The Portland daily press., 1900-11-27

"How nice that breeze feelsi That
would Gil ships sails well. ! wonder
IL 1t Is blowing out the sails of Toms
ship and pushing 1t along over the
ocean this way? oh, blow hard and
steady and bring him backl Perhaps
he is in the fo'castle now, with his cur
ly brown head resting on his hands,
a-thinking of me. How tanned he will
be after all this sailing round and
roundi
what q sweet smell the sea has to-
night | love to have 1t blow In over
those syringas. 1t rubs some Of the
scent off and brings 1t along all mixed
up with the brine and damp. It's such
a warm, motherly breeze tonight. |
like to feel 1t strike my face. 1t makes
me think of Tom. It's as IL he were
reaching out his hand and stroking my
cheek. Oh, my darling boy! You
can't reach out your hand, dearie, can
you, from way off in the tropics?
know 1t. But you are thinking of Nell,
aren't you, while the waves come tum-
bling in On the white sand there and
the little blackies come and stand
round you under the big cocoaunt tree?
Poor little blnckiesl How they look up
into your blue eyes! And no wonder,
1t was like taking a rest, Tom, to look
straight into your eyes, your bright,
laughing eyes that were so blue and
clear and had such hold.
q hope you won't have to stay long
lNnafa ca for md Ifp
waiting all the time, Tom. And wait
ing does make time drag along. But
it won't seem long when you are back
and / feel your great, strong arms
around me just as tight as they can
be. Oh, Tom, am hungry to feel your
lips on my mouth. And then, then
Wen get married. 1t won't seem long,
then, sweetheart Tom,
How kind of mournful that old bell
buoy sounds, sending out its cry like
ms IL 1t were chained there and wanted
somebody to come and pity it. They
must be new married. He's got his
arm round her little waist and she's
leaning up TO him so cute. 1t makes
me warm to 'em to see 'em so loving
and sweet. When Tom comes back,
we will walk along the cliff, and his
arm viii be round me. But he's got
to go so far, and it Is hard waiting and
waiting until the ship goes over all that
sea and rides up and down waves and
waves and waves.
"God bless you, dears. You mustn't
mind my speaking to you. You don't
know how it warns my heart to see
you loving each other so. l know what
it is. Oh, my pretty girl. amt it
comfort to have him right there and
not to be waiting till the ship comes
back, trailing along so slow over miles
and miles of ocean? Well, God bless
you. dears, again, and don't you mind
Nells making so free as to speak to
you. She knows what It is that you're
affecting.
ut kind of scared her to have me
speak so sudden. And he took his
arm away. l should have told them
that was waiting for Tom to come
back and that the sight of them so
tender of each other and cuddllng so
loving like made me ache to have him
here. Oh, my sweetheart, there amt
anybody In the world that can be so
dear as you are to mel There!
thought he'd get his arm round her
again pretty soon.
"If you only knew how ready every
thing was, Tom, you'd hurry back. We
won't have to wait. Just as soon as
you come rowing up to the old wharf
shall meet you. and we can go right
away to the church. That old bell
buoy sounded like the church bell for
a minute, as IL 1t was ringing for us.
going up the aisle. But it's crying
again, all alone out there.
at wouldn't be so hard, Tom, dear,
II could know just when you'd come.
But l amt complaining. I'd wait for
you forever, aud think 'twasn't paying
too dear for such a sweetheart. And
you know it, Tom. That's a comfort. 1
You know that Nell hasn't got a
thought that amt for you. And you
think of me, too. Don't know you're
just as eager to get back as 1 am to
have you? l amt afraid OF those
dark, saucy girls down there. You'll
look at 'em with your laughing eyes
and give one of 'em good sailors kiss
And she'll be the prettiest of the lot.
Tom.
"But 1 don't care. I'm glad-for
them. You're coming back to me,
sweetheart, If you had to travel
endless lines of handsome wo-
men to get to me, and they wouldn't
get your heart away. For you love
your Nell, don't you, Tom, dear? And
what is a woman to man If he doesn't
love her? She's just like the sunshine,
or flower He sees a handsome rose,
and he pulls 1t down and smells 1t and
then let's it go. That's what it is. But
when a woman's rooted In a mans
heart, Tom, 'tisn't that way, is It'll
He breathes her, she goes running
through his blood, and his brain is full
Of her, and she just crowds his heart,
and he wants her like a fish wants the
water.
~'Oh. Tom, Tom, IL you were baekl
This warm air seems as IL 1t were