Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1896-07-31

Al ard cane whistlin
i e. along the beach, wit
his hands thrust into the pockets o
his duck trousers. He was a tall
broad shouldered fellow, with hand
some, sun Drowned face, and two darl
eyes that looked straight through 20,
in quiet way peculiarly their own.
-'Halloo, Captain Jackl'
Two fishermen were standing there,
something lying at their feet. darl
and still.
"Well, my hearties !"
sBear O baud here, will you, cap.
tain p said one. ga ship went to
pieces off the point last night, and
here's three bodies ashore, dead as
herring"
Captain Jack stopped whistling, and
bent down to look at the bodies. Two
were men, strong and hard featured,
evidently part of the crew of the i'll
fated ship. They we're quite dead. The
third one was child lnshed to spar.
Captain Brainard hitched up his
duck trousers and looked thoughtfully
at the bodies. The child--a mere babe
of two or three years-lay half COW
cred in the sea weed, as if she were
asleep. Captain Jack bent suddenly
and cut with his sheath knife the rope
that bouna her to the spar.
iii be drowned if the small craft
amt floating yet, Dave Bent"
The baby face was upturned to the
sunlight. Dave Bent laid his rough
hand against it gently. 1t was wet
and cold, but still living face.
Captain Jack rose up with the child
in his jacket.
"IIl take it up TO the inn, Dave.
You can bury the other two. Hang
me if l ever knew anything like this
beforei"
Mrs. Lane, widow of Captain Will
lam Lane, lost at sea, and hostess of
the hamlet inn, sat with needle and
mesh block mending nets in the bar
room, as Captain Jack Brainard came
stalking in.
Mrs. Lane in all her life had never
been thrown into such unparalleled
excitement as by the sudden appear
ance of that small waif'of the coast.
She had her reward. The child was
lying on her lap, when suddenly two
wondering black eyes Enclosed, and
the waif gave utterance to a prolonged |
vigorous scream
'.Bless mel' cried Mrs. Lane, sT
never laid eyes on to such a homelv |
child-and gal, tool"
What's to be done with it?" said |
Captain Jack.
"Lawks how do ] know ?" said Mrs.
Lane, sit haint got any folks, most
likely. 'Yon'll have to take it to the
poor house up the country"
Captain Jack looked thoughtful.
81 don't know-but it isn't lust
friendly to leave such little craft in
strange water without any pilot, Mrs.
Lane. 1 believe I'll stand by her my
elf"
'Land sakesl what can you do?"
ried. Mrs. Lane.
"Well, my Mary Ellen is bound for
nina tomorrow; but You can keep
loE uoko iii come Ddck. i III see that
'ou are paid-and for want of some
hing better you can cali her Rachel
that was my mothers name" |,
The Mary Ellen was laying to, in
allen Harbor, with anchor raised.
ext day, when Captain Jack came to ,
~ good-by to his hostess, and to /,
lace in her hand little box of In. |
ian wood carefully tied with faded
ibbon. ,
you'll find necklace there and a
ing. Mrs. Lane-they used to be
and might as well go along 6
18th the name"
And Mrs. Lane placed the necklace I
ound the plump baby neck, and laid q
he ring carefully by until such time
J the little wsif should be old enough 1
think OF rings, and then Captain
ack shook her heartily by the hand, b
I'D went away from the hamlet inn, /
I'D an hour after the white sails of the +
-sry Ellen had disappeared far down
lie bay. o
1t was the same desolate coast of {,