The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1901-04-19
ECUMSEH

MSS MARTHA, glancing up
lNk from her sewing, noticed the
hS7Tzs5 boat hand. The sight of him
esSSy added a new light to her face.
He reminded her of the cause that
brought the big Tecumseh to the moss
| grown wharf.
Tomorrow was the day of the church
picnic!
1t had been characteristic of the Rev.
Mr.. Mast to propose such a picnic.
Usually they went to the grove cou-
pie of miles back, where you made
coffee and lemonade and strewed the
ground with eggshells and toward the
latter part of the day wondered where
the pleasure came in and complained
of the flies. But whole day on the
water beyond the sight of land, with
the pleasing fancy, if you possessed
any imagination at all, that you were
going to Europe and all those places
which had been mere words to you all
your life! And another getter up of
such picnic would have proposed a
land journey first and when you were
tired out with the stuffy cars would
have embarked only to take the same
stuffy car ride home in the evening and
so destroy all the pleasure of the out
ing. But here he had gone and char
tered the Tecumseh and was primed
as to the depth of the water at the
wharf, so that he was positive the big
craft could get in without grounding.
.I,au -
cool, practical. 1t was like his SER
mons-not mere dissertations upon
polemics, not drivel for the sentimental
side of sin, but clear, concise shoul-
der hits at personal responsibility and
your share in your salvation. Besides
(and here little pink color crept into
Miss Martha's tain cheek, out there
in the immensely of water and sky it
would seem nearer to the meaning of
the occasion to hear the calm words of
good man making the great request
of his life.
She knew that the request would be
made then and there. She had known
it last night when Mr.. Mast, after the
final meeting regarding the picnic,
looked deeply into her eyes and said
he had something he wished to say to
her, but would wait till he saw her on
the boat. She had expected it any
time for month, and there would be
but one answer to him. The time had
gone past for fiuttering and vacilla-
tion, and in the cool late afternoon of
her life she would place herself at his
ci6 nd fo thn @han f,,I 4
at peace.
Her eyes on the boat hand, her mind
reached out in thorough understand
ing of Mr.. Mast and how gradually he
had come to mean a part of her life.
Not all of her life. They were both
too sensible to think that either could
control the whole life of the other. He
had passed through his share Of
youths perturbations, and she had had
her share of early troubles which in
the steadier light of the present SEEM
ed very useless and unnecessary Quiet
and middle aged, the work of the
church of signal importance, the well
being Of her husband her supreme eff
fort, what happier existence could
there be for any woman?
AS the boat hand continued his on
coming Miss Martha hoped he was not
going to Raff's tavern. She had al
ways heard that seamen drank and a
boatman was a sort of sailor, and she
did trust there would be no intoxicated
person on the boat that took out the
congregation.
Now she could hear the crunching
of the mans heavy boots on the coarse
ashes the Rev. Mr.. Mast had had
strewn against tomorrow's rush for
! the boat. Such thoughtful man was
he that he had even been mindful Of
the ruts on the way to the wharf and
the possible danger when the people
should come in at night in the dark.
He had stopped to explain this only
yesterday and had warmly expressed
himself that the wharf had been de-
serted for years simply because the
railroad went to a wharf a couple of
miles down the shore.
| She watched the boat hand, idly
pricking her finger with her needle as
she did so. Was he going to Raff's? !?
| But no; he yeered away from the ashes
and the main road and looked toward
| her house.
| At the gate he paused, a tall, bent
man with the tan of sun and weather
ON his bearded face. His hand was on
! the gate, when he seemed to hesitate.
Miss Martha noted what a brawny
hand it was-not like the hand of Mr..
Mast, that, though firm and strong as
| steel, was white as q woman's. The
man looked this way and that, half
smile on his face. Then he reached
over the gate and unlatched it and
Etrode up TO the parlor window. There
| his eyes rested on those of Miss Mar
tina. She noted how lowering and
bloodshot exposure had made his,
and the inevitable contrast to the eyes
of Mr. Mast smOte her-Mr. Mast's
eyes, so clear in the whites and raised
in such fearless fashion!
The man, looking at her, smiled and
showed his even, white teeth.
Miss Martha had a momentary fash
that she had lived this phase before.
''This is Miss Penfo,d's," he said. He
rested his arm on the window sill.
"Matty!'
Miss Martha closed her eyes for a
second.
81 knew sou at once" he went on.
You are just as 1 thought l should