The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1917-01-31
ROMANCE
AND Walls
n ALLAH
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate

For many years Captain Date was
proprietor and captain of the sloop
Janet. Then his wife died, leaving a
little daughter, Mary eight years old.
Most of the inhabitants of the town
of Shore Cove were a bit jealous of
the captain, for he generally had luck
at fishing or gathering clans and oys-
tiers. By the way the women and
girls were also bit jealous of little
Mary. She was handsome, sparkling
child, and when it was known that her
father intended sending her away to
school to be educated he was called
foolish for not keeping her in her sta
ton in life.
At eleven years of age Mary was
sent to live with an aunt in Connect
cut She remained there six years,
going home for a short stay once a
year. At such times she met with no
welcome except from her father.
Then came the calamity. Miss Mary
was finishing her last term at school
when she received news of it. The
Janet had been wrecked in a storm
and most of her crew drowned. Among
those who were beaten on the rocks
and cast ashore with a little life left
in them was Captain Date. He had
many bruises and decorations and sew
eral broken bones, and he had to have
his leg amputated and could never
hope to be the man he was. When able
to get around he had to use crutch,
and the other leg was none too strong
to do double duty. He tried to be
cheerful through it all, but there were
many black hours for him. He had
saved few hundred dollars, but these
seemed to go like leaves before an au-
tumn gale When he said they would
soon feel the pangs of poverty it was
Mary who put her arms around his
neck and said:
Don't worry, old daddy. Providence
has seen you through many troubles
and will not desert you now"
There came a day when the captain
looked over his bank book and found
that only $40 was left i'll the locker
He hobbled his way out among the
sand dunes and made some remarks
on the situation, and he was glad that
Mary was not along to hear. He
threw himself down on the sand and
passed black hours When he pain
fully arose at last it was to turn his !
eyes seaward and gaze with lively in
terest for greater part of an hour.
and when he entered his cottage it |
was to say to Mary:
There are whales about five miles;
off shore. They are playing and hay
ing lots of fun
1t was half an hour later. and there |
had been silence between the two.
when Mary brought her chair over to
her fathers side and quietly said:
Daddy, have kept something from
you. A young man up the country
wants me to be his wife. / did not
dare say yes to him. He did not know
that l lived at Shore Cove and that
| was only fisherman's daughter"
"Ie hasn't written to you since you
came homer"
NO. | ran away from him, and he
doesn't know where l am, and | don't
want to write to him
you tell me not to worry, Mary, and |
that Providence will see to these
things. Let me tell you the same'
Mary ran outdoors and down the
shore path, and she had hardly reach
ed the beach when she heard great
splashing off shore 1t was a moon
light night, and in the wake Of the
moon she saw a big whale headed
straight for the beach
Daddy. Daddy" called Mary as
she entered the cottage, with her hair
flying and her eyes looking very big.
There's big whale just run ashore
He is down there now, and he is dead
guess he was badly injured in a fight
at sea-
Lord alive, girl, there's Providence
for you. If it's that big whale saw
this afternoon there's oil enough in
him to keep us for year Where's
my crutch?"
With the help of Mary he got down
to the shore and there saw that there
was no mistake.
He is on my land" he said, land
no one can lay claim to him. The tide
will lift him up farther on the shore
but I'm going to sit here all the rest
of the night and give the Cove fellers
no chance TO put in claim"
And he did. Mary brought him down
the old fowling piece and came down
about once an hour to cheer him up.
At daylight the people of the Cove
saw the whale Oh the beach, and TWEEN
ty or thirty made haste to put in a /:
claim. For an hour or more the crowd .
from the Cove argued and protested
and threatened and Captain Date had
10 warn them over and over to keep
hands off. Then a young man appear
I'd and took the captains part with
such vigor and sarcasm that they gave
)ver. Then Mary came running down \
md shook hands with the stranger and
Flushed and sobbed and called him