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Show JEANETTE. The ret of the Sailors M ho JJeTer Knew Iler History. Every day there came down to the long stone wharf a smiling, fair-haired girl of 7, followed by an old, old man. The child carried a spy-glass, hugging hug-ging it in her arm as if it were a doll, and she skipped along gaily till she reached the end of the pier. Then she handed tho long glass to her companion, com-panion, and resting her chubby little hands on the cold stone coping, looked wistfully out to sea. With the soft breeze blowing her hair about her shoulders, and her eyes fixed searchingly on the horizon she stood perfectly silent until u tiny white speck appeared in the fair distance where sea and sky seemed to mingle. "A sail, a sail!" she cried, and the old man sat down and laid the spyglass spy-glass upon his arm. Breathless and eager, the child grasped the brass tube with both hands and peered through it without speaking. After a few minutes, however, how-ever, she said with a sigh of disappointment: dis-appointment: "Not yet, grandpa," and returning patiently to her post resumed re-sumed the watch until another sail appeared. ap-peared. This was kept up hour after hour, and when tho sun, a golden ball, had slipped behind tho rising billows, and a soft mist rose from the sea, the child turned round, her littlo face saddened, and walked slowly away at tho old man's side. One day I spoke to an old sailor and asked about the child. "That is Jeannette," ho said, taking his short clay pipe out of his mouth. "Her father was killed eighteen months ago; tho mast of his boat fell on him, and since tho day his dead body was carried home she has never been the same. She does not think he is dead, and every afternoon her grand- father has to bring her dowu here to watch for him." He tapped his head expressively, and, as a merry laugh sounded, a smile of tenderness softened his rugged features. I looked up and saw Jeannetto coming com-ing as usual, carrying tho telescope, and shipping gleefully belore the old man. "How sad, how sad!" I murmured with a sigh, but tho old Bailor shook his head; putting his pipe into his mouth hastily ho puffed out a cloud of smoke to hide the tears that had gathered gath-ered in his eyes, and answered softly: "God is good. She will never know, and so she will never cease to hope." i From the French of Le Faure. |