The Coolidge examiner., 1934-05-25

The only promising clue White
found was the sign Gro" blaZed on
n tree. Since these letters were
part OF a code agreed upon by the
colonists three years before. the
rescue party hoped that their
friends had gone to Croatan, home
OF the friendly Manteo. who had
promised sanctuary In emergency
but the captain, pleading bad
weather and lack of supplies. forced
the party to sail away before the
clue could be Investigated.
What had been the colonlsts' fatei.
The blazed sign was all that was
ever found OF the Lost Colonies ex-
cept hasty marks OF departure,
burned chests, rusty iron imple-
ments, household effects and books.
Whatever the fate of the col
onists, either they or their early
successors left their Ellzabetham
dialects, manners, customs, and fea-
lures in this American byway.
AS the little mail boat bobs along
toward Roanoke island, the travel
eler's thoughts turn from the story
OF Virginia Dare and the first col
onists TO another historic drama Of
the Banks. In 1912, just across the
channel from Roanoke island. on
the ocean sand spits OF Nags Head.
the pilot boat Patriot. carrying The
odosia Burr Aston, daughter Of
Aaron Burr and wife OF Governor
Aston OF South Carolina, ended its
last voyage. After the tragic col
lapse OF her fathers career and the
loss OF her little son. the only hope
OF the Burr family. Mrs. Aston was
In the depths Of despair. She set
sail from Georgetown. S. C.. to JOHN
her lonely father. and disappeared
forever!
Life on the Island.
A bit Of life on Roanoke is re-
vealed by a recent visitor, wom-
an doctor.
An old midwife and nurse, the.
widow OF a life service man. was
to care for an aged woman In her
ancient cottage by the sound. where
she lived alone. Her name was
"'Mis'" Bashi-the Mis-" an Is
land designation for mistress, and
"Bashl," she said. "a Bible name
after Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah;
but they call me Bashi."
Surnames on the island do not
denote the individual. for the fam
lilies In a hamlet are usually ali
members Of one or two clans.
In a worn slab-wood rocker In
which the old woman had rocked
her six children the doctor rested
after dinner and listened to her
tale OF q remarkable life history.
What she learned entities Mis-
Bashi to a place In the annals Of
medical history. The old nurse be-
longed to the islands remnant Her
blood, her sterling character. and
her beautiful, broad dialect were
herltages OF the old DevODshire-
castaway. She was comely and
agile, her visage one Of strength and
thought.
OF only FIVE weeks "schoolin',"
she had never learned to read. but
had been taught to work indoors
and out and TO spin. At sixteen
"out" (old) she married and at
twenty-one out" in far life serv-
ice station hamlet. she undertook
her first obstetrical case.
Doctor, l knew nothin Of 1t; bur
Mehaley read me doctor book, and
the moon was comm to full. so the.
baby would be thrifty. One born In
the dark of the moon Is not"
Mis- Bashi's Nursing.
On her little plantation, in pine
woods by the sound, though wild
owed later, she cared for psychi-
atric mother, raised her own brood
and her mothers and her brothers
children, cared for cows, pigs. and
gardens. Then for 45 years she
ministered to all the sick Of the re-
gion, a local doctor coming only
at rare intervals.
Her sand pony Napoleon carried
her In a two-wheeled cart through
woods and sand and water, in gale
or sunshine to her patients. Often
afoot she swung with her Viking
stride down beaches or through the
woods. She was smart, exact. and
knowing, though she signed by
mark, and she was known as
"couthy" (capable) woman. Her
dignity Of bearing and courtesy were
exquisite. Thus she fell into the
role that nature cast for her.
Months later the doctor realized
how the personality Of this Island
woman, linked with a touch Of
science, prevented morbid results
from household conditions. She
established her own art Of medicine