Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1922-03-01
The Ship That Never Returned.

were rippled
BY the softest gentlest breeze,
Did a ship set sail with a cargo Ia
den
For a port beyond the seas;
There were sweet farewells, there
were loving signals
While a form was yet discerned.
For they know it not twas a SOL
emn parting,
l. For the ship she never returned.
Did she ever return?
No, she never returned,
Her fate is yet unlearned
Though for years and years
There were fond ones watching
For the ship that never returned.
Said feeble lad to his anxious
mother:
II must cross the wide, wide seas,
For they say perehance in foreign
climate
There is health and strength for
Twas CLEAN of hope in a maze of
danger.
Her poor heart for her youngest
yearned,
Yet she sent him forth with a smile
and blessing,
On the ship that never returned.
"Only one more trip" said a gallant
seaman,
AS he kissed his weeping wife,
"Only one more bag of this golden
treasure,
And it will last us all through life;
Then III spend my days in my coy
cottage
And enjoy the rest I've earned"
But, alas! poor man, fer he sailed
commander
or the ship that never returned.
Waltham, Feb T. 1922.
Dear Aunt Madge:
1 am sending you a sang which
/ hope you will see fit to print it.
Very truly yours,
p M. F.
My dear, your poem has brought
to me an echo of the past. When
teaching in another town more
than forty-five years ago, l would
often hear the big boys" and they
had good voices, singing 1.-The Ship
that Never Returned l never
heard it in any other time or place,
| and never saw the music or knew
all the words until your letter
came. Thank you very much l
wonder if some one pupil of that
long ago winter will read this and
remembey the song. Aside from
that memory, l recall several cap
tains belonging to my home town
who sailed away on "ships that
never returned
Dear Aunt Madge and Sisters:
l expect my name has been ban
ished from your column, as it has
been 50 long since | have written
There have always been so many in
teresting letters, and / could write
so little of interest to others I
thought l would wait until some
time when Aunt Madge looked real
lonesome.
1t has been with sorrow and re-
gr6 thai l have seen so MANY of
the names of my OH friends and
neighbors disappear from this col
umn and / begin to think that about
all l know, now, personally, are
Aunt Madge and Ann, and of course
these are both from my home town.
umn about nineteen years ago. 1t
seems like an old friend, as it has
some favorite recipes of all old mem
bers, and they are great favorites of
my family from Aunt Madge's
''sweethearts' (nice for picnics).
Dells kamon pie and plain cake. to
AIMS mustard pickles and tomato
mincemeat, that she sent especially
ler me, and are used by me every
1asl wish Aunt Maria would send
IN some of her recipes; / have
heard them praised so highly--her
cooking 1 mean, aAd I hope we may
hear from Ann
Naomi"
Indeed you have not been ban
ished from the column. When your
letter came 10 hand. with name
on corner, l said 1T is from
Naomi" and it is teen years since
you wrote last. isn't it? Come to
the column and to the reunion las
you mentioned in my personal let
ter from you) and get acquainted
with the new members.
Hancock, Me, Feb. 6, 1922.
Dear NJ. BIS:
am not a member of this column.
but for years i have been interested
In the helpful letters which contri-
butte very much TO the entertainment
and happiness of Hancock county
homes
When child 1 learned the poem
from which was taken the verse
printed in the issue of February Is.
The name of the poem is "Iucv
Gray. and was written by William
Wordsworth 1t was founded on a
circumstance which occurred in
Halifax, In Yorkshire. A little girl.
walking by herself in snow storm
became bewldered. When she did
not return to her home, search was
made Her tracks led to the mid
die OF the lock of the canal, and
further there were none" The
girls fate became known only when