May, 1879.
THE WEST SHORE.
144
"GOD KNOWS."
An emigrant ship foundered in storm, and
of the 220 who went down, only one-- little
child drifted ashore. When the waif was laid
at rest from her troubled baptism, the question
was asked by somebody, "What name?" and
the reply was "tlod knows." A gentleman
present, touohed by the words, caused a head
stone to be erected, boaring only this: Ood
Knows. "
t
An emigrant ship with 1 world aloard
Went down by the head on the KoutUh roast;
No totter of bunting st half-mast lowered,
No cannon to toll (or the creatures lost
Two hundred and twenty their souls let slip,
Two hundred and twenty with speechless lip
Went staggering down In the foundered shlv
II.
Nobody can tell It -not you nor I,
The frenzy of fright wlion lightning thought
Wove Ilka a ihuttle the far and the nigh,
Shot (iilvriti Kleanii through the long forgot,
And lighted the year with a ghastly glare,
A second a year, and a 16001111 to epare
'Mid iurei of water and gasps of prayer.
111.
The heavem wire doom and the Lord wai dumb,
The cloud and the breaker were blent In one;
No angel In eight- nor any to oomel
Ud pardon their ilni for the Christ 111 Bon!
The tempest died down ai the tomiiest will,
The aea In a rivulet drowse lay still,
Aa tame aa the moon on a window-till.
Tin; nwea were red on the rugged hill,
The roses that blow In the early light
And die Into gray with the mists of night.
IV.
Then drifted aahore In a nightgown dressed,
A waif of a girl with her undod hair,
And handa tike a prayer on her cold blue breast,
And a imlle 011 tier mouth that wai not despair,
No stitch on the garment even to toll
Who bore her, who loet her, who loved hr well,
Unnamed aa a rose was It Norah or Nell ?
The couton and wreckers emund har stood,
And gated 01: the traaiure-truve landward east,
Ai round a dead rohlu tho itimly -1 .
Its plumage all rent and the whirlwind peat
They laid a white ctim on her home 11 tad c veet,
The coffin wan rud aa a ml breast 'a neat,
. M.i ....,, wig the uhroud. but a rfect rwl
Fell down on the child llkedew OS tbr west.
ft
A tipple of sod Jiiat covered her over,
Nolwdy to 1.1.1 her "tJ.-od tilgM, niy fcWf
Hprlng waited to weave a ipillt of red clover,
Nobody alive had her t name heard!
"What name" asked the preacher, "tiod knows" they
said.
Nor wsitod nor wept as they made her bed,
Itttt sculptured "tlod Knowi" on the slate at her head
VII.
The legend be ours when the night nuts wild
The road out uf alght, and tlte stars gone home,
t.-'-t hie or lost heart, lost rirledor gflU
Kemsmher th word at the drowned girl's tomb!
Ilewildered and blind lNe aoul has rsMe,
Whether cj prea or laurel MfMoins and blows,
Whatever to tides, for the good tiod kiH'Vs'
tiod knows all the a bile -oar blindness Ills sight,
Our dark n ms Ills dar, wsakneas Ilia might'
JenMtM r Tafiti'r
TIIK Hl'NAWAY MATCH.
Many years ago then ilwalt in tha town of
I', a pretty village, distant some milea from
tha market town, a peculiarly comely anil
graceful maiden, who hail a decidedly i. jly aol
cross grann-d bat wealthy father.
Minnie waa Danforth 'a only chtlil, anil report
aid aba would be hie aula legatee. The old
man waa a sturdy farmer, and waa seti mated to
ha worth fall IIO.UUO at that period, a very
handsome fortune, to be aura.
Tha sparkling eyea and winning way of
Minnie Dsnforth hail etirred ap tha Hoar feel
inga of tha whole male portion of the village,
and bar aaitora were numerous; but her father
waa particular, and none auocssdod in making
headway againat him or bar.
In the meantime Minnie had a true and loyal
lover hi secret Hie aame waa Walter Joe
Walker, and he waa simply a farmer, employed
by old Danforth, who bad animated Joe with
the management of hie place for two or three
yeare.
Hut a very excellent farmer and k""' mHa
gar waa the plain, unassuming, hut good. looking
Joe Walker. He waa only IfS, and he actually
fall in love with the beautiful, ploaaaut, joyoua
Minnie Danforth, hia old employer's only
daughter. Hut the strangest part of the occur
renue waa, Minnie returnud hia love earueetly,
truly and frankly, and prumieod to wed him at
a favorable time.
Things wont on merrily for a while, hut old
Danforth, discovered certain ylancca and atten
tion! between thorn which excited hie auger
ami suspicion. Very soon after Joe learned the
old man'a mind indirectly in regard to hit future
diiposal of Minnie'e hand, and he quickly aaw
that hia caae waa a hopeless one, unless he re
sorted to stratagem; and so he at once sethiswita
to work.
Ily agreement, an apparently settled cool
neaa waa observed by tho lovers towards each
other for live or ait mouths, and the father saw,
aa he thought, with satisfaction, that hia pre
vious suspicions aud fears had all bean prema
ture. Then, by mutual coueent, Joe aheented
himself from tho house at evening; and, night
after night, for full three months, did he disap
war aa aoon aa his work was finished, to return
iiomc only at late bedtime. Thia waa unusual,
aud old Danforth determined to know the causa
of it.
Joe frankly confeased that ho waa In love
with a man's daughter, who reaided less than
three miles distant; hut, after several mouths,
tho old man haul utturly refused to entertain
his application for the young lady's hand.
Thia waa capital -just what old Danforth
moat desired. Thia aatialied him that ha had
made a mistake in regard to hia own child, and
he would help to get Joe married, aud thus
stop all further suspicious or troubles at home.
Ho he said :
"Wall, Joe, is she a buxom lees?"
"Yea, air," aaid Joa. "That is, other folks
say so. I'm nut much of a judge."
"And you like her ?" '
"Yea, air; yea,"
" Then marry her," said old Danforth,
"I can't; the father ohjecta. "
"I'oohl" continued Danforthi "let him do so;
what need you oarv ! Itun away with herl"
"Mope.
"Veal Oft with her at mice! If tha gal will
marry you, all right Marry her and bring her
here. Y ou shall have ths cottage at tile foot of
the lane: I II furnish it for you; your wagee
shall be increased, and the old man may Ilka it
or not, aa he will."
"But-"
"line me no 'buta,' Joa. Do as I bid you;
go about It at once, and
"You will stand by ma?"
"Yea, tn the last. I know ynu, Joei you're
a good fellow, a good workman, ami will make
anybody a good liualarod."
"Ins old fellow will bo ao mad, though."
"Who carta, I aay? Ou on quietly, but
quickly."
'To-morrow night, then," aaid Joa.
"Yes," said Danforth.
"I'll hire Clover's horse.
"No, you shan't."
"No 1
"I aay no. Take my horse -the beat one
young Morgan; he'll take you off in Una atyle,
in tha new phwloa. "
"Kuetiy."
"Aa aooa aa you're spliced, soma right here,
and a jolly time we'll hare of it al the old
booee."
"Hat tha old man might drop la as aa."
" rkb I He's aa old loot, whoever ha all ha
Inn t know our good uaallliaa. Joa, aa well aa
I do. Don t be afraid. A faint heart, yon
kaow, Barer won a fair lady."
"Tna old man will be aataaaded. "
" Never mind; go as. Wall turn tha laugh
on him. I'll take oare of yoa and your wife, at
aay rata."
' 111 it ! " aaid Joa.
" You ahall I" aaid Danforthi and they parted
in the Imt of spirits.
Au hour after dark, on the following evening,
Joe made hia appearance, decked in anew black
suit, and looking really my uomoly. The old
man bustled almut the barn with him, helping
to harness young Morgan to the new linsstoo,
and leading tho spunky animal himself to tha
road. Away want the happy Joa Walker in
search of bis bride, A lew rods distant he
found her, as per previous arrangement, and,
reiairing to tho nov.1 village, the parson very
quickly made them one Hi holy wedlock. Joa
took the bride, and soon dashed back to the
town of I' , and halted at the house o( Dan-
forth, who waa already looking for him, and
received him with upon arms.
" Is It done ?" asked the old man.
" Yea- yoa," answered Joa.
" llring her in, bring her in," continued the
old fellow in high glee, "never ictud compli
ments; no matter about the dark entry. Here,
here, Joo, to the light, in the parlor, we'll have
a jolly time uow, aaid the an to .us farmer,
pushing away for lights, ami returning alnmet
immediately.
I am married -
1 ea, yea
And Una is uiv i
up the beautiful bride, the bewitching and
1 my wife," he added, aa ha passed
lovely Minnie Hanforth.
"What I" roared the father. "Joa, you
villain, you scamp, you audacious eheal, yon
you you
" It la true, an . wa are lawfully married.
You assisted me, you planned the whole affair,
yon lent me your horse, you theiight ma, last
week, worthy of any man's daughler.'you prom
ised mo the cottage at Hie foot of the lane,
you
" I didn't I I deny it ! You can't prove It,
You're a ' "
"Calmly uow, sir," continued Joe; and the
entreatiea n( the haiipy couple were at once
united to quell the old man's Ire, and to per
suade him to acknowledge their union.
The father relented at this. It waa a job of
his own manufacture, and he saw how uselsaa
it would he dually to attempt to deolroy it,
He gave 111 reluctantly, and the fair Minnie
Danforth waa overjoyed to I,.-duly aeknnwl
edged as Mrs. Jiai Walker.
The marriage proved a happy one, and the
original assertion of old Danforth proved tralh
fill in every i -1 The sunning lover waa a
good son and faithful husband, and In. d many
years to enjoy the happiness which followed
n I this runaway match, while the .,ld man
never cared to hear much about the details of
tha eloHiment, for he saw how completely ha
had overaliot himself.
Parana a 1. Ditv. The falher who plnugee
into bustiieea so dseply that he has no lalaure for
domestic duties ami pleaaurea, and whim only
intercourse with his children consists la a brief
word of authority, or a surly lamentation over
their intolerable ei penal veneaa, is equally to he
pitied and to be blamed. What right has ha to
davota to other pursuits Urn lime a hi. h i baa
allotted to hia children 7 Nor la II aa eieuee to
say that be cannot support hia family In their
style of living without this effort I ask by
what right ran his family d. man I to live la
a manner which requires him to neglect hia
miast solemn and Important duliee Nor la It
an aicaas ! say that he wishes to Irate Ibsm
that enmpeteocs which ha deetreo. Is It aa ad
vantage to las relle sd from the necessity of labor
lu, id. is moaey the only desirable heqaaet
who h a falher ran leave to hia children Ha rely
waH-calllvated inlsllscta, hearts sensible of
domestic affection, the love of parents anil
brethren and sailers, a taste fur home pleasures,
habits of order, regularity and Indeetry, hatred
of vice and vteioae man, ami a lively eeejetbllity
to the eieallenea of vlrtaa, arc as valuable a
Isfaey aa aa laaenUore of property aim pis
properly parchased by lbs lose of every hsbtt
which ooald reader that DrvMrlv a bissalaa .
I waawsasi areriii cieerari.