The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1910-11-10
Jack S Return
By OLIVE EDNA MAY
Copyright, 1910. by American Press
Association.

Maggie was fisher lass-that is. she
belonged to fisher folk-on the Maine
coast. Her work was digging for clans
ana selling them. One day a boat from
ship that had just entered the port
came up to where Maggie was digging
Tor clans. 1t was commanded by the
third mate, a young fellow of twenty,
ana when Maggie stopped work and
turned to look at the party stepping
ashore. shading her eyes from the sun
with her hand her hair falling down
on her white neck, her shapely feet.
| without shoes or stockings. the young
ohcer rejoiced at the sight There was
| certain native grace about her that
struck his fancy. And be was equally
| comely.
When Jack Winslow sailed away he
| left his heart behind and carried
heart with him. He would not be at
that port again for three years, and
Maggle's friends all said: Hes time
enough to get a dozen sweethearts.
sailors have one in every port" But
| no one said the same about Maggie.
They all knew that her innocent heart.
having once been caught. would not
swerve from the handsome sailor boy
who had captured it.
Letters were not frequent between
| them. The young man was always
moving. and communication was not
easy. But when letter came to Mag
| gle it was all the more precious She
would hide it sometimes for a day or
two. that she might revel in the antici-
patton Of what there was in it. And
when. touching at some foreign port,
Jack received one from Maggie he
would go up in the foretop to read the
misspelled words over and over again.
One day Maggie opened a letter
from Jack after an interval Of silence
that had lasted three months. This
was fully month longer interval than
any that had occurred. Maggie ran
away to the top of dune and sat her
self down in the sage grass that was
quite long enough to conceal her to
| read her letter. 1t told her that some
thing had happened to Jack which
would surely kill her love for him.
He did not tell her what it was. and
the poor girl was in an agony both of
sympathy and of disappointment Jack
told her that he would never write her
again, but he assured her that he
loved her the same and would never
have another sweetheart. Indeed, he
Cd 1aI III nj h.
heart. Maggie concealed the bad news
she had received, keeping it in her
own innocent bosom. But those about
her saw plainly that some misfortune
had happened to her. and all shook
their heads and said: Il told you so.
A lass who loves a sailor is always to
be pitied. He's deserted her doubtless
for half civilized creature that he
has met in some port on the other side
Of the world"
This happened about a year after
Jack had sailed away. One day Mag
gie's little brother Ben was throwing
stones on the beach where Maggie was
digging for clans. A large stone be
threw with great force accidentally
struck her in the temple. Maggie was
laid up for a few days. when she was
again at her work. But one day soon
after this upon closing one eye to get a
better focus on ship that was COM
ing into the offing she discovered a
blur before the eye that remained
open. 1t was not long before the
sight of this eye--it was on the side of
her head that had been hit by little
Ben-was completely lost. Then it be-
gan to affect the other eye and with
in eighteen months of the time the az
cident occurred Maggie was entirely
blind
Grave as was this calamity. it was
nothing compared with Maggie's dis
appointment in her love. She felt that
trouble as keenly as the day she re-
ceived Jacks letter. She began at
once to get used to her blindness. but
she could not get used to the loss of
her lover.
Her only comfort was that she be-
lieved Jack was sincere in saying that
he would never have any other sweet
heart. While her friends did not be-
lieye that the sailor was true to her in
any sense. they refrained from twit-
ting her with his unfaithfulness
Maggie continued her work-for
blind people develop the sense Of touch
in place of sight-and was happier
while occupied than while idle. One
day her mother told her that the ship
that Jack had sailed in was coming
into port Maggie ran far up the beach
to get away by herself. But in time
she was obliged to return and on en-
tering the house felt herself clasped in
a pair of strong arms and heard her
name spoken in Jack Winslow's famil-
lar voice.
'My trouble will not longer kt W US
apart. Maggie. DEAR" he said. 1T is
all right now. But I'm sorry for you.
sweetheart. that you can't any more
see the beautiful world"
And YOU
"Never mind me, darling. You shall
live in comfort the rest of your life. |
We fell in with a disabled ship on the |
voyage home. and my share of the
prize money will keep us comfortable"
The trouble that Jack had spoken of |!
in his letter was plain to all except |