The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1908-10-01
a Waif From the Sea.
BY w. .. MORRIS.

corner Of the far-stretching sea links,
where the brown, bark-tanned fishing
nets lie spread out to the sun, and
the flshermen's children play by the
gaunt ribbed derelicts drawn up be-
yond the tide on the shingly beach,
fronting the low, white walled cot
tages, from whose doors grizzled old
sea dogs watch with wistful, longing
eyes those brown sailed boats, whose
brine washed decks they may no more
tread, slip out to sea.
When he first caught sight Of her
Baby Barron was standing alone, as
was her wont, apart from the rest of
the children. quantity pathetic little
hgure in tattered brown frock, bare
at the neck, and monstrous boots, in
whose cavernous crinkled depths her
tiny sockTess feet were lost in space.
gazing with solemn meditativeness on
the brown expanse of interlaced cord
age.
Suddenly, as he watched, she
dropped down on to one of the nets
and proceeded calmly to roll herself
up in 1t. Then. thoroughly enmeshed q,
boots and all, in it's folds, Baby Bar
ron sat up, and, with an air of su-
perb Indifference, surveyed the other
children. who had gathered round
with fearfully expectant faces.
You'll catch it. Baby Barron; you
just wait and see!" they shouted.
with an unholy sort of glee and sig
nificant gestures.
A loud call from the direction of
the cottages the next instant heraided
the coming on the scene with al!
speed his rheumatic joints permitted,
OF a grizzled, jersey clad sea veteran
Seizing the entangled brown ball. he
carefully unrolled it and set the dar-
Ing intruder on her feet with a gentle
shake.
You're gettin' a fair plague, Baby
Barron!" he mumbled. I'll just hae
tae speak tae your mother. Rim ava
oot O. this, moo. quick" adding en-
phasis to the final word by a second
shake.
Jack Ethan, who had watched the
little comedy with quiet amusement.
on sudden impulse fastened after
and caught up to the slowly retreat
ing little figure She did not seem
at all abashed by her ignominius
dismissal from the beach, but as he
looked more closely he fancied he
saw tiny repressed tear in the cor
ner OF each eye under the dark brown
curling lashes. Her cheeks. full and
round and soft-looking as satin. he
noted, were burnt to a pale brown.
and the tiny mouth was full and
strangely resolute. About her was a
singular air of quaint self-possessior,
at once gravely meditative and deep
ly observant. The sunlight as it
played upon the tangled close-curled
head made of 1t a golden halo. and
despite the frayed old brown frock
and cavernous boots she looked to
him as some baby angel might look
who had gone out OF Paradise to gaze
while on the little world of man.
To his often and variedly repeated
question why she had entangled her
self In the net she uttered not a sin
gle word. Once only she looked I'D
to him out of her solemn blue eyes
with long, earnest gaze. Her silence
was portentious.
Would you like to have your pic
ture taken. Baby Barron?" he es-
sayed again gently, and it was won
derful how gentle big Jack Ethan
could become.
The gold brown curls stirred a lit
tie, and the grave blue eyes looked
up to him for a moment.
Il was goin' to be a fis'," came a
soft murmur at his side.
" A fish! Oh, yes; 1 see."
Yes, an / fink 1 s'ould like my
po'tait took" Silence again a few
moments, then-"There's a pity lady
who's goin' to paint me-she did saw
it."
"a pretty lady? Yes, and when
is she going to paint you?"
But Baby Barron had already ex-
hausted her stock of information.
With a penny clutched tight in he1
Srubby brown hand she had betakeu
herself, boots and all, the next in
stant up the narrow street with AS
tonishing rapidity.
Ten minutes later when he emerged
from the cheerless dwelling that con-
Baby Barron's home, Jack Ethan
had glimpse far up the narrow
lane Of her little brown figure. fol-
lowed by small tail of children. nib
bling at huge bun. sublimely un,
conscious the while of their existence,
Next day saw Baby Barron posed
before Jack Eltham's easel on the
same bench that had witnessed her
ignominious dismissal-the. cynosure
now of quite a score of admirins
childish eyes. For a full half hour
she had stood motionless as a craven
image, gazing. out seward, a looksfn
the angelic blue eyes as If she would
read its mysteries. Then, ALI ,once,
the far off look gave place to a new
light. ''F8
The pity LADY," she cried in her
pabyish treble, "she comed-I did tell
You I"