The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1901-08-15
BY MARY j. HOLMES

the morning Of the wedding. when .bs
was told that she was not to return 10
the poorhouse again.
And verify, have this day met With
great deliverance,' said she. and tear.
the nrst shed in many q year. minxied
with the old creatures thanks for this
unexpected happiness. As Mary was leav-
ing she whispered in her ear, If your
| traveis lead you near my Willie's grave
| urop tear on 1t for my sake. You'll
nnd 1t under the buckeye tree, where the
tan grass and wild flowers grow"
George had relatives In Chicaso. and.
after spending short time in that city
Mary, remembering Sally's request. ex-
pressed desire to visit the spot renown-
ed as the burial place Of willie and
Wllie's father" Ever ready to crafty
her slightest wish, George consented, and
toward the close Of a mild autumnal day
they stopped at a small public house on
the border Of a vast prairie. The arrival
OF so distinguished-looking people caus-
ed quite commotion, and after duly in
specting Mary's handsome travelling
dress and calculating its probable cost,
the hostess departed to prepare the even
ing meal, which was soon forthcoming.
When supper was over and the family
had gathered into the pleasant sitting
room. George asked il there was ever a
man in those parts by the name of Fur
bush.
What! Bill Furbush p asked the land
lord.
| George did not know, but thought like
| ly that might have been his name. a. his
son was called William.
| "I.ud, yesw returned the landlord. 81
knowed Bill Furbush well-he came here
from Massachusetts,, and l from Var
mont; but, poor feller, he was too weakly
TO bear much, and the first fever he took
finished him up. His old woman was as
clever a creature as ever was, but she
had some high notions"
did she die, too?' asked George
'No, but it's pity she didn't, for when
Bill and the boy died she went ravin'
| mad, and never felt so like cryin' as l
did when see her tearin' her hair and
| goin' on so. We kept her a spell, and
| then her old mans brothers girl came for
her and took her off; and the last heard
the girl was dead, and she was in the
/ peorhouse somewhere East. She was
born there. b'lieye."
mo, she worn't, either" said the land
lady, who for some minutes had been
aching to speak. NO. she warn't, either;
know all about it. She was born In
England, and got to be quite girl be
| fore she came over Her name was
Sarah Fletcher, and Peter Fletcher. who
| died with the cholera, was her own un-
| Gle, and all the connection she had in
this country; but goodness, suz. what ails
youY" she added, as Mary turned white,
while George passed his arm around her
| TO keep her from falling. Here, 30
phrony, fetch the campfire; she's goin'
to faint"
But Mary did not faint, and after
smelling the camphor, she said. go on,
madam, and tell me more OF Sarah
| Fletcher"
"She can do it," whispered the land
lord, with a sly wink. "She knows ev-
erybody's history from Dan to Beer
shelby"
This intimation was wholly lost on the
| od-humored hostess, who continued.
| "Mr. Fletcher died when Sarah was
small, and her mother married Mr.-.
l don't justly remember his name
4 "Temple" suggested Mary.
"Yes, Temple, that's 1t. He was rich
and cross, and broke her heart By, the
time she had her second baby. Sarah
was adopted by her Grandmother Fletch-
! er, who died, and she came with her
uncle to America.
..Did she ever speak Of her sister! r
4 asked Mary, and the woman replied:
Before she got crazy she did. One
Of 'em. she said, was In this country
somewhere, and t'other. the one she re
membered the best, and talked the most
about. lived In England. She said she
j wanted to write to 'em, but her uncle, he
hated the Temples, 30 he wouldn't let her,
and as time went ON she kinder forgoa
,am and didn't know where to direct,
! and after she took crazy she never would
sneak of her sisters, or own that she mao
any" &.
i ia Mr.. Furbush buried near here ?
.sked George, and the landlord answered:
ssJittle better than q stones throw.
see the very tree from here, and may
10 vour younger eyes can make out the
graves. He ought to have gfavestun'
for he was a good feller.
The new moon was shining. and Mary,
who came 10 ner uuSo3AsA cs>1~r ~o-.~'
Mainly discern the buckeye tree. and tne
two graves where willie and Willie's
4 father had long been sleeping. The
next morning before the sun was up Mary
stood by the mounds where often IN
Years gone by Sally Furbush had seen the
moon 20 down. and the stars grow pale
4 n the coming day. as she kept her tire
less watch over her loved and lost
4 .Willie was my cousin-your cousin.
said Mary, resting her hand upon the 6a'
~ hoard which stood at the head OF the
= LITTLE graves George understood hei
= ;shes. and when they left the place
4 handsome marble slab marked the spo'
where the father and his infant son wers
buried. ..-
CHAPTER XIV.
Bewildered, and unable to comprenenc
i 4 word. Sally listened while Mary tol'
her of the relationship between them
hnt the mists which for years Aao
shrouded her reason we're too aense e
s. suddenly cleared away; ana ~ -
Il Mary wept, winding her arms are9no !, -. i.
meek and calling her aunts ana 49,. "a.
the eleeaft Mrs. Campbell ocascev -
hevildered than Sally hersei4 came ~
@---, .aav>seinw hee N ~110Cers ~