The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1895-01-15

times set"
knew enough now to remain 81
lent If wanted to hear a story from
the old man, so / went on quietly
taking flower to pieces by the aid
of a glass carried in my pocket, and
presently he began again. He always
began in the middle.
81 never see a worse storm than
that, and no wonder that coaler lost
her bearin. 1t blew in squalls of
the cape, and everything floating
had to run under bare poles. Most
of 'em 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 to settle.
The crew must have been disabled
with fright--a few old hands could
have put her straight in no time
but they jest gave in and lost her
and themselves. When aid came to
them, they acted like crazy men,
and only three of 'em could we save
three of them and leetle white
bit of a girl about 3 years old, who
was dashed to spar and came on
shore as if by a miracle right to 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 to an aunt III New Bed
ford.
''He got ashore himself, the mate
did, but he had 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 playin about happy here in
the yard with mine, for she warn't
more'n baby and didn't know what
Death meant. We wrote it all to the
papers, to New Bedford and to north
ern Maine, the place where the coaler
come from, but nobody ever an
swered, and if there was relations
Twin they was too hard and selfish
to come for'ard and claim the child,
and she was too young to know
nothin of 'em. .....
After a year, and nothin heard,
we sort O. got to 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 Mile sort O. filled her place
rs much as one child can fill anoth-
er's, but faint exactly so, for each
one seems to bring her own love
with her, and you don't ever love,
two just alike. But at any rate we
loved Mile dearly, and she was just
years old, near as we could make
put, when thing happened as I am /
yoin to tell, if you'd care to hear it. +"
He paused to draw a long breath,
md l assured him of my sincere in
terest.
"Waal, sir, if you'll believe it, in
midsummer of that year a man
turned up and wanted to adopt her
'eg'lar and take her away to Bosting
10 60 to school, for she was such q
beautiful child. He was cottager,
\ widow man and nice enough
man, only stranger is a stranger
LII the world round. I dunno as
here is anything to help that. How
over, wife and l talked it over, and
we thought if it was for her good in
the end maybe she'd ought to go
anyway, seein as she warn't ours.
So we told her it was her uncle and
she was goin on visit, and the man
ne brought her big speakin doll
and lot of pretty dresses, and she
was won over. His name was Rich
irds, and he was rich, and / don't
know as that was agin him any, but
It made it different for us to let her
90, 1t put Mile further off some
now.
"Waal, the day come, and she went
away as happy as could be, and we
'elt as if big piece had been taken
light out of our lives. 1t didn t seem
sasy to jine on the rest for many a
lay, and we choked up so at meals we
lidn't hardly eat any. 1t was almost
ike losin Ruthie over again. She
vent away in October, and we didn't
ook for her back till June, when the
cottages opened again, and it was a
lreary winter enough we had.
When Christmas come, they sent us
! letter in her name, with a black
;ilk dress for wife and cloth for a suit
or me, jest to let us see we We're
lot forgotten, and that was all we
heard till April. 1t was a fine warm
lay for that time O year. A south
wind was stirrin the young grasses,
md there was smell of spring in the
lir when l went up to clean the
glasses in the mornin, and as looked
,ff to the West Chop there, what did
see a-cOmin round infer the haven