Deephaven and Selected Stories & SketchesJewett, Sarah Orne
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Deephaven and Selected Stories & Sketches
Jewett, Sarah Orne
Maine -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
'Who doth ambition shun
And loves to live i' the sun,
Seeking the food he eats,
And pleased with what he gets';
and
'Here shall he see
No enemy
But winter and rough weather.'
That is all he lived for, his literal daily bread. I suppose what would
be prosperity to him would be miserably insufficient for some other
people. I wonder how we can help being conscious, in the midst of our
comforts and pleasures, of the lives which are being starved to death in
more ways than one."
"I suppose one thinks more about these things as one grows older," said
Kate, thoughtfully. "How seldom life in this world seems to be a
success! Among rich or poor only here and there one touches
satisfaction, though the one who seems to have made an utter failure may
really be the greatest conqueror. And, Helen, I find that I understand
better and better how unsatisfactory, how purposeless and disastrous,
any life must be which is not a Christian life! It is like being always
in the dark, and wandering one knows not where, if one is not learning
more and more what it is to have a friendship with God."
By the middle of the afternoon the sky had grown cloudy, and a wind
seemed to be coming in off the sea, and we unwillingly decided that we
must go home. We supposed that the funeral would be all over with, but
found we had been mistaken when we reached the cove. We seated ourselves
on a rock near the water; just beside us was the old boat, with its
killick and painter stretched ashore, where its owner had left it.
There were several men standing around the door of the house, looking
solemn and important, and by and by one of them came over to us, and we
found out a little more of the sad story. We liked this man, there was
so much pity in his face and voice. "He was a real willin', honest man,
Andrew was," said our new friend, "but he used to be sickly, and seemed
to have no luck, though for a year or two he got along some better. When
his wife died he was sore afflicted, and couldn't get over it, and he
didn't know what to do or what was going to become of 'em with winter
comin' on, and--well--I may's well tell ye; he took to drink and it
killed him right off. I come over two or three times and made some
gruel and fixed him up's well's I could, and the little gals done the
best they could, but he faded right out, and didn't know anything the
last time I see him, and he died Sunday mornin', when the tide begun to
ebb. I always set a good deal by Andrew; we used to play together down
to the great cove; that's where he was raised, and my folks lived there
too. I've got one o' the little gals. I always knowed him and his wife."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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