189-; 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



177 



LOVE COMFORTLESS. 



The child is in tlie nis'-ht and rain 



On whom no lendfrest wiiid might blow, 

 And out alone in a hui ricane. 

 Ah, no! 

 The <'h:ld is safe in paradise! 



The snow is on his gentle head, 

 Eis little feet ate in the snow, 

 Oh, very cold is his small bedl 

 Ah, no! 

 Lift up your heart, lift up your eyes! 



Over the fields and out of sight, 

 Beside the lonely river's flow, 

 Lieili the child this Litter night. 

 Ah, no! 

 The child sleeps under Mary's eyesl 



What wandering lamb cries sore dis- 

 tressed 

 Wliile I with fire and comfort go? 

 Oh, let me warm him in my breast I 

 Ah, no! 

 'Tis warm in God's lit nurseries! 

 —"A Lover's Breast Knot," by K. Tynan. 



DUPED. 



The big, white steamboat backs away 

 aoni the wharf, swings about aud goes 

 slowly down the river souudiug her 

 whit-tle at intervals, for the fog is com- 

 ing in rapidly. 



The few loafers on the pier eye curi- 

 ously the tall, elegant woman who has 

 Rome ashore. 



She, casting a half scornful glance 

 about, approaches old Jed Rawsou and 

 puts this query: 



"Can I hire any one to take me 

 across the river?" 



"I reckon not," declares old Jed, tak- 

 ing out his pipe to stare at her with as- 

 tonishment. "The steamer gees into 

 port jest below here tor wait fer the 

 fog ter lilt. Thar's no gittin across the 

 river ternicht, marm. " 



"Can you manage a boat, my good 

 man?'' 



All the loafers smile at this. Old 

 Jed breaks into a mellow laugh which 

 peuds a perfect network of wrinkles 

 over his brown face. 



"Why, leddy," he says, "there ain't 

 nary a boy of 10 or up'ard alongshore 

 as don't knov; how to handle a boat." 



The lady laughs ton. She is very 

 charn.ing, even old Jed realizes that. 

 She takes a gold piece from her dainty 

 purse and frays: 



"If vou v.:il take me and mv trunk 



across the river, tins snail De yours." 



The trunk is a huge affair, and Jed 

 looks at it with one eye closed and 

 shakes his head. 



"If it warn 't fer the fog, marm, eny 

 one on us 'ud take yer acrost fer noth- 

 ing. But we couldn't; see the boat's 

 length tonight. " 



The lady utters a sharp exclamation, 

 anger and disappointment clouding her 

 features. A brown faced lad steps from 

 the corner of tlie little red baggage 

 house where he has been standing. 



"If you dare to go, madam, I will 

 take you," he says. 



She gives him a radiant smile, at 

 which he flushes to the roots of his fair, 

 waving hair. 



Jed and one or two of the other men 

 remonstrate with him to no purpose. 

 A small brown wherry is brought up to 

 the flight of weather beaten steps lead- 

 ing down from one side of the wharf. 



The big trunk is lowered into it, and 

 the lady handed down by Andrew Rus- 

 sell, who is thrilled by the touch of her 

 cool, satiny fingers. He pulls off into 

 the fog bank while the loungers on the 

 wharf make their comments. 



"Mighty fine looking craft that." 



"Carries too miich sail." 



"What can she want over the river?" 



"P'rhaps she's bound for Barring- 

 ton's." 



"P'rhaps. She looks like his kind." 



It is late in the evening when Andrew 

 Russell returns. Old Jed meets him 

 hurriyng up the village street. 



"Well, Andrew, you got acrost all 

 right?" 



"Yes, I had a compass." 



"Where'd she go?" 



"I can't tell you, " is the curt reply, 

 as the boy passes on. 



All subsequent inquiries elicit no fur- 

 ther information than that Andrew 

 landed her at the road which leads up 

 by Barriugton's, and that she expected 

 some sort of conveyance to come for her 

 there. 



Barriugtou is reported to be immense- 

 ly wealthy. He never mingles with the 

 people there, and he lives in a lordly 

 fashion. He brings his own company 

 from distant parts, and there are stories 

 of gay and wild doings at the great 

 house which fill the unsophisticated na- 

 tives with amazement. 



He comes aud goes as he likes and is 



