The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-09-16

| "Is polir f0thcr 0nLbody2" asked Jonah.
his head and glanced sharply back over
his shoulder to see if by some chance
the party on his boat had not been miss.
ed and their friends or the government
sent steamer in search, but no sign of
help.
AT last in despair he gasped out: do
any of you folk have friends? I mean,
do any of you amount to anythingH'
They did not seem to quite under
stand, and after a painful silence and
| feeling that he had not put the PROPOSE
tion quite as mildly as he might he
| again began, after once more glancing
| back toward the Golden Gate: II mean,
is your father anybody-anybody in
particular l mean, miss:'
The old man spoke with effort and
desperation. The cold was piercing his
old bones to the marrow, and he knew
he could not hold the oars or steady the
boat much longer.
The eldest girl, tho only one vino
could hold up her head as no spoke,
only looked at him blankly and then
said NO In n husky whisper Tiic1i
all was still for long time and you
could only hear the rattle of the heavy
salt water OH the side of the great boat
os she slid up and down tho deep hol-
lows Of the ocean.
"Boy! Big blond boy over thcrol Is
your father anybody? Who Is your
father say? And where is hc?"
Eyes, yes" gasped tho blond head
from between the girls, without rising
up, Eyes, my father Is a great man. He
s sheriff Of Stanisaus. :"
"Well, let him stay in Stanislaus, {"
muttered the old man between his chat
tering old teeth.
He again glanced back over his
shoulder. lighthouses and stars, stars
and lighthouses, and great, cleaning
wall Of white beyond. But that was all.
MY little girl, my quiet little girl
In black, where is your fathor?'
The old man 8 voice was quite broken
now. 1t trcmbled SO that he could bard
ly speak His left hand had slipped
from tho oar. The rowlock ratified
heavily. but the hand lay helplcss
"Littlc girl, where is your fathcr2"
he gaspcd again
Her two little brown hands clasped
together clumsily, hardly able to hold
together from the cold and wet, but
holding them, so sho raised her pitiful
face to heaven. Her chin quivcrcd and
her lips tremblcd, but she could not
| speak.
The old man understood. With his
ono remaining hand he lifted his hat
and laid it reverently down as he said
in whisper so soft and low that may
bo only He heard it:
"Then we must look there for help"
And long time he looked steadily
upward, and tho trembling lips and the
| quivcring little chin were lifted also.
The two rowlocks ratified and raspcd
and raspcd and ratified. The boat was
her own master now. Sho had turned
about Her bow was to tho Golden
Gate. Tho tide had turned.
1t Is strange that some ono on somo
ono Of tho many ships had not seen this
party and it's peril, strange that somo
watcher from some ono Of tho light.
houses had not seen this lono craft in
It's peril, but 1T is q fact that this boat
passed out Of tho Golden Cato, spent
| much Of tho night in tho open ocean
and was finally borno back with all it's
0 | precious cargo saved and with no other
t help than tho help Of him to whom MI
t will cry out for help at least once this
, side the river Of rest
j. THE END.