The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-03-28


are"
The boxes were set out in row, and the
spaces marked eff. Twelve openings were
dug. the boxes placed inside and covered
with the shining sand. The graves were
smoothed over the top and n row of tiny
beach stones placed around them. A large
white stone was found for the head of each
grave. and the owners name written upon it.
Not one was forgotten, from Ernestine and
Rosalie down to wee Nellie, scarcely an inch
in stature. f'+7
1t was a strange burial, but who can say
that the child's heart did not ache as she
put away her treasures?
The waves sung a, requiem, the wind
whispered an obituary As it hurried by.
After that the knitting and sewing went
on with greater regularity. The greatest
temptation to play had been removed, and
Nita had only to look at the tiny graves in
The sand when she wished to spur her lag
ging fingers. 30
The days crept on, sunshiny July, sultry
August. With the first week of September
came letter. tiAt
From father, Duroc," and Nta danced
about in her JOY. He'sin Newburyport and
he's coming home, perhaps in two weeks,
and he'll never go fishing any more" Her
heart WAS 80 full of JOY that it could not
contain any more.
The days slipped by like shining beads
pulled from a string; there were so many
last things to do. And one day Aunt Kareen
said -" / shouldn't wonder if your father
would be at home tomorrow. To-day's the
10th, and he usually gets along just after
the middle of the month";"
How bright that to morrow promised to be.
II. - yha ,tar IL, ,l,I
and dimpled beneath the kisses of the SUM-
In The early afternoon white fluffy clouds
began to scud across the sky. BY and by
drops of rain splasbed the window -panes.
They bad watched all day, but the patched
sails had not come in sight. Duroc and
Nita had watched from the Point until
the rain drove them in.
A storm was on its way. At o'clock the
waves were beating wildly on the shore.
The fog-belI on the island near sounded out
dismal note. The red revolving light in
the lighthouse flashed its warning and then
left darkness in its wake, flashed again its
warning aud left darkness behind. The
storm had come. The angry ocean seemed
trying TO tear way over the land the
wind would level all in its course.
Nita stood at the window and tried TO
peer into the darkness that had already shut
down. Max, neighbor's boy, called as he
ran dripping by. He came back, pressed
his face against the other side Of the pane,
and shouted: "The men are going to build
some fires in the shelter of the rocks. We
thought we heard gun just now. A ship
couldn't live long in a sea like that"
Nita watched the fires as they biazed up.
The men from the life-saving station were
pacing their beats, going out of the light
into the darkness and coming from the dark
ness into the light. The lifeboat had been
pushed to the beach, aud the men were at
| work on the ropes. In the lee of the rocks
boys and men stood about in their oil swits
and tarpaulips and fed the fires.
Nita thought of the ship in distress. Per-
haps the Captain had little girl at home
like herself Her heart was full of tender
pity for her. Perhaps she would never see
her father again. She lighted her lamp and
carried it up to her chamber window; this
little ray might help to guide him through
the darkness of the night.
She could hear the gun now as it sent out
dull boom-boom. Surely God would pity
the little girl whose father was out on the
angry water.
Still the storm ragged on. Aunt Kareen