Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1903-05-07

1t stood upon the banks OF gentle
river. fishing village of great modes
~. The morning sun would toss its
beauties out upon the waters of a mild
lagoon. The roadways were of shells
that had been pounded into powder OF
the whitest Old fashioned cottages
lined the streets, their porches fes-
tooned with climbing roses whose
sweet scent welded the lavish per-
fume of wandering honeysuckle and
set forth to meet the fresh smell of the
bay.
Upon the shore was little shipyard
all covered with chips and darkened
driftwood. Rotting ways bathed their
feet in the greenish water, and about
them played the children they had CIV
en- birth, myriad of small boats upon
the sleeping waves. One of these be-
longed to a higher caste than the 9TH
ers. There was clean coat upon 1t,
and proudly it rode to a well made
mooring. When the breeze would
swing it slowly, the old man seated
upon last stretch of the ways could
read its name.
"Maryr' he commented slowly, re-
moving the pipe from his mouth and
putting out a cloud of grayish smoke.
Then, turning to a man close by, he
asked:
Dye s'pose why tits named Maryr
Hes sweet on Mary Harte," said
the other without displaying a bit of
interest in anything save the chip he
was whiting.
"Oh" remarked the old one, grinning
to himself and sticking the pipe back
into his mouth, proving bit of senti-
ment could not lure him from the hab-
it. "Yere he comes now"
Hes got his oars along" said the
other, looking across the quiet space
of water. Dye s'pose he's goin' outf'
Reckon so, but faint lookin' much
out there on the bay. Gittin' a pesky
fog up, I'm thinkin'." And the old man
grunted at the foolishness of it. "Why
in thunder don't he stay at home for
onct? o. late he's out on that stream
most O. his time"
''S'pose he wants to git married." sug-
gested the companion, cutting large
section off the chip with a contemptu-
Gus flourish of the knife. Hes an
other one o. these DANCED fules. But
these youngsters won't listen to no rea-
son. There's that feller breakin' his
back summer an winter, sunshine an
bad weather, come better or worse, all
SOS he can scrape enough together to
buy peck o. trouble"
sT Il 4 al
man, smoking up on his pipe.
"Well, can see through it in way"
admitted the whittier meditatively,
"'cause when 1 was young an neces-
sarily foolish had the same thing In
mind fer quite spell. But Hank Jor-
dan-ye know Hank-well, he gotter
ahead o. me an married the woman.
Then says to myself, III see what's
in this game says l. So, by jing, Hank
starts in to make Ivin' fer a family
o. two, me havin' a quiet. peaceable
time all the while, but fore he was
through he was workin' like plow
horse in a muddy furrow, tryin' to
swim with six KIDS store bills on his
back. The on'y things had to owe fer
durin' that same space o. time was my
terbacker an one shirt, cause, We know,
I'm not hard on clothes. But Hank
Jordan bought enough clothes to cover
regiment, an while they'd be showin'
'em in the street Hank'd be sittin' in
the back yard, with bit o. chalk an
a board, tryin' to figger out how to
stave off the rent. I never could see
the sense o it. In the las nine years
I've on'y had the chilblains an the
quinsy, but Hank Jordan had every
thing from mumps to milk rash-not
him, We know, but them as he was
mainly responsible fer"
The man across the way tossed d
pair Of oyster tongs down into the
clean boat and whistled for q ragged
looking dog playing about the towns
edge. Then, with 1t beside him at the
tiller, he ran up the small sail and
steered out into the mist of the river
marshes. An hours run brought him
over the ledges, where with sounding
splash the stone anchor was dropped,
and down, down, down, went the hun
cry tongs for the first clutch. Down
on the sandy ledges he hoped to find
his happiness and wrench it from the
bottom. There was scissorslike mo-
tion Of the long arms. twisting, tear
Ing, sucking grapple of the teeth; then
up, up, up, came the swaying poles, the
water trickling back over the. hands
that hauled, and with a noisy clatter
the catch of grimy things was dumped
into the boats bottom, and SO on
through the long day. sometimes star
ing stupidity out over the gray shifting
desert at a passing steamer slowly
plodding up the channel or eying in
silent wonder yacht sweeping silent
ly and swiftly by his little craft.
1t was in the afternoon. The boat
was half filed with muddy shells.
"Lemme see, Regs," said the man.
whats the date terday? The 10thf
So it is. 'Tain't agoin' to be very long
now, Regs." He slowly counted q
number OF deep scratches upon the
thwart. Some Of them were crossed
over with a counter scratch. There
were nine not tailed. He got out
knife and rudely crossed another.
Eight more days to wait" he mutter-
ed-"eight more days"
'Then won't there be a fine time,
RegsF" he commenced gayly. The dog
cooked his head sideways and whined
an appreciation. "The whole village III
talk O. it, an the place III be fine. Coin
to have Sam Lawder's house-that
new un-an' there'll be a sea scene
over the door an a raft o. curiositieS
on the mantel, sides rockin' chairs an
sofeys an all that sort O thing. But,
say, Regs, derned if / ever see such
fog as is gittin' up" The man peered
off into the dense yellow cloak that
had shut down upon him silent and
awesome. He pulled up the anchor
and started to row home.
The dull, monotonous clang of light
house bell came at intervals from some
where. He knew not exactly where.
He was getting bewildered in this
smoky cloud of fog. Then he rested
upon the oars, letting the boat drift
and listened intently for the mysterious
note of the bell. 1t was farther off-it
seemed so-and which way?
Suddenly a strange, humming noise
reached him-wind Or He fiShed hur-