. but they had strong, stiff stems
and would thrust the hchen aside or
pierce it. How the blue-eyed grass man
aged no one knew. but it came up every
year and lifted its flower stars to the light
and surprised the people who had not seen
IL before very greatly, for no one ex-
pected to find 4 light-blue flower larger
than a forget-me-not upon grass plant.
Down at the East Chop lighthouse a
patch of it came up every year just out
side the white palings which limited the
lighthOuse-keeper's garden The keeper,
"Cap'n' Symas. had lived there nearly
fifty years. He Gid not tend light now;
he had not done so since his seventeen
birthday, when ne retired cn a pension
q his nephew was appointed in his
pl. o. He sat in his garden on fine after
moons and evenings, looking over the
broad bay, or haven, as it is called, to-
ward the twin light upon the West Chop.
, until the air grew chill ana he began to
cough. when ne reluctantly suffered his
niece to move his large stuffed rocker n
doors.
On these fire evenings the captain loved
to tax to the sauntercrs. Some came
from the cottages scattered over the High
lands to look at the light and express
their gracious approval Of what they
were profoundly ignorant of. Others were
mere idlers for when the sea and Sky
suficed. and these listened better a
good listener is horn, not made. and does
not belong 20 the executive classes; ne
has all time for his own What ideal list
eners sam Lawson and Rip Van Wrinkle
mus5 have been. Without setting up a
rival claim To these worthless. 1 myself
have a very pretty talent for idle listen
ing. and 1 like the drone Of an old voice.
as I like the wind through the pines.
How seasoned. and to speak, time-staned.
O.d voices become, and how they reveal
the key 10 which the soul is tuned. The
captain had possessed a deep full organ;
1r was gone bat a remnant or It's whole
soulness was vet to be recognized. and
ne loved to talk, especially of himself and
his adventures. These things 20 hear did
L most seriously incline, and many long
afternoons he talked away. while / sat
smoking by his side, or pulling the flowers
TO pieces, under the preteXt of bOtanZng.
1t was on one Of these long fine afternoons
that he told me the story Of the blue-eyed
grass. ] had a Bunch Of il i'm my hand
tain noticed il Immediately.
Did YOU ever think what them looked
lize?" he asked.
No 1 said tentatively, u don't know
that ever did. never saw it before this
week; it came all i'm a few days and Il IL
already in fruit. Ii will not last long"
WAL" he said slowly. IF you he'd
lived with it for years. you'd see - was
just like the eyes of children. little chill
dren who hadn't lived long enough 70 lose
the color out of 'em-that color like the
sky out there"
He pointed 70 the sky over the water.
a clear. delicate blue sky, such as June
loves, and recognized that the flower in
my hand was of exactly the same nue.
I'D never have thought of il tho he
went on, IF il hadn't been for Mile. ]
never see it now without seeing her little
white face as / saw il the first Time and
the last. There was not much difference.
only the last time the gold WAS thicker
in her curls. but her eyes was both times
shct.'
/ knew enough now to remain silent if
] wanted TO hear a story from the old
man, SO I went on quietly taking a Il ,vver
TO pieces by the aid of glass 1 carried in
my pocket. and presently he began again.
He always began in the mid lie
L never see "a worse storm than that,
and no wonder that coaler lost her bearin'.
1t blew in squalls of the cape. and every
thing floating had to run under bare poles.
Most Of EN- was driven into the haven,
but she had worse luck and run right on
shore here ON the Chop. stove a hole in
her side and begun 10 settle The crew
must have been disabled with fright-a
few old hands could have put her
straight i'm no time-but thcv jest gave
IN and lost her and themselves When
aid came 10 them they acted like crazy
men and only three Of 'em could we save
three Of them and a leetla white bit of
girl. about three years old. who was
1ashcd to "A spar and came on shore as if
by a miracle rght 10 my wife'S feet. She
was the mates daughter. the men told
us, and he had jest lost his wife and was
a bringin' her d. au aunt in New Bed
ford.
He got ashore himself. the mate did,
but he mad been badly bruised about the
head. and had brain fever. and did not
live many days The poor leetle girl was
all right by that time and piayin about
happy here IN the yard with mine, for
she warn't mOre'n n baby. and didn't
know what death meant. We wrote IL
all to the papers. TO New Bedford and TO
northern Maine, the place where the cOaler
come from, but nobody ever answered
and if there was relations livin' they was
too hard and selfish to come for'ard and
claim the child. and she was too young
10 know nothin of 'eul.
After a year. and nothin' heard we
sort o got 20 thinkin' of her as our own
and treatin her so. We never adopted
her formally, but we had her baptized
and vaccinated. and in time we almost
forgot that she wasn't ours. Then, when
she'd been with Us two years. our Ruthie
died and we never had another baby. so
Milsie sort o. filled her place as much as
one child can fill another's; but 'tain't eX-
actly so, for each one seems 10 bring
her own love with her, and you don't
ever love two just alike. But at any rate.
we loved Aii.ie dearly, and she was jest
five years old. near as We could make
out when thing happened as [ am goin'
70 tell, if you'd care 20 hear IT,"
He paused 10 draw "A good long breath
and I assured him Of my sincere interest.
Wal. sir, If vOu'u believe It, in mid
summer of that very year. a man turned
up and wanted To adopt her reg'lar and
take her away 20 Bostlng To go 10 school,
for she was such beautiful child He
was "A cOttager. widowman. and a nics
enough man. only stranger is a strang-
or all the word round. ! dunno as there
is anything to hep that. However, wife
an l talked IL over, and we thought If il
was for her good in the end may be she'd
ought TO go any way, seein' as she warn't
ours. So we told her it was her uncle
and she was goin' on a visit, and the
man he brought her a big speakin' doll
and a lot Of pretty dresses. an she was
won over His name was Richards, an
he was rich, an / don't know as that was
against him any; but It made It different
for us TO let her 60. 1t put Millie farther
on somehow.
WAL. the day come. an she went
away - happy as could be. an we felt