The Indiana State sentinel., 1894-11-07
The BLUE-EYED GRASS.


When Christmas come they sent mp a
letter in her name. with a black silk dress
for wife, and clOth for a suit for me, jest
10 let us see we We're not forgotten. an
that was all we heerd till April II was a
fine warm day for that time o year,
south wind was stirrin' the young grasses
an there was a smell Of spring in the air.
when / went up to clean the glasses in the
mornin', an rs L looked off TO the West
Chop there. what did i see a comm round
inter the haven but a steam yacht that
I'd knowed i'm a hundred.
''She was made the Clyde, that
yacht, and had a furrin cut to her jib
that was different from any I'd ever seen
before. tho there's lots of 'em now around
That was how / came TO know Richards,
goin on board that boat, and when l see
her ag'in. l knOwed sure as anything that
bad news was a comm. l jest went on
cleanin' the lights faster. like as if l was
machinery, an when L was done ] went
straight inter the kitchen 10 find mother.
- Mother sez l. that Richards boat
is out there in the haven, an il don't
bOde no good. Sometimes the matter
with Mile an hes come TO tell Us, but
don't YOU git hdgety. as that don't do
good TO nobody You know wOm51 arc
so flighty it is best to give 'em warnin'
g Law. father sez she. taking her
hands out Of the dough, now do you
know that?
lErl II tbliNlilln so = tAii
she never said a word more ag'in il.
Somehow we didn't talk much that morn
in. L took to fiXin' the garden and she
swept, an busted, an got things ship
shape, as If we was eXpectin' somebody.
Every wheel we started an ran To me
gate. but it wasn't till after dinner that
there come any message Then man
come gail1pin' up on horseback. an II
was worse than / feared. Millie was sick,
had been pinin' for months. an they'd
rrrH nas.rs Il
would help some. Could we be ready for
her and nurse that night. an not let
on TO the child there Was anything the
matter? We sent word back we Was
ready, an i'm about an hour they brought
her in an easy carriage, an kn9Wed Il
all az the first look. That child was dy-
in of hOme-sckness for the sea The
nurse told US all about it,. how she began
10 fail along about Christmas time. an
they took her 10 one big doctor after an
other, an tried to get her to ear, an 10
build her up. an how that Richards got
the most expensive toys an sWectmedts
for her, an sat up nights watchin her
yacht an then Richards thought awhile
last one doctor said: Send her off ON the
yacht, an then Richards thought awhile
an said: Would you like 80 go 10 the
lighthouse, Marina?' He always called
her that Outlandish name. out of play,
an he said it meant something about the
sea. When she heard that she ran an
put her arms tight around his neck an
cried out: % uncle, can l, can To-
An so he knew that She had been
longing TO go all the time an hadn't un-
derstOOd il herself. as how SnOuld SnC.
bein' the mere baby she was2 You see
she hadn't eyer been out of sight an
sound Of the sea, bcin' born, as she was,
almost on the water. I've known strong
men give in 20 il an droop right down,
if they tried 10 give up folierin' Jhc sea,
an live inland, an here was a leetlc enid
a00Iui thai an nnhn1N all EnSffnu
knew enough TO help her
WAL. she come, an mother SIZE be-
haved real quiet. OWN principally TO my
haYn' given hcr warnin'. ] sposc. II
was jest pitifIl TO see that child's happy
eyes fOllerin' us round or starin out at
the sea. She was too weak L. talk much.
but she sOt up TIL after supper To SEA, the
lights lit. an she would slpap i'm the west
chamber SOS she could lay an look at
'em till she fell asleep. There ain't much
more 10 tell, but l can't bear 10 hurry it
somehow. Folks here SEES it's iHpossi-
bic for a child to die that way. am she
must have had kinder consumption, an
l don't know as there's any name ior her
complaint. Did you ever happen t. hear
one, siT?''
Yes" said l. more to myself than my
auditor, 1t is called nostalbia I'm The
books. / believe But then this flower mas
long name too. L done see thai tnat
helps to know il"
III Il GblIiH TO LleEn MOWERS. sir. /
amt forgot 'em. Mile began ashin'
about them the next mornin
- Daddy Sez she. is my little blue
eyes out yet? l want to see 'em so.
They've got lots of flowers up 10 Bosting
big pink roses an lilies an som,. tbat's
smaller an smells sweeteT an some that
looks Jest like beetles an butterflies But
they put 'em 0n for dinner an you can't
pick 'em. 50 they amt very much good
10 anybody. / want to go out an pick
lots Of blue-eyes an play with 'em like
L used to. Can't 1, Daddy%
Yes. yes, soon as they grow sez I,
kinder careless and gulpin' down my
tears. COS l was afraid if L gave in ther'd
be no ho-din' mother, but they won't be
out this week2'
Every day it was the same. She was
always talkin' about goin out 10 pick
flowers, an for few days il did seem
likely enough. She frightened up a sight,
an rode out a little ways in the sunniest
part of the day, an twice she walked
round the yard here, an into the light
house itself. But the nurse wouldn't hear
10 her standin on the stone floor more
than minute. an so she was kept very
close !, was only a short spell. kinder
like a gleam Of light behind a cloud. for
there came a cold wind. an she wilted
right down again. Then l took TO goin'
out to hunt for them blue flowers. for
made up my mind she should have 'em
an pick EN-, too j jest dug up the plants
WITH DuQS Ou dIl UlduAtu Il DlS pdtCl
Of EN- there outside the yard when She
didn't know il. 1t was about Al / could
do for her. for that Richards was comm
an gOin', an bringin' all sorts of useless
things that nobody wanted.
II don't want 10 say nothin' agin him.
for he did as well as he knew, an that's
all any of us kin do; but it did seem as
if there was a leak that might'er bin
stopped sooner. an somebody was ter
blame. WAL, its thirty year ago now,
an 1 might as we'll give over wOnderin
why the Lord allowed il, an tell you the
end. II wasn't long, an l begin to think
the blue flowers was never agOin' to open
in time when one mOrnin as | come in
from putin out the light a daybreak.
there they was all out, an lOokin' too
pretty for anything. / said nothin', but
after breakfast wien the nurse had gone
to sleep, an mother was out the room a
minute, l sot down by that child's bed
an sez 1 softly: 'AIillie, what do You
think 1 this mornin'?
What, daddy, sez she listless like,
for she was gettin' weaker hourly, an it
hurt her 70 speak much.
" 'Somethin' you wanter pick, sez T.
trying 10 hold her attention. She did
light up for a minute then.
- It's blue-eyes.' sez she, with a weakly
little smile; but, daddy, can't ever pick
'cm. On, il l could Jest only have 'em.
Are they real far Off%
- You wait a minute saz /. and you'll
see and l went out. 1t come right into
my head thetn, an i didn't stop to argue.
1 went out an took a basket, an dug up
a lot Of 'em, put EN- inter it, an went an
set it down right on that white counter
pane before any Wimmin' folks could hin