Norwich bulletin., 1912-03-23
AN OLD FASHIONED LINE STORM

for a little, as he wondered where the child might be to whom the shoe be- | longed. More and more carefully he | scanned the waves, and the rubbish strewn on the beach. His sons as- sisted him in his search, but nothing of value was found, and they were about to return to the house, when one of the sons noticed box floating in the waves. Nearer and nearer it came, till 1t was within his reach, and he grasped it thinking he would take it to his mother as a souvenir of the storm.
 She stood in the doorway of the house. Shading her eyes from the dazzling sunlight playing on the waves, she was about to call them to dinner, when she saw far out in the water something that drove all thoughts of dinner from her mind.
 Look Looki' she cried, there's | q child out there, floating in toward shore See there it isl''
 And she pointed it out to them. Eagerly they looked in the direction she indicated and hurriedly started to the rescue in a boat near at hand. i Strong arms were needed for the work, i but the child was reached and soon l placed under the care of Mrs. Cham | pin, whose skilful treatment revived | the apparently lifeless form, and before ] the sons returned to their own homes i they were able to report the little i stranger as doing well.
 l She was a bright little girl, six or i seven years old, but evidently of foreign birth and having but slender amount of English at her command | She called herself Irma and cried | for mamma and Lima, but could tell l them almost nothing to help towards ! restoring her tO her fripT1d9
 In vain the Champlins advertised 1 the child, and watched the papers for ] some clue by which to be guided in their disposal of the little waif. At last they concluded Irma was l theirs to keep, and gladly accepted the i charge, while the child seemed con- tent and happy in their simple home. One day she espied the box which ! drifted to the shore on the morning
 of her arrival and claimed it for her own. The coral beads in it were hers, | she said, and the pictures in the lock l ct were mamma and papa, and she 1 Wept over them, as she again told her
 story that Papa went to heaven to | live, and Mamma was coming to | Grandma when the big storm came 1 and swept her on shore When she
 was a good girl, Lima let her wear the coral beads and the locket"
 | 50 tlme went on till summer brought
 the usual influx of city visitors to the | adjacent village. Here Irma often went with Grandma Champlin," as i she called the old lady, to see her friends with whom Irma was a favorite.
 As an especial favor one day she was allowed to wear the coral neck
 ace with the pendant locket. Passing
 through the village street, she met
 an elderly lady who exclaimed at sight
 of the necklace and claimed the child
 as her grand-daughter. A visit to the
 seaside cottage and examination of the treasured box furnished further proof
 of the lady's claims so at the end of
 the season Irma was taken to her city home and relatives.
 Every summer, however, saw her re-
 turning to visit Grandma Champlin These old people were loath to part
 with the child, but rejoiced with her
 in her prosperity, while Irma's rela-
 tives in their gratitude generously re-
 Warded the old sea captain and his
 wife for their care of the child
 And 1t all came from an old
 fashioned Line storm added Captain Champlin. AN IDLER.