The Savannah morning news., 1901-04-07

ton of the 10000 acres given to the heirs
of Gen. Lincoln, one of the commanders
in the Revolutionary War.
Samuel Cook was the clerk of the parish
when Mrs. Pinkham was baptized, and
in making record of the event, he wrote
that she was born on April /, 1891, and
that her baptism took place June "a, 1897.
a period of more than six years interven-
ing between the two events. As it was a
custom among the old orthodox Congre-
gational families of New England to bap-
tie their children as soon after birth as
possible, for fear of their dying in origi-
nal sin,, the lapse of time in this case
was often commented upon as remark
able. Some talk was made but no doubt
was thrown upon the parish books until
short time ago, when an expert in
hand writing came to town to verify some
old deeds which had been drawn up in
Cook 8 handwriting and placed on file in
the State House in Boston. 1t was then
learned from comparison with many
specimens of the clerks work that Cook
was in tn ehabit of making the numerals
/ and very much alike, giving very
light upstrcke and a much heavier down
stroke TO both figures.
At the time Mrs. Pinkhams case came
up for record the nib of Cooks pen was
out of order and refused to shed any ink
on the up-stroke, although the down
stroke was very plain. The result was
that a distinct scratch was left on the aged
paper, showing where he had tried to
make figure Z, which the linked record
showed to be a figure l. A magnifying
glass revealed the scratched mark very
distinctly after more than a century of
wear and tear, but the mark was too
small to be visible to the naked eye.
The new Interpretation which the ex-
pert has placed upon the writing explains
the apparent discrepancy between the
dates of Mrs. Pinkham's birth and her
baptism, showing that less than three
months interviewed. What is of more
startling Importance than anything else,
the writing shows that the old woman is
only 1O4 years of age, when she has al
ways commended that she would be 10
| on the first day of the month. When her
| son told her of the error she said.
I was born on All Fools day, which
Is bad luck, but this is the worst luck 1
have ever had. Now I suppose 1 have
| got to live those years all over again.
The following poem by Ella Wheeler
Wilcox is such favorite that 1t will bear
| reprinting:
IF My Ships Came Home
If all the ships have at sea
| Should come a-sailing home to me.
All! well. the harbor would not hold
| So many ships as there would be,
| II all my ships came home to me.
II half my ships came back from sea
And brought their precious freight to me,
All we'll 1 should have wealth as great
AS any king that sits in state,
So rich the treasure there would be
| In half my ships now out at sea-
/ IA 7
Should come a-sailing home to me,
Ah we'll. the storm clouds then might
frown
For if the others all went down,
| Still rich and proud and glad I'd be,
Ii that one ship came home to me-
But If that ship went down at sea
| And all the others came to me,
Weighed down with gems and wealth I'M
told,
With honor riches. glory, gold.
| The poorest soul on earth I'd be,
If that one ship came not TO me.
| o skies be calm. o winds blow free,
Blow all my ships safe home to me.
But If thou sendest some awrack,
| To nevermore come sailing back,
Send any, ALL that sail the sea,
But send my love ship home to me.
The following is a story, says a writer In
| the Courier Journal of Louisville, KY,
told me by one who had travelled far and
wide and seen many lands, one who said
the most touching incident in his memory
happened in our fair Bluegrass country.
| This is what he said
When visiting one Of the old renowned
Lexington homestead farms, I was very
much surprised to meet and recognize
an old colored woman who had once been
our slave and my old nanny" delight
edly ran up and grasped her hand. There
was no need for an explanation, for she
| had recognized me and was exclaiming,
"Marse Billy, Marse BillyW
What remembrances that dear old face
brought back TO mel 1t was wrinkled
and old now, but the same old nanny
! who scolded, padded and spoiled me IN
the happy days of the past
''Marse Billy, Use awfully glad to see
you the sight of you does my old eyes
good. Don't often see one of the old-time
| son them gem-men now"
"How are you nanny, and how does
the world treat your" 1 asked
60 toborably, toborablyr she answered
rubbing her hard black hands over her
eyes "Ain't ever been happy since the
wah when old Marse got killed and Misses
cried and cried till she cried herself most
to def. Amt no mo- pleasure TO- this old
| Niger. can't get on TO the new ranged
ways 'en amt any old-time ones"
To see her old black cheek wet with
honest ters for her old mistress, who had
sunk into an early grave, to remember
her as boss of the kitchen and nurse OF
us children was too much for me, and my
eyes swan with tears l couldn't check
Come. honey" she said, don't let II
worry you. Dare amt neary old high
born people Twin now, just a few and
alters them that come of good old stock. !"
When l told her goodbye she said
Goodbye, chile; alters member your
blessed mother and that you Is a GEM
men. Goodbye. Marse Billy, good-bye!'
IT'S the last time l saw her, as she
stood in her little cabin door. The sun
nm~~m 49,