Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1904-01-20

under his brsath he murmured n
might q known q Of Neii-ahs nsgsI
did Get store b. any one man, and yei
she was my Wife-but my baby. ny
little girl. she was all mine; she 4
vas I most ofenest dreamed d n
those long days and nights. she with
curls 90 gold and eyes 50 blue"
He had now reached what was ap-
parently q small park. one Of those
breathing spots 30 often found within
the confines OF the older coast towns
Ambnng down one Of the paths be
soon came to q rude bench, where he
sank down. not to rest his sturdy mus
cles, but a weary mind. Dropping his
head upon his hands he gave himself
up to the meditations caused by the
pangs Of a breaking heart
Nothing Is 50 impressive to the aver-
age f~ull-grown human as the grief Of q
big. strong man. but not 20 awe-struck
are the children.
This little park apparently was q
playground for the poor, and noisy
shouts and merry laughter told that
the youngsters we're about Running
and romping along the paths they soon
discovered the uncouth figure upon the
bench. At first they were frightened.
but after various sallies towards him
they became satisfied that he was
harmless. Gathering closer. their
jibes and Jokes came thick and. fast,
but receiving no response from their
unconscious. sorrow-stricken victim,
the sport grew tame and they scam
pered on for something worth their
while.
All but one, q little haxen-haired girl
Of seven, perhaps even more lily clad
than the rest. She fingered and a.
soon a. her companions were out Of
sight shyly slipped up to the ~unheeding
stranger on the seat and nestled at his
side.
I'm not afraid Of you" she gently
lisped. He seemed not to hear her, for
he paid no attention, did not even
move.
"Has somebody Of yours died?" she
continued tenderly. He comprehended
that he was spoken to, for he slowly
turned his head and looked at his lit
tie sympathizer. He gave a start,
looked at her again, then laughed a
quiet, mirthless laugh and answered:
Il guess all Of them have died to
me-"
"Oh, that is dreadful. It's bad
enough to lose two or three" replied
the good samaritan, as she puckered
up her rosy lips. How did they die?"
Il went away" he talked as If to
himself, "and when | came back they
were gone. They died, perhaps, be-
cause l was gone so long"
"Then why were you gone so long?"
81 didn't intend to stay so long," he
continued in the same nstless way,
"but I'm a sailor. When / left my
wife and baby girl, she had golden
curls like yours. l was OF for a voyage
to last a six month in the southern
seas. Our ship was wrecked below the
line somewhere's, one OF the eQuinox's
gales, and l hung on a spar until l was
beached on one Of those t~humb-nails,
they call a south sea island. I. s'pose
I was luckier In a way than the rest Of
them, for they brought up in Davy
Jones locker, but / had to live with
some woolly-headed niggers for over
four years, without ever seeing a hui
man beings face. But all the time l
lived on the thought Of some time COM
ing home to my wife and my baby, my
little girl with hair like-like-yours.
Well, n day a ship, a Yankee ship,
hove in and brought me right here to
port l wish It hadn't"
Because they were dead?" she whis-
pered
"Yes," he answered, Ito me-"
Il know what 1t is to have some
body die" and two big tears glistened
in the little girls eyes. my mamma
died"
"Your mothers dead? Such a wee
bit Of a thing as you to live without a
mother?" The pig, unkempt, awk-
ward seaman was forgetting his own
troubles.
yes, II was over a year ago that
mamma went to Heaven and now I am
alone"
AS she pressed closer to him q
brawny arm went about her and q
great, red hand covered hers.
"Have you no father2" he spoke
softly.
"Oh, yes, I have a papa, but he is
not good to me. He stays out all night
He does not come home for days some
times; he talks awful cross to me: he
does not love me"
HE doesn't love you, and you have
curls like-like gold and eyes like"
be pointed upward.
"No, | know he doesn't love me. be-
cause I've tried so hard to see."
what Is your fathers name. little
girl?" He was gentle and solicitous.
"His name is Sturm, but mine is Eva
sturm."
"Eval Evai but not the rest-not
sturml" he cried explosively, and then
subsidized. do not be frightened, child.
because I'm foolish. only Eva, Eva calls
me back, but with the name sturm-
/ see the nonsense Of the thought"
anouk 49, ma~aa -. - -.--