The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1913-05-15

Spring once more; then sulnmefi
And now people were again speaking
of Captain Nat Hammond. HIS shlS
was overdue, long overdue. Even III
those days, when there were no cables
and the telegraph was still something
of novelty, word of his arrival should
have reached Trumet months before
this. But it had not come, and did not
Before the summer was over, the wise
heads OF the retired shippers were
shaking obviously. Something had
happened to the Sea Mist. something
serious
AS the weeks and months went by
without news Of the missing vessel,
| this belief became almost a certainty.
At the Come-Outer chapel, where Eze-
kiel Bassett now presided, prayers
were offered for the son of their for
| mer leader.
One afternoon KeZiah came Into Ell
lery's study, where he was laborlng
with his next Sunday sermon, and sat
down in the rockingham. She had
been out and still wore her bonnet and
shawl.
John" she said, 81 ask your par
don for disturbin' you. wanted to
ask if you knew Mrs. Prince was
sick?"
~Nc. Is she? Ina awfullT sorrT.
Nothing serious, hopSs
mo, l guess not. Only she's got
cold and is kind of under the weather
l thought p'r'aps you'd like to run up
| and see her. She thinks the world
and all Of you, cause you was SO good
when she was distressed about her
son. Poor old thing! she's had a
hard time of it. l just heard that she
was ailin' from Didama Rogers. d.
DANA said she was all but dyin', so
knew she prob'ly had little cold, or
somethin. If she was really very bad.
! Di would have had her buried by this
| time, SOS to be sure her news was
ahead of anybody else's. | amt been
ur there, but / met her tother morn
| In"
"Didama?"
mo; Mrs. Prince She'd come down
| to see Grace
oh"
Yes. The old lady's been awful
kind and sympsthizin' since-since
this new trouble 1t reminds her OF
the loss of her own boy, | presume
| likely, and so she feels for Grace.
John, what do they say around town
about-about him."
Captain Hammond? Why, If you
mean that they've all given up hopo,
| should hardly say that. Captain
Mayo and Captain Daniels were speak
ing of it in my hearing the other day
and they agreed that there was still
chance"
"A pretty slim one, though. they
cal1ated, didn't they?"
We'll, they were-were doubtful, of
course. There was the possibility that
he had been wrecked somewhere and
hadn't been picked up. They cited
several such cases. The South Pa
cific is full of islands where vessels
seldom touch, and he and his crew
may be on one Of these"
John" she answered, with sigh,
sometimes | think you'd better get
another housekeeper."
What? Are you going to leave
NE? You?"
"Oh. twouldn't be because | wanted
| to. But it seems almost as If there
was a kind of fate hangin over me
and that" she smiled family, "as if
twas sort of catchin', as you might
say. Everybody | ever cared for has
had somethin' happen to EN-. My
| brother died; my-the man | married
went to the dogs; then you and Grace
had to be miserable and had TO help
make you SO; | seat Nat away and he
| blamed me and"
mo. no. He didns blame you. He
sent you word that he didn't. Aunt
Keziah. you're my anchor to vino
ward, as they say down here. II
| lost you, goodness knows where
should drift Don't you ever talk Ct
leaving me again"
Thank you, John. I'm ghtd you
want me to stay. / WONT lesve yet
awhile; nevertheless | have To-. John,
| had another letter t'other day"
You did? From-from that man."
"Yup, from" For moment it
seemed as IL she were about to pro-
nounce her husbands name, some
thing she had never done in his pres.
enoe; but if she thought Of it, she
changed her mind.
CTO BE CONTINUED)