The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-10-27
The Sandma an
Story
The SEA SON

Stella often wished for a child to
keep her company when Tito was
on his long fishing trips, but either
the stork was blown away by the
sea winds or some one lived nearer
to his home, and the babies were
all given away before Stella's cot
tage was reached, for no baby was
given her.
One night Stella and Tito were
awakened by the sea roaring and
the wind blowing around their cot
tage, until the very ocean seemed
right at their door "Get up, hus-
band; am sure some one knocked
at our door," said Stella.
"No, no, wife, it is the wind"
said Tito; but Stella insisted and
Tito went to the door.
A guest of wind and salt spray
washed against Titos face, and at
the same time a voice out of the
gale said: 81 have brought you a
gift from Amphitrite, the wife of
our Sea God Neptune"
Tito could see no one, the spray
was so thick but he felt something
soft at his feet, which he stopped
to pick up. 1t was baby bow
The wind and sea were still as
soon as the baby was in TitOs arms
for the wife of Neptune has power
over the wavse and hurls them
against the cliffs. "
Stella and Tito did not tell any
one how little Petus, as they named
the baby, was brought to them, so
he grew up like any other little boy,
only that on the nights that the
waves dashed high about the rocks
on the shore Petus always was
missing
And when the waves were still he
returned with a far-away look in
his big blue eyes, which caused
Stella to wonder what he had seen.
SO Petus grew to be man and
was a fisherman like his father,
Tito One day while he was fish
ing far from the shore he felt his
net grow suddenly very heavy.
Petus tugged and pulled, but he
could not lift it; he reached over
the side Of his boat to give one
more tug, when he felt himself be-
ing drawn over, and down he went
under the sea.
Petus found himself surrounded
by mermaids, for 1t was they who
had pulled at his net and drawn
him overheard.
They placed Petus on the back
of sea OK, which carried him
along the bottom of the ocean to a
beautiful house of gold which stood
on bed of seaweed. There the
animal stopped and Petus was lift
ed by the mermaids to the steps
of the house and the door was !
opened by another mermaid and he
was told to walk in.
Petus all this time did not seem |
to mind the water and could |
breathe as well as on land.
He found himself in a big room
with walls of gold and pearls, and |
in one corner of the room, on a
couch Of seaweed reclined a lady
who smiled and held out her hand
to Petus.
'T am your mother" she said. T
only loaned you to your mortal
grow up; now you must take your
mother and father until you should
place with the seafolk and live un-
der the sea.
"You were sent to your mortal
father and mother that you might
be more powerful than all the other
sea-gods because you would know
the ways of the mortals and this
fishermen in their boats. to the
will give you power to entice the
deepest part of the ocean, where
my mermaids and sea-gods can
wreck their boats and carry them
off to the bottom of the ocean"
"But why do you wish to wreck
the boats and harm the fisher
mem" asked Petus. "They do no
harm to you or your sea-gods."
Because want to be powerful,
my son." answered Amphitrite. Il
am the wife of Neptune, and want
him to become as great and power
FL 4. -. Il. r..