Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-06-28
DAUGHTERS OF CHIN
BY ETA w. PIERCE

1OneQ dresser, peeilllS potdtoeS, do 1i'
two men appeared in the door, ant
singing in a high. cracked voice.
my thoughts on awful subjects roll
Damnation and the dead!"
Life on barren Porgy Island, will
the storms and the seagulls, seemed
conducive to melancholy.
Hi! Debbie," shouted the Triton
git this young man glass Of ho
grog and a change Of clothes, he!
drenched to the skin, and his teeth bt
a-clattering like castanets."
Miss Debbie jumped nervously.
"Oh, goodness gracious me! How
you do scare one, Father Joel" she
cried, shrilly I'VE must be mindful tc
entertain strangers, for thereby some
have entertained angels unawares.
misdoubt, though, If your clothes will
fit him. Things seldom come right ir
this world, even to coats and trousers
His legs are too long"
II do not see how I can make them
shorter, madam" shivered Fleetwood
Believe me, I am very sorry to tax
your kindness in this way
Tut, young man." she interrupted;
you'll find the rum and sugar in the
cupboard, and I'll throw the shirts and
pantaloons down the stairs"
And she vanished through a door
leading to the upper story Of the cot
tage.
Fleetwood had effected a change OF
raiment, and warmed his chattering
teeth before Hester Hart appeared in
the path. He was watching for her
and as she came into view, he thought
Of what Rube Dexter had likened her
to-the sun breaking upon the sea.
She was not above the medium
height, but her superb carriage, and
the proud turn Of her full throat, made
her appear taller. Her black braids
rippled like unraveled silk down her
shoulders. Betwixt the exquisite
creamy pallor Of her skin, and the
dark splendor Of her turbulent eyes,
her beauty was something startling,
Rube followed humbly behind her,
carrying her oars. Through the open
window Fleetwood could hear the un-
lucky lover pleading.
Haven't you any sort or kind OF
good word for me, Essie?"
mo-" she replied, shortly, and with
out turning her handsome head.
A moment after Rube thrust a dis
consolate face in at the door.
"Mr. Fleetwood" he said, I've got
| to get back to Cinderville to go a
trawling with dad, but you'd better
stay here till your clothes dry-the fog
is a-lifting already, and old Joe will
bring you over to the mainland, by
and-by, in his boat.
"AI right, Reuben" answered Fleet
wood, with admirable resignation.
Rube went off down the path, and
left Guy Fleetwood stranded for three
long hours at Porgy Island Light.
There was a dinner Of savory chow
ders, baked bluefish. hot corncake and
coffee-in all his life Fleetwood had
The girl Esther paid no heed what
ever to the unbidden guest, but old
Joe and Aunt Debbie entered readily
into conversation with him. The lat
ter, who never lost an opportunity to
wipe her pale faded eyes on anybody
who approached her, groaned over the
scarcity Of the rainfall, the unsatisfac-
tory state of the potatoes and the gen
eral hardship of life on Porgy Island.
Father and I and Essie," she la
mented, "have lived on this rock for
seventeen year, come next Christmas
and it's worse than the abomination OF
desolation spoken of by Daniel the
Prophet Lor', If one Of US should die
here, there amt soil enough on the
whole island to dig grave in. A dead
body would have to be thrown to the
sharks, that you'll see a-coursing
round the rocks almost any fine day
sir. The time that Essie went off to
the mainland to get her eddication,
thought 1 should clean give up. wal
as lonesome as a pelican in the desert
you could hear the bones a-rattling
in my skin for clear lonesomeness."
Have you no assistant at the
Light" Fleetwood asked Of old Joe.
"Ay, sir" replied the old keeper
heres Essie-she's my assistant. She
tends the light when I'm away, ant
she goes to the mainland for supplies
and she can handle a boat as we'll a:
the oldest sailor on the whole coast
There amt rope in this ship that she
don't know"
Neither pride nor fondness was II
his tone-only business, pure and SIM
pie. AS far as Fleetwood could see
little affection seemed to exist between
the girl and her kindred, or else they
were a singularly undemonstrativt
family.
II congratulate you upon having 81
able a lieutenant" said Fleetwood
quietly.
AS he arose from the table, he espiet
a stand Of books in corner Of thu
om-Shakespeare's plays, histories
and some of the best known poets.
Most of them are the books tina
Essie took as prizes over at BartoI
academy" explained Aunt Deb. "Sh'
was an awful smart scholar-was ou
Essie-the smartest, all the teachers
said, in the whole school,"
Considerable interest was manifest
ed by the light-keeper and Aunt Del
in Fleetwood himself.
II take it you're summer boarde
at Cinderville?" said the old spinster
though the Lord only knows what peo
pie want to come to Cinderville fol
even in summer-nothing there ou
hake and pollock, and fish AM
the smell of old rotting wharves AM
fish houses.
For the first time Esther Hart turn
ed, and fastened her grand eyes ol
} Fleetwood. Highly amused, he an
: swered:
Yes, l am boarding at Cinderville
A private matter brought me to tn