Show the red marshes coper lull 1911 by assoc abed ted literary press 7 beyond the red marshes lay the sea in the gray november days it was a tumbling sea with the waves topped with white foam and coming in beav I 1 I 1 through the rusty marsh grass but put it was at low tide that marta s dintle dory slipped down the silver pathway of the streams that cut their way through the marshes sometimes she met sim gregory coming back with lobsters from the early morning catch and sim would shake shako back his black lock and would ask in his surly way what good things are you taking to your dad this morning alarta and marta would pipe up with her clear note its tried fried clams for marta a father worked on the new causeway caus evay helping with bis his labor to make a permanent way to the rocky promontory which was cut off from the mainland at high tide sim gregory or as the people of the town called him black gregory did not work on the causeway he preferred the tree free method of earning hia his living in the sea he sold his lob eters to the summer hotels and in winter sent them to the city sim cared little for money perhaps that was the reason he had the name of being peculiar it was because marta carried her fa fathers tiers dinner down the silver high ways that sim gregory came through the marshes with hia his morning mornings s catch rather than land at the docks in deep er water sim loved marta matta every day he brought her some offering from the sea sometimes marta refused the gifts I 1 can t take them she said to sim one morning as he held out to her a pair of shining mackerel why not marta looked away from him as she answered mother sas sais it isn t right she wants she wants me to marry edward pond sim sim leaned far over and drew her dory alose to his own with a strong hand marta he said with a sharp in hi take of his breath reath marta are you going to marry ed eda she shook her head no no I 1 don t love him but mother has set her heart on it why does she want to sell ioui OU marta raised her head quickly don t you speak of it that way moth er docent realize she only thinks thai that edward Is prosperous that night the wind blew away the fog but it also blew itself into in to a trong gale which increased as the day advanced until at sunset sky and water showed the blackness blac Iness ness of a storm it was not until midnight however h however that the people of the town beyan beran to be afraid then it was learned that a halt half dozen of the boats that had gone out early in the morning had not come back the men from the life saving station were on the watch ard fires V were ere lighted and bella bells were rung up and down the beach vent the people whose sons and husbands and fathers were at sea mothers wept for their boys children for their pa rents but nobody wept ept for sim only mar ta straining her eyes through the blackness prayed that he might be safe that he might come back to her A shout went up as somewhere out in the leaping blackness there shone a light like a star tho lifeboat working its way against wind and wave brought back five mett met everybody is safe said some one near marta marta searching the bronzed faces asked did you did you find sim gregory we saw raw him just as the he storm broke said one of the men we shouted but he was too far away to hear us we haven t seen him since all night long the life guards pa trolled the beach all night long mar ta la strained her eyes out to sea when flawn dawn came the wind died and add the sun suit came up rosy red above th horizon and as it rose it showed tar far out on the tossing waters a black speck its it s a boat said marta and there s a man in it miss said one of the guards then marta fled homeward R aft hear the reproaches of her mother it was mas nearly noon when marta wen went t across the red marshes with her father fathers s lunch when she met sim gregory she dared not look up mirta be he called and abd brought his boat close to hers and his voice volee was eager as he spoke they told me on the beach that you waited all night tor for news of me she answered him as she had an her mother surely a man has right to have one heart cry out for him when he s at the mercy of the wind and waves did your heart cry martaa in spite of her self consciousness ehe she told him the truth it if you had died my ray heart would have died with you sim no one could have called him black gregory it if they could have seen him at that moment ills face was melted into tenderness I 1 think I 1 came back because sou called me marta he be said there was one moment when in the black ness I 1 lost hope but something seem ed to urge marta s waiting and so I 1 came |