The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-06-05
lack S Return
By OLIVE EDNA MAY
Copyright. 1910, by American Press
Association.

Maggie was a fisher lass-rthat is, she
belonged to fisher folk-on the Maine
coast Her work was digging for clans
and selling them. One day n boat from
ship that had just entered the port
came up to where Maggie was digging
for CLANS. 1t was commanded by the
third mate, young fellow of twenty,
and 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
officer rejoiced at the sight. There was
certain native grace about her that
struck his fancy. And he was equally
comely.
When Jack Winslow sailed away be
left his heart behind and carried a
heart with him. He would not be at
that port again for three years, and
Maggie's friends all said. He's time
enough to get 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 1t.
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 1t 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 60 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 a 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
added, no girl would be his sweet
heart. Maggie concealed the bad news
she had received, keeping 1t 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 II told you So |
A lass who loves a sailor is always to |
be pitied. He's deserted her doubtless
for a 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 I
stones on the beach where Maggie was
digging for clans. 4 large stone he
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 eve to get a
better focus on a ship that was COM
ing into the ofing she discovered a
blur before the eye that remained
open. It 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 ac-
cident occurred Maggie was entirely
blind
Grave as was this calamity it was