The Irish standard., 1897-09-11

MARY SPREADING THE NAPKINS 10 DRY.
follow the trade of his neighbors, but
his one voyage on the Samuel p Jones
had been too unsuccessful to encourage
him to put his fathers inheritance into
a vessel; instead, he bought q sawmill,
and was growing richer every year.
Mary never had occasion to correct
Dicks grammar, nor reproach him for
breaking his promises; but when, after
her friendly scolding for his forgetful-
ness, Donald said, slyly, something to
the effect that Dick Wheeler, who never
forgot things, was probably the kind Of
pupil she had in her school, the 'kin
O. fellow that pleases you, Mary?" she
tossed her head, and said: "Nonsense!"
and this time with spice of earnest
ness that seemed to please Don very
much.
They had drifted around the break.
water, and the dory lay with idle oars,
rocking up and down. Up on the cliffs
was the low, weather-beaten house; its
faint whisp of smoke leaning with the
wind against the opal gray of the June
twilight. Perhaps the jibes of the men
sudden usefulness:
"Well. Dick Wheclcr's house is smart
er, must say!'
sob, it's too big" Mary objected,
carelessly; and Donald a reed, with
animation, and said, for his part, he
liz d Dick.
After that they were silent, looking
out across the gray, breathing, lifting
expanse, at the fading crimson in the
west; and little later they turned
back When they reached the foot Of
the garden, and he helped Mary out,
Donald held her hand hard in his a
moment.
you'll mind what said about
mother, won't you? And-and you
won't go back on me, Mary?"
She looked him straight in the eyes,
and her lip quivered Take care of
yourself, Don," she faltered But he
only laughed, because he was too happy
to answer her seriously.
''Bless you! I'm not sugar nor salt"
Then he told her he would come up
after supper, and they would go to
prayer meeting.
"If you don't forget it," she told him,
sarcastically.
"Well, that's So" he acknowledged,
humbly enough, II must say, I'm good
at forgetting. But I'm coming, just
the same"
CHAPTER IL.
The day after the big three-master,
with Donald as mate, dropped down
the river Mary drove down to Mrs.
Hayes with her little cowskin trunk
strapped into the back of the buggy.
''l'll stay week" she told her ia
ther. But at the end of a week Dom
AIDS mother was ill, and somehow the
week heightened into month And
then Mrs. Hayes said she felt the lone
illness more than usual, and if Mary
acoun stay?-''just week or two
longer" she pleaded. A week or two
meant a month or two; and after that,
well, Donald was coming home the
middle of December, SO what was
the use of leaving his mother?
''She's not fit to be alone" Mary told
her own mother. That was how it
happened that when the dark Decem-
Der days began to close in around the
little gray house, that chung 80 close to
JIG SHore, MARY was on nauu 10 INK the
glass at the west window OF the kitchen,
SO that the old mother might sweep the
horizon for a sign Of the Samuel P.
Jones sails.
81 don't expect him on time, child"
she would tell the girl, "but by Christ
mas day sure" and then they would
smile at each other.
The months of waiting had not been
anxious ones; there had been no heavy
storms along the coast, and that
was somehow an assurance that there
had been no heavy storms anywhere
else. But Christmas day came and
went; and the old year slipped into the
new, and the Samuel p. Jones had not
come. Explanations and excuses null
tiplied;- declarations that all was we'll
grew more insistcnt; instances of delay
were repeated over and over; but it
was the first of February before news
came.
Wrecked off the Azores; it was feared
ell hands were lost.