The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1897-03-12

OF scarecrows who knew little enough
of the sea or a sailors duties, and after
an unreasonable long voyage-in con-
sequence of my being compelled to be
more than ordinarily careful because
OF the incompetency of my crew-we
arrived safely at our destination and
there took in cargo for dear old Eng
land. | looked upon it as the happiest
of happy omens that l arrived home at
Christmas-tide. / had been absent ex-
actly three years.
With joy stirring in my heart
which l have not the power to express,
i set out from the docks for the dear
little cottage of shells in Brixton. 1t
was evening before l could get free,
and the night was dark-but not lone
ly. Flowers seemed to rise in the snow
as l walked, seemed to grow in the air
as l stepped onward. Cold? Not bit
OF 1t. Everything was warm and beau
tiful and bright, as II should be at
Christmas All my anxieties and trou-
bles were now at an end. How CRATE
full | was that, by Gods mercy, Twas
spared and enabled to spend another
Christmas ashore with my darling wife
and my dear old mother! ! recalled
the memory of the last happy Christ
mas | had spent in their dear society,
and of the lesson of love and faith ! had
then learned. And there came upon
me in fuller force a dim,' sweet hope
had nursed and cherished through all
my wanderings-a hope which l hard
IL dared to shape into words-that
when l reached home 1 should see in
Mabel's arms child who would call me
father. How / had dwelt upon that
hope! How l had cherished it! What
resolutions l had formed to bring up
my child in worthy way, and to make
him proud of me, as l was Of Beecroft
Mariner, my father! l pictured him
in my Imagination dressed, as l used
to be, in tiny ailor-clothes-I knew
full we'll they would dress him in no
other fashion, out of love for me-and
I saw myself carrying him in my arms
through the Brixton streets, and show
ing him with pride to the people as the
grandson of the best and bravest sailor
that ever answered TO the call of duty.
My heart sung within me, and either
my cheeriness, or my brisk step, or the
brightness of my face, or all of them
together mayhap, caused me to receive
many a pleasant look from the passers-
by-looks, be sure, which l returned
with interest. Home! dear, sweet
home!
There were no lights in the Brixton
lanes, but l could have found my way
if had been blind. Many time on
the wild seas, when the wind was howl
ing round me, and not a star could be
seen in the dark skies, had l in my
fancy threaded my way through these
paths, and seen the cottage of Bee
croft, Mariner, shining out of the gloom
with my wife and mother waiting at
the door to welcome me; and now, as
turned the lane in which our cottage
was situated, a dull feeling of pain
crept into my heart because | did not
hear the pattering of the feet nor the
faces of those l so fondly loved. Only
for a moment did this unreasonable
feeling have play; l shook it off reso-
lutely. How could they know, how
could they tell, the hour and the min
ute | should appear among them? /
called myself aloud a great simpleton
and laughed, and stepped on softly
enjoying in anticipation the happiness
which in a few moments would be
mine. Thought /, "There'll be a light
in the cottage window, and Mabel and
mother will be setting together, Mabel
with our child on her knee had
set my heart on it, you see-"prattling
to him, perhaps, of the father his
young eyes had never yet beheld; or
perhaps the child will be asleep, and
Mabel will be kneeling by his side
holding a shell to his ear, so that the
murmuring voices of the sea might
perchance mingle themselves in his
dreams; and then, at the sound OF
my voice, there will be cries of Joy,
and happy feet running to the door,
and loving arms round my neck, and
baby's great eyes staring at me, Won
dering what it is all about" All these
fond fancies were mine as 1 walked
slowly onward.
ITO ne coSrrNuEpD