The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-20

I
babies as queer as that2' thought l.
Luckily ] didn't say so. though.
There. my hlessed-my handsome
Look. my tender-eh Tom, but he kicks
my side all 90 bruises-my merryau. my
giant. Look uu az your father and YOU
his image. That was pretty stin. II de-
clare he's lookiu' about an takin' stock
Of everything And that was pretty stiff.
too-''So like a man. All for the sea and
boats, Tom. dear. father viii tell you
that an the way on the water he was as
good as gold. and on shore. before that.
kicking and listing. All for the sea and
the boats-the man Of him, Hold him.
dear. but be careful a Sundays child.
too
Sundays child is fun Of grace"
and-the awkward that you are Here.
give him back 20 me. Feel how far down
in his clothes the feet Of his reach. Ex-
traordinar Aun iezzy mounted a chair
and climbed pom the chest o. drawers
with him before takin' him doWnstairs-so
that he'll 20 up In the world and not
down
If he wants 10 try both" said J. he'd
best follow his father and grandfather.
and live pom liehtship.'
so this is how you live. TOm-and YOU.
and father-aud YOU. uncle She moved
about examining everything lantern.
the fog-signals. the hfe-buoys, the cook
+ ing stove. hunks. and store CupbOards.
TO think that here you live,-an the
mankind belongin' TO me-and ! never TO
have seen IL. All the mankind. did say,
my rogue? And was / forgetting you
you-y0u2' Kisses here. Of course. Then
she held the youugstcr up to look at his
face in the lantern. "Ah, heart of me. viii
YOU grow up too 10 live in a lightship,
and leave poor woman at home to
weary for you in her trouble? Rogue
rogue, what poor woman have / done this
to. bringing YOU into the world to be her
torture and her jOy?'
Dear says /. you're weak yet. Sit
down by mo and rest a while before the
time comes to go back"
"But I'm not going back yet a while.
Your son. sir. and / are goin' to spend the
night aboard"
'Hullo"' / said. and looked toward Old
John. who had made fast astern of as and
run a line out TO one Of the anchor buoys.
"Tisn't allowed. o. course he muttered.
looking in turn and rather sheepishly to-
ward my father. But once in a way. It's
all Bathsheba's notion, ana you mustn't
ask me" ne wound up.
"Once in away 20 cried Bathsheba. And
is IT twice in a way that a woman comes
to a man and lays his first child in his
arms?"
My father had been studying the sunset
and the sky to windward, and now he an
swered ola John:
IT'S once in a way. sure enough. that
boat can lay alongside the Gunnel. But
the winds fallin, and the nightH be
warm. l reckon II YOU stay i'm the boat,
old John. she'll ride pretty comfortable;
and III give the word to cast of at the
--latest sign"
once in way! An sirs, it isn't twice il
a way there comes night as that was!
We lit the light at sunset, and hoisted
IT, ana made tea, talking like children all
the while; and my father the biggest
child of all. old John had his share pass
ed out to him. ana ate IT alone out there
in the boat. There being lack of cups,
Bathsheba and l drank out Of the same,
and scalded our lips, and must kiss to
make them well Foolishness, Dear,
dear! | suppose so. And the jokes we had
calling out to Old John as the dark
ness fell. and wishing him Goodnight"
"Oh, ay. l hear 'ee,' was all he answered.
After We'd eaten our tea and washed up,
! showed Bathsheba how to crawl into her
| bunk, passed in her baby and aid IT in her
| arms. and SO left her. telling her to rest
and sleep But by-and-by, as l was keep
ing watch, she came out, declaring the
place stihed her So l pulled out matt
ress and blankets, and strewed bed out
! for her under the sky. and sat down beside
/ her, Watching while she suckled the child.
] She had wrapped him mp so that the two
/ dark eyes of him only could be seen. star
ing up from the breast to the great bright
lantern above him. The moon was in her
| last quarter. and would not rise until
/ close upon dawn. and the night was pitChy
! dark around us. with few stars. In less
/ than a minute Bathsheba gave u start and
/ laid a hand on my arm
| 90 Tom what was that?"
"Lcok up" said l. "Tis the birds flying
/ about the light"
! For. of course. our light always drew
/ the sea birds, especially on dark, dun
| nights. Long since we had grown used
/ to the sound of their beating and flap
] r,iv, md ooh loo Of ont
! after | spoke one came daShng against
! the rigging, and we heard him tumble into
/ the sea. Then one broke his neck against
the cage overhead, and tumbled dead at
our feet Bathsheba shivered as l tossed
! him overheard.
rs ii always like this?" she whispered
| Il thought twas only at the cost of a silly
woman's fears that you saved mems lives
out here"
We'll" said I. this is something more
| than usual, to be sure"
For, looking up into the circle of light
/ we could see now at least a hundred birds
flying round and round; and in half hours
| time there must have been many hun
| dreds. Their white breasts were like
| snowstorm, and soon they began to fall
thick upon deck. They were not all sea
| birds either.
"Huno"' said I; Whats the day of the
| month";"
THE 18th of March"
Here's a wheat-ear. then" I said. I'm
a couple of weeks we shall have the swal-
lows; and a couple of weeks after
/ cuckoo, maybe. SO you see that even out
/ here by the Gunnel we know when spring
/ comes along And l began to hum the
old song that children sing in the islands:
The cuckoo is a fair bird;
He sings as he flies,
He brings us good tidings,
He tells us no lies
He seeks the sweet flowers
To make his voice clear =
And when he says cuckoor
The summer is here"
Bathshebas eyes were wet for the poor
| birds but she took the song, grooming it
soft-like. and persuading the child to
| sleep.
oh meeting is pleasure,
But parting is grief;
An inConstant lover
Is worse than thief
For thief at the worst
VIII take all that | have,
But an inConstant lover
Sends me to my grave"
/ Her hand stole into mine as the boys
/ ewes closed. and ClaSppd my fingers on