The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1896-07-16

- ~ along the beach, with
his hands thrust into the pockets OF
his duck trousers. He was tall,
broad shouldered fellow, with a hand
some, sun Drowned face, and two dark
ewes that looked straight through you
in quiet way peculiarly their own.
'Halloo, Captain Jack J"
Two fishermen we're standing there,
something lying at their feet, dark
and still.
"Well, my hearties"
"Bear n baud here, will you, cap.
tain?" said one. "a ship went TO
pieces of the point last night, and
here's three bodies ashore, dead rs
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 Ill
fated ship. They we're quite dead. The
third one was child lushed to spar.
CAPTAIN Brainard hitched up his
duck trousers and looked thoughtfully
at the bodies. The child-a mere babe
II 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.
.I'll be drowned il the small craft
nin't hoating yet, Dave Bent
The baby tace was upturne 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.
"Pll take it up to the inn, Dave.
You can bury the other two. Hang
me If / ever knew anything like this
beforel"
Mrs. Lane, widow of Captain Will
lam Lane, lost at sea, and hostess oi
the hamlet inn, sat with needle and
mesh block mending nets in the bar
room, as Captain Jack Brainard came
stalking in. ,.oa ",
Mrs La. III al, -. -itcrN %: =. -. -
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 wa'
lying on her lap, when suddenly tive
wondering black eyes unclosed, and
the waif gave utterance to prolonged
vigorous scream.
"Bless mel" cried Mrs. Lane, "l
never laid eyes on to such homely
phill-aul "A gal too ~
What's to be done with it?" sale
Captain Jack.
'I.awks how do know" said Mrs
Lane, sit haint got any folks, mos
likely. "You'll have to take it to th,
poor house up the country"
Captain Jack looked thoughtful.
al don't kuow--but it isn't jus
friendly to leave such little craft il
strange water without any pilot, Mrs
Lane l believe I'll stand by her my
self"
Land sakes! what can You do :?
cried Mrs. Lane.
"Well, my Mary Ellen is bound 70
| China tomorrow; but you can kee
her here till | come back. III see tina
you are paid-and for want of some
thing better you can cali her Rache
that was my mothers name"
The Mary Ellen was laying to, i
Salem Harbor, with anchor raised
next day, when Captain Jack came t
say good-by to his hostess, and {
place in her hand a little box of Ii
dian wood carefully tied with fade
ribbon.
you'll find IA necklace there and
ring. Mrs. Lane-they used TO b
mothers, and might as well go alon
with the name"
And Mrs. Lane placed the necklac
round the plump baby neck, and lai
the ring carefully by until such tim
as the little waii should be old enoug
to think of rings, and then Captai
Jack shook her heartily by the hanC
and went away from the hamlet inI
and m hour after the white sails of III
Mary Ellen had disappeared far dow
the bay.
Ii was the same desolate coast
fifteen years before. There were I'll
light house and the reefs on which (