Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1916-01-26
Her husband laughed indulgently.

huihs Out cueeFIuI as sue sat On uer
back doorstep sewing. Once In awhile
her gaze shifted from her work to the
quiet bay which tapped the sand be-
yond the back fence. On the sand was
rowboat tied to a stake
7 Out on the bay a motorboat chugged
slowly from shore to shore. With her
eyes closed Tabby could have told you
that 1t was David Martins boat and
that he was in 1t, perhaps going over
to the village for supplies and the
mail. for David's place was on a neck
OF land jutting into the harbor. and
the shortest way to the village was by
water rather than by the highroad.
The boat vanished around a point
Of land. and Tabby's needle stopped
flying to and fro A tear dropped, and
then another, and another fell unheed-
ed on the white seam.
| The chickens that loved the sound Of
Tabby's voice stood aloof, wondering.
Her black cat purred questions that
remained unanswered.
| A saucy catbird In the blackberry
bushes that was wont to hold animal
ed conversations with little Miss Trot-
ter challenged her in vain while he
tilted to and fro on twig.
'Tabby Trotter cryingY' they all
seemed to ask. why. she is the most
cheerful friend we have hereabouts.
Tabby never cries"
After that every one noticed great
change In Tabby Trotter. She became
very silent. She rarely spoke except
In monosyllables. and her friends won
dered what had happened.
| They missed the pleasant cheeriness
of her voice. AS Mrs. Berry remarked
one day at Farther Lights meeting:
I'D rather hear Tabitha talk too much
than not at all. | miss her merry
tongue. | hope no one has been SO
unkind as to repeat what Mrs. Ames
said about her"
Sally Ames looked uncomfortable.
and Fanny Bond blushed fiery red
| But no one answered the remark.
| Its Fanny Bonds work." thought
the minister's wife resentfully.
A few weeks later there came a
fierce summer storm that dashed the
harbor into fury Of whitecapped
waves and bent the trees to the
ground.
| As darkness came on TaDltna lighted
many lamps to make her rooms cheer
full. and. opening her old piano. she
poured out her long repressed feelings
in song after song.
Once as she paused to turn over the
sheets of music the storm beat In
| greater fury against the glass doors.
The waves Numbered on the beach.
my tongue won't trouble any one
| tonight" she thought bitterly. No
| one can hear me above the Storm"
| But Tabitha was mistaken. Out on
| the bay motorboat battled heiplessly
with the waves. The engine had been
| flooded and was quite useless David
Martin grasped the spare oar. and.
| padding with one hand. he tried to
bale out the boat with the other. all
the while keeping an anxious eye on
the pail Of darkness.
But no answering CLEAN Of light re-
| warded his watchfulness. Backness
all around. overhead and beneath.
| Back Of him somewhere was the
| narrow channel that led into the
sound. The tide was pulling him
| around Death awaited him on the
| jagged rocks. where the water swept
| like m.llrace.
"If could make out Trotter's point
and get in the lee Of 1t would be all
right" he painted. for, strong man that
he was. David was feeling the strain.
| Suddenly there was a lull In the
| storm. and ON the silence floated wo-
mans voice singing Nancy Lee" in a
| wild abandon that seemed to defy the
storm.
| "Tabitha's blessed voicer' muttered
| David. bringing the boat about so that
| the voice was on his starboard quar-
| ter There. Lights. They must be
her house She will not mind II land
there even II she doesn't want to
marry me-
Again the storm broke over him. and
darkness blotted out the lights. but
only momentarily Every now and
then he glimpsed the lights In Ia
bitha's windows until at last. spent
and worn. he felt the boat lifted high
| on a wave and flung crashing on the
beach beneath the lights.
Before he tainted David uttered
| feeble shout.
Tabtha heard David's cry. Loves
ears are keen. and she had loved Da-
| vid Martin even while she refused to
marry him. believing that she loved
her freedom better. But when she
learned through Fanny Bond that Da-
| vid had said Tabitha talked too much
for a wife Tabltha had tried to kill her
| love for him and failed. oh. so for
lornly.
David opened his eyes on Tabitha's
sitting room floor in front Of blazing
log fire Cabitha knelt beside him.