The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-10-10

street / had seen the doctor turn from
MS surgery door into the stable yard,
and' following him inside the green gates.
had heard the news from him.
Yes, irs all over" he said "the poor
h'tie maid died early this morningwent
out with the tide"
I'm sorry" l said. "for the child had
been friend or mine. How does her
father take itY'
Badly" answered the doctor. very
badly; there will be trouble there, ! ex-
pecL VIII you come with me? I'm GO
ing INTO the vale. Lovely drive No?
Ihen goodbye. Come in some evening
soon and play chess" and with a CHEEKY
ncd he got into the dog cart and drove
rapidly away.
| stopped to light my pipe. and then
went through the Doctors yard, mean
ing 10 take a short cut through his fields
into the lsnc tnat led down 90 the beach.
A rough wooden fence screened the bar
ton from the tennis lawn, and the doc
tors wife was attending 10 large spray
OF Jackfnanii clematis which had been
blown down in the night
Monica Gollop's dead" she said as l
passed isn't IL sad?"
VERY sad" | answered; very sad
tiiT-=ofd man.
There will be trouble there, ! expect"
she said, unconscioUsly echoing her hus-
bands words; he's all alone now"
ITS an awful thing 10 be alone" !
said, for | knew, and the Doctors wife
assented sympathetically. Then j went
on for my walk
That was the day before. and today
was the great annual festival OF tho
Burial Club. Already the church bells
were ringing. and the men folk were
strollihg up the hill 10 the big Held from
which the procession was 10 start. The
green sashes they wore across their
broadcoth coats We're as incongruous as
Paul Kruger's presidential scarf, but they
made brave show and their wearers
displayed them proudly.
The children We're streaming UP the hill
I'm noisy companies, the little girls by
themselves i'm the stiffest of white frocks.
with elaborate hats instead OF their pret-
~ everyday sunbonnets. and with pre-
posterous parasols; the little boys them
selves in their Sunday suits, with enor-
nous collars, and well creased boots
The atmosphere of busting animation
was not congenial to me for | was pic
turing Aaron Gollop sitting moodly by
the bed on which his dead child was ly-
ing. | had known him all his life: a
harsh, stern man, who since the death
of his wife I'm childbirth had conferred his
affection I'm his little Monica; n quarrel
sumo man, NHost UlOblS tOulu OILY De
controlled by the prattle OF baby lips. n
hard-drinking man. who yet would alb
stain for weeks. and spend long days in
the stone kitchen alone with his daugh-
ter, netting hammocks for her 10 swing
In, or carving rude dolls for her to play
with; an ignorant man, whose reading
Was connned- 10 the Bible and whose
conversation was a strange mixture of
coarse blasphemy and almost Pharasai-
cal pietism.
] could imagine him with dry ewes and
rebellious heart sitting alone in the cot
tage up the hill. listening sullenly TO the
sounds of the festival outside to which
the child had looked forward so eagerly;
1 could imagine the grim expression on
his rugged face as he remembered IN g.
IL was the feast of the Sick and Burial
club. and ! could imagine him turning
away from the placid hgure on the white
bed. and resolving TO take the advice CIV
en- to Job and his wife.a and curse God and
die.
he vision put me out of conceit with
merry making, so | left the happy village
and walked down Sea Lane past the
school house toward the beach. At the
end of the lane, upon the right hand Is a
deserted factory, where once cement was
made, and on the left hand the river zig
zags into the sea. a narrow foot-brldge
HcTOsS fr giving ACCESS 10 "A battery OF
guns. ! had intended 10 lie down on the
grass grown earthworks and smoke en
idle pipe In the sun; but figure on the
beach attracted me, and i went on.
1t was Aaron Golop. in his thick blue
Jersey, barefooted and bare-armed. cut
ting bait. ! could tell from his boat that
ne had not long been ashore. and / went
up TO him.
Morning. Gollop.'I said: what luck?'
bad tally. sir. he answered shortly,
bad tally; seven prawns."
He finished cutting up an evil-looking
dog-fish: and wiped his knife on his trou-
sers. Then he produced some cake to-
bacco, and carefully shredded up "a pipe
full with grunt he accepted the lighted
match l offered him, and sucked noisily
at his pipe until the tobacco was well
aglow.
Monica is dead" he said suddenly and
I'm much the same tone that he would
have used In telling meat was a fine day.
/ nodded.
80 the doctor told me. What are you
going TO do?"
clean-shsven mouth. and another deep
one cut across the burrows in his fore
"Bide here till byme-bye, "he answered
tonight I'm gon' hshin." Then he
added in softer tone: There's nought
for mo to do up along-now.
"The doctor did all he could" ] said
rather lamely."
"Oh. yesl" he agreed. "the doctor did
all he could. I've no fault to find with
the doctor
Although II Is the sense OF isolation
that makes grief hurt so much yet the
isolation Is itself one of gref's most ga
cred privileges. and hesitated TO intrude
upon this mans sorrow. So | was silent
and let my eyes wander past him and
drink i'm the beauty OF the place To the
westward, tho blue has cliffs bend slowly
out into the sea, ard the bay Is closed
I'm on that side by the stone cobb OF the
neghboring town.
TO the eastward. the blue las gives
way to sandstone and the cliffs rise more
sharply. until they culmnate I'm Golden
Cap ablaze with brilliant gorse. when
EAH r. ia "A HM 60 IA