Mamie's Watchword

by Joanna H. Mathews

  X.

  _RESCUED_

  A SHOUT, a loud halloo, broke the stillness; a hail so sharp andsudden, so near at hand, that it startled Mamie into new terror for onemoment; then, as it was repeated, brought a fluttering of hope to hersinking young heart.

  A glimmer over the water; then, as she turned her head, and glancedhalf fearfully over her shoulder, a light shining brightly through thesurrounding darkness, and coming nearer.

  Another hail, to which she still made no answer; perhaps she did notunderstand that she would be expected to do so; then a boat comingnear,--a boat from which shone the welcome light, a torch held highabove the head of the boy who carried it.

  Then the stranger boat was close to her own, with two people in it,an old man and a boy; and the light of the torch was falling overthe little figures crouched close together; over the white face andstraining eyes of the elder, over the peaceful, sleeping form of theyounger.

  Exclamations of wonder were exchanged between the man and boy, andquestions poured upon her; this Mamie knew from the tone of voice inwhich they were uttered, but not one word could she understand; andtheir language seemed so harsh and rough to her that it almost made herafraid of them.

  The end of a rope was thrown towards her, but she did not know that shewas expected to catch it; and the directions the man and boy shoutedout only confused and frightened her the more.

  Poor child! she did not know whether to look upon these rough creaturesas friends or foes.

  Several times they threw the rope, but each time it fell with a dullsplash into the water; and at last a boat-hook was thrown out, andgrappled her own boat. All the while, she heard the man and boy talkingeagerly together in their own uncouth tongue, and she wondered whatthey were going to do with her and her little sister. All manner ofwild fancies flitted through her over-excited brain, and made her poorlittle frame quiver at one moment with dread, at another with hope.

  Who were these people, and where were they taking her? To some far-offforeign land, where every one spoke that strange, rough language, andno one would understand a word she might say when she told who she was,and begged to be taken back to her friends; or could it really be thatthey were taking her home? No, that could not be, for they did not knowwhere she belonged, and she had no way of telling them, or so shebelieved.

  They had now made her boat fast to their own, and were drawing itafter them; the man was rowing, the boy steering; the light from theirtorch falling over both figures, and casting a red glare upon thewaves around. It was a curious scene, and one so new to Mamie that shewatched it with a feeling of there being something unreal about it all.

  "It's 'most like a fairy tale, or a book story," she said to herself."I wonder what they are going to do with us;" and she drew her armsclose about Lulu, who still slept quietly on her breast.

  She wished that the daylight would come, and show her more plainly thefaces of those who now had her in their keeping; for she believed thatit must be nearly morning, so long did the time seem since the lighthad died out of the far west; whereas it was scarcely an hour sincedark, and it was still comparatively early in the evening.

  Except for the measured dash of the oars, and the ripple of the watersas the two boats cut through the waves, it was almost as still now asit had been before her new companions had appeared; for man and boy hadceased talking, and rowed steadily forward without exchanging a word.

  Oh, if she only could know whether these were kind and good people,who would be ready to take her home, or if they were bad and cruel,and would do something dreadful to her and Lulu! She thought of everyterrible thing which she had ever heard of as happening to children,and tormented herself with imagining her little sister and herself inlike situations.

  Then she tried to turn her thoughts another way, picturing to herselfthe going home, back to her mamma, and how glad mamma would be to seeher and Lulu, and how she would forgive all her naughtiness for veryjoy at seeing them. And then she thought how distressed mamma must benow, and again a heavy sob shook her breast, and two or three scaldingtears ran down upon Lulu's head.

  Oh! if she could but be with mamma once more, she would try so hardnever to vex and worry her again; and she was so sure that she wouldalways be attentive and obedient to her wishes.

  But should she ever have the chance? She looked up to the sky, nowthickly studded with stars,--more stars than she had ever seen before;and how bright and beautiful they were, seeming as if they looked downupon her right out of heaven,--the heaven where God was! and againthere came to her the thought,--

  "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee;" and once more she askedthat no further harm might befall her and Lulu, but that these peopleinto whose hands they had fallen might be kind to them, and find someway to take them home.

  By and by another light shone out of the darkness, burning unsteadily,but more and more brightly as the boat moved on; and Mamie knew thatthey were nearing it. Then a long, low line, growing each instant moredistinct; and presently she saw that the light came from a fire thatwas built upon--yes, it was the shore! The land once more! the landwhere mamma was! far off it might be, perhaps in another country even;for it seemed to the poor little voyager that she had come from such adistance; but still it was the _land_, and she felt as if she must benearer home than upon the water.

  She could see two figures moving about the fire which cast its fitfullight upon shore and sea, now dying down, now flashing up brightly, butserving always as a point to guide them landwards.

  Not very far off, and burning with a clear, steady flame, was anotherlight which seemed high up, and looked to Mamie like that of thelight-house which she could see every evening from the piazza of thehotel. Was it possible it was the same? It would seem almost like afriend if it were so.

  Now the man rowed slower and slower, and presently the foremost boatmade a harsh, grating sound upon the beach. The boy jumped out, andthen Mamie's boat was hauled up, and she and Lulu lifted out, while awoman and a girl pressed eagerly forward with wondering faces to seewhat strange cargo the men had brought to shore.

  But alas! the hope that Mamie had felt that these females mightunderstand her was soon put to flight. They talked fast enough, pouringout question after question; but she could not comprehend one word;and when the man had put her down upon her feet on the beach, and sheturned to the woman, and begged, oh, so earnestly! to be taken hometo mamma, the latter shook her head, and only gazed helplessly andwonderingly into her pitiful face.

  Then Lulu, roused from her sleep by the change, and frightened by thestrange scene and faces about her, broke into a loud, distressed cry,in which Mamie herself could not help joining, as she stretched outher arms for her little sister, whom the man had now given into thewoman's care.

  The woman did not give her up, but spoke a few words to Mamie in acoaxing voice, and then set off with long, rapid strides, while thegirl seized upon Mamie's hand and followed, leaving the man and boy toattend to the boats and their fish; for they were fishermen, as Mamieafterwards found out.

  A few steps brought them to a small, a very small house, a mere hut;and, pushing open the door, the woman entered with Lulu in her arms,Mamie and the girl coming as closely after as the tired, cramped limbsof the poor little child could carry her.

  The place was neat and clean, though poor; and to Mamie, after the darkand chill of the sea, it seemed a very haven of refuge. Summer nightthough it was, she was not sorry to see a fire of logs burning upon theopen hearth, over which the kettle was singing, while the table was setfor supper. She had not known she was hungry before; but now the brownloaf upon the table looked very inviting to her, though, at anothertime, she would probably have scorned it.

  But just now she could attend to nothing but Lulu, who had not ceasedher frantic cries for mamma and "hupper" from the moment she had beenawakened in lifting her from the boat.

  Whether the woman understood, or whether she only imagined that thepoor children must be hungry, she sat down besi
de the fire with Luluupon her knee, and, hastily pouring some milk into a cup, held it tothe little one's lips.

  Lulu seized upon it, and while Mamie stood close beside her, looking onwith satisfaction, took a long drink, put it from her to take breath,and ejaculated, "Dood!" then drank again; looked up into the kind,good-natured face smiling above her, and said, "Mamie some too."

  Meanwhile the girl had done a like good office for Mamie, bringingher also a cup of milk; but she would not touch it till she saw Lulusatisfied. Their care for one another evidently gratified the woman andthe girl, who both looked on admiringly; and then, Lulu making it quiteplain without the use of words that she wished her sister to share theprivileges of the broad, comfortable lap where she was resting, thekindly Dutch woman lifted Mamie to her knee, and, in soothing but stillunintelligible tones, tried to find out something of her story, whilethe girl bustled about, and soon had ready some more substantial foodin the shape of great bowls of bread and milk, which she brought to thechildren.

  But it was all in vain that Mamie, encouraged by so much kindness,endeavored to make the women understand her. She tried them with allthe appropriate words she could think of, speaking to them in a veryloud voice, as if they could comprehend the better for that. "Sea" and"boat" and "pier" and "lost," shrieked as loud as they might be, madeno impression upon the minds of her hearers. Then she tried them withsuch French words as she knew, believing that one foreign language wasas good as another, and Frenchifying the English words she was obligedto mix with them to make her story at all clear. "Nous came-ez overl'eau dans le boat-ez," she said with emphasis, "et pauvre mamma willetre tres frighten-ez."

  These and many other such sentences she composed and delivered withgreat care, but _French_ proved of no greater use than English; andMamie began to feel very despairing and desperately homesick again.Lulu, too, was incessantly pleading, "Tome home, Mamie; Mamie tate Luluto mamma;" and fretted piteously.

  By and by the man and boy came in, and then there was more talk inDutch between the family; and at last the boy turned to Mamie, and,pointing with his finger, said,--

  "Netasquet coom?"

  One word, at least, was familiar; Mamie understood him to ask herif they had come from the right direction, and she nodded herhead assentingly. The boy nodded back as if to say, "That is allright;" and, believing she had now found a satisfactory method ofcommunication, she kept on nodding her head, and repeating the word"Netasquet" in answer to all farther questions that were poured uponher.

  Presently the man put on his hat again, and, taking Mamie in his armswith many encouraging nods and jerks of his thumb over his shoulder,carried her out of the house, closely followed by the woman, stillcarrying Lulu, who, wide awake, and in utter amazement at all the newand wonderful things which were befalling her at this hour, when shewas accustomed to be fast asleep in her little bed, gazed solemnlyabout her with grave, intent eyes, but, strange to say, was perfectlyquiet, and neither cried nor fretted. Perhaps the little one guessedthat these kind, good-natured people were their friends, and meant themno harm; though she found it necessary to inform the good woman, overand over again, that she was "mamma's baby," and therefore must "dohome," and could not be expected to stay with her.

  Out under the starry night again; and now their bearers walked rapidlyon towards that steady, bright light Mamie had noticed from the boat,while she looked wistfully through the darkness for some sign orlandmark which might tell her that they were on their way home. For shecould not help hoping that this was the purpose of these good people,and yet her poor little heart was full of uncertainty and dread.

  They went steadily onwards, the man and woman now and then exchanging afew words, but for the most part in silence, coming nearer and nearerto the light; and now Mamie saw that it was really in a light-house,which gradually loomed tall and white out of the dark night.

  But even as she saw this she drew a heavy sigh; the light-house she saweach night was very far away from home, over the water too, and sheshrank from going upon the sea again to-night. Oh! she never, neverwould be disobedient, or fret at mamma's orders again. How severely shehad been punished!

  Up a flight of steps and through a small door opening into a neat,comfortable room, where a woman was busy mixing bread. She turnedaround as the new-comers entered, and, as if struck dumb with surprise,stood looking at them with her arms still in the dough she was kneading.

  To her the man spoke as if inquiring for some one by name; and sheanswered him by an upward jerk of her head, as if she, too, could onlyconverse with him by signs.

  "Oh!" said Mamie piteously, "can you talk a language? These peoplecan't, and no one seems to know what I say, so I can ask them to takeme home."

  "Well, do tell now," said the woman, stripping the dough from herfingers, and gazing with interest and curiosity from Mamie to Lulu;"and where did you come from, and where did Muller and his wife pick_you_ up? Talk! yes, I can talk, I reckon, if you don't try me on theDutch. My old man, he makes out Muller's gibberish, but I ain't no handat it."

  Thankful beyond words to hear the familiar tongue, or "a language," asshe called it again, Mamie burst into tears of relief as she poured outher story.

  "He picked us up on the sea in a boat that we went into," she sobbed."Lulu wasn't naughty, 'cause she did not know any better; but I wasjust awful, 'cause mamma forbid me to go on the breakwater, and I did;and I thought we'd never get back, 'cause these kind people don't knowhow to talk. Couldn't you show us the way home?"

  "To be sure," answered the woman soothingly, while Muller and his wifestood silent, satisfied to let Mamie make her tale clear by herself;"at least, we'll see you get there. You'll be coming from the pier, Ireckon?"

  "Yes," moaned Mamie.

  "Then I'm thinkin' there may be some folks from down your way upstairsnow. They are just gone up to see the light, and will be down in ajiffy, and we'll see if they can take you home. If they haven't amind to,--shame on 'em if they don't!--my man'll just harness up, andtake you home. It might be better to put you to bed for the night,for 'tisn't no time for a baby like that to be out; but I reckon yourmother must be nigh about crazed if she don't know nothin' about you;so we'll get you down to the pier to-night. Don't you take on no more,you poor lamb; but just wait till John brings the folks down. Here, sitye down, Mrs. Muller, and you, too, Muller;" shrieking out these lastwords at the top of her voice, and giving each chair a slap with herhand, as she plumped it energetically down before the good Dutchman andhis wife.

  Certainly Mamie could not doubt that the light-house keeper's wifecould "talk a language" as she poured forth question after question,and made her own remarks on the answers Mamie gave, while the child sattrembling with impatience to see who "the folks" upstairs might be, andto know if they would really take her home.

  The woman would have taken Lulu from Mrs. Muller; but the poor baby,who began to think that she was handed from one to another strangerrather freely to-night, clung to her first friend, and could not beparted from her, which much pleased that good woman, who soothedher with gentlest tones and caresses. The little thing sadly neededpetting, for she was quite worn out, and whimpered pitifully againfor "mamma," and to be allowed to "do to heep in ittle bed," notunderstanding why she should be so long deprived of these privileges.

  Presently voices were heard coming down the long flight ofstairs,--voices to which Mamie listened eagerly; more and more eagerlyas they came nearer and nearer; for they seemed to her familiar andwell known. Could it be?--yes, it really was--there they came aroundthe turn of the staircase--Mr. and Mrs. Norris with Lily, Mr. Powersand Belle, Mrs. Walton and Mabel.

  "O papa!" she heard Lily saying, "just a few moments longer."

  "Not a moment, my daughter. Why! do you know what time it is? after tennow, and the long drive home still to be taken. A nice hour, truly, forsuch young damsels to be running over light-houses and"--

  He was interrupted by a shriek of joy from Mamie, who, springingforward, threw herself wildl
y upon Mrs. Norris, clinging fast to herskirts, crying and laughing at the same time, raising to the lady'sastonished gaze a pitiful, tear-stained, pale little face; while brokenwords of gladness and pleading came from her lips.

  How they all crowded about her and Lulu, who, seeing the familiar faceof Mrs. Norris, also stretched out her arms to her with a glad cry, andwas speedily nestling upon her neck! and how astonished every one was!and how they all questioned and pitied!--no one had the heart to blamenow, may easily be imagined.

  The gentlemen, who were all good German scholars, and could speak withMuller, soon heard from him how and where he had found the littlecastaways,--how, coming home from deep-sea fishing, his boat had, inthe darkness, nearly run down that in which Mamie and her sister weredrifting; how he had made it fast to his own, and brought it in, takingthe children first to his own house, and then bringing them up here,because, although he had rightly guessed from what quarter they hadcome, he had no horse or other means of taking them speedily home, andso had come to see if his good friend, the light-house keeper, wouldnot take further steps to restore them to their friends.

  There was no need for this now; here were some of their friends on thespot, and they were ready enough to take all further charge of them,and carry them home as fast as possible.

  With sympathizing thoughts for the agonized mother, searching vainlyfor her babies, Mrs. Norris and Mrs. Walton hurried the party away; andpresently they were all in the great wagon which had brought Mamie'sfriends to the light-house, and driving home as fast as the darkness ofthe evening would allow.

  Lulu nestled in Mrs. Norris' arms, and, covered with her shawl, wassoon fast asleep; while Mamie sat with one hand clasped in Lily's, theother in that of Belle, who, sitting one on each side of her, could notdo enough to show their pity and sympathy. Even Mabel, who sat behindher, quite forgot the chronic feud between them, and was constantlyleaning forward to put her arm about Mamie's neck, and kiss her coldcheek, or to ask tenderly, "How do you feel now, Mamie?"

  And the rejoicing there was over them when at last they reached home,and the little wanderers were restored to their frantic mother! Howfast the glad news spread from house to house, bringing joy and reliefeven to the hearts of those who had never known or seen them, can beimagined only by those who knew what the suspense and anxiety had been.