NATALIE.
"If ever angels walked this weary earth
In human likeness, thou wert one of them."
ANONYMOUS.
"'Mid pleasures and palaces, where'er we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home;
A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there
Which, seek through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere."
MOORE.
"Sampson, Mr. Sampson! just step this way, and bring your eye to bear a
little to the nothe-nothe-east, and tell me what you make."
"Make, boy, make!" exclaimed Sampson, thrusting a huge piece of pigtail
into his already overcharged, capacious mouth, "I suppose you would have
me believe that you'd made the light of some sweet-heart's eyes,
outshining even old Sankoty itself."
"Three years ago, do you remember it, Sampson, when I was a mere
stripling, you took me aside, and pointed out a dim light, away down to
the water's edge, and told me I would have seen different days before I
made it again? Do you think I can ever forget it? I could tell its light
from among a thousand! As I caught its last rays then, it seemed to me
the pensive, forgiving smile of my mother, for, as you know, I came away
from home without my mother's consent; but I long ago received her
forgiveness, and everything will be forgotten in the happiness which we
shall enjoy at meeting once more. And my father, he is at home by this
time! How surprised they will all be to see me grown almost to be a man!
I hope the Sea-flower is the same little fairy still. She will not
always be a bud, however; yet the opening flower has greater charms."
"Bless my stars! boy, are you losing your senses?" asked the astonished
Sampson, as Harry walked the deck in raptures, talking as fast as his
tongue could fly, as it appeared to the old tar, in riddles.
"What's got into your head, boy? I have always taken you to be the most
sensible person aboard, but shiver my topsails, if the fellow don't
talk as if he expected to find old Vineyard Sound turned into a flower
garden, with a fairy made fast to every other blossom!"
As Sampson delivered himself of this ludicrous remark, Harry burst into
a loud fit of laughter, and handing the tar his glass, he sang out
"Sankoty light, ahoy!" which brought all hands on deck in an instant,
rubbing open their eyes, (for it was but the second watch in the
morning,) to catch sight of the first object visible of their homes.
"Three cheers for old Nantucket, and young Grosvenor!" shouted the
captain; and the ready huzza which went up, amid the waving of sundry
flannel shirts, old boots, and forsaken tarpaulins, which had been
caught up by the unshorn tars, as the sound of their near proximity to
home aroused them from the dreamy visions thereof to the vivid
realities, were borne over the waters which separated them from thence,
deceiving the red-combed heralds of the day into the belief of an early
dawn, judging from the signs of recognition which met their approach, as
the first tinge of red lit up the eastern sky.
Nobly the good ship Nautilus bore down to the bar, setting heavily on
the water, and the good twenty-five hundred with which she was laden,
was no less weighty than the handfuls of silver which danced o'er the
minds of the glad sailor boys, as they neared their native shore. None
were more light-hearted at the prospect before them than Harry
Grosvenor; not that he had become weary of the sailor's life, for he
loved the ocean with the same free, wild love as when three years
before, it had beckoned his boyish heart to brave its perils; but his
joy, as the endeared objects of his home, one by one, welcomed him in
his fancy, was unbounded, and he could not realize that he should so
soon greet the dear ones who had been the subjects of his most precious
thoughts, through the many days which had separated them.
"Well, my boy," said Sampson, as he grasped Harry by the hand, "we've
sailed under a clear sky for the most of the time, and we've held
together about as good as the strongest, but there's no use in shedding
fresh water tears over it, for I'm thinking this'll not be your last
voyage, and as for me, there's nothing to hinder my hanging around this
little sand-heap a bit longer; and who knows but we may try it again
some day. Who knows? ah, who knows that John Sampson is not lying at
this moment at the bottom of the sea? Who is there that cares to know?"
"This, I know, is not your home, Mr. Sampson; but have you not one
friend? is there no spot in the wide world which is dear to you? is
there not one who will welcome you home?"
"All places are the same to me, and I can truly say, there is not a
person on the whole earth that would 'bout ship' to get a look at me. To
be sure, I was brought up somehow, till I was able to take myself up,
but by whom, or where, is farther back than the story goes; all I know
is, I found myself, at six years old, on the top of a London dust heap,
taking a survey of the great metropolis. Whether I was left there by the
refuse gatherers, to come under the head of starved dogs, or whether I
was accidentally dropped by my lawful owner, it don't make much
difference. Well, I shook the dust out of my eyes, and made for the
water, and I've lived on the water for the most part ever since. But
there's one comfort about it, I've never been troubled with poor
relations," added he, jocosely.
"Mr. Sampson, yours is a strange history, and what is stranger still,
that you have not, in all your yarns in the forecastle, spun us this
one. But have you never, in all your wanderings, met with those whom,
you can call your friends?"
"A rough old tar like me, I must say, would not be the most inviting
craft to interchange signals with, but, thank God, I have found one, in
my long life of wanderings who was worthy the name of friend! but she,
kind, beautiful lady, is gone;" and the rough tar drew his sleeve across
his eyes, and turning toward the island, muttered,--"twelve, yes,
fifteen years ago this very month, and I the only one saved! I worked
hard, but it was of no use; it was to be. I'd gladly have gone down to
have saved her."
"Well, Sampson, I think it is you who are losing your senses now," said
Harry, as he listened to his inaudible words; "but you shall not say you
have not a friend so long as my craft sails the ocean, for I never shall
forget your kindness to me and my faithful old Nep, while exposed to the
harsh treatment of our former captain; and depend upon it, you will have
made other true friends, when the dear ones at home shall have heard of
your generous conduct. I have one of the best of mothers, Mr. Sampson,
and a sister who would make you a better man to look into her
heaven-speaking eyes! A likeness of her was among my valuables when I
left home, but it has been by some means mislaid."
"A better man, eh? well, there's room enough for that! I shall have to
lie under a close reef, and by the help of my glass, I may get sight of
her some day."
The crew of the Nautilus, after having made themselves as tidy as a six
months' beard, and a suit of three years' usage would admit, prepared to
go ashore. As Harry stepped upon the wharf, he looked among the ships
lying at the dock, for the Tantalizer, but not seeing her, he concluded
she must have put to sea again, and taking his package upon his
shoulder, he whistled for Neptune, and turned his footsteps homeward.
How familiar was every object as he tripped along the street! everything
appeared the same as when he left, and as he passed the old church, it
seemed as if it was but yesterday when he had kneeled upon the
door-stone in prayer for those who were sleeping, unconscious of the
sorrow which awaited them. His heart beat wildly as he drew near his
home,--so great was his joy that he had not observed that Nep had not
accompanied him from the ship. It was evident that he would take the
family by surprise, for not even old Vingo was to be seen about the
premises. Noiselessly he opened the door,--his mother was sitting with
her face from him, engaged with her sewing, and at her feet sat the
Sea-flower, so absorbed, reading his last letter, that she was not aware
of his presence till he threw his arms about his mother's neck, and
sobbed like a child. As he turned to his sister he faltered; what a
change had been wrought in her in three years! The child, whose mature
mind had not been in accordance with her years, had come to be a fair
maiden of sixteen summers! The bud had indeed expanded, till now its
unfolding leaves were as new-born rays of love, reminding Earth of
Heaven. The Sea-flower saw that her brother hesitated in giving her his
usual salutation, and throwing herself into his arms, she said,--"I am
the little Sea-flower still, dear Harry; I shall always be the same
simple child; but how you have grown, dear brother! I can hardly believe
you are the little rogue who used to hide my pet kitten, because you
loved to see the tears come into my eyes, and you would look at me
without speaking a word, till I would laugh outright, and break the
charm, as you said; and then the tears would come in your own eyes, for
fear you had been selfish. But I felt that my tears were not in vain,
for I usually found some little stranger among the bright-eyed ones,
that looked up to me for protection."
"I knew I should find you the same dear sister as ever! I knew you would
always be the same;" and as the vague remembrance that she was of other
parentage flashed across his mind, he modestly pressed her hand to his
lips, and gazed into her beautiful face in silence.
Harry observed that his mother had lost her cheerful, happy expression,
which had given her the youthful look not of her years, and he feared
that his conduct had been a source of deeper grief to her than he had
supposed; but now that she again looked upon her son, her pale, pensive
face was lit up with the smile of contentment, and a heart of thanks was
hers that so many blessings were yet her portion.
A noise which strongly reminded Harry of the rattling of the rigging in
a gale of wind, was now heard in the hall, and Vingo presented himself
at the door; he looked at Harry, then at his mistress, while the pupil
of his eye gave place to its lighter counterpart, and raising both
hands, he exclaimed,--"De good Lord be praised! 'pears like I couldn't
be any fuller ob laugh if I find old Phillis hersef!" and grasping his
master's extended hand, he laughed until it seemed as if the corners of
his mouth would meet.
"I's right glad to see you, young massa, 'deed I is; but where is de old
fellow Neptune?"
"Yes, yes, where is the faithful creature?" asked Sea-flower; "at our joy
in seeing you, we have quite forgotten him."
Just then the dog's well remembered bark was heard at the door, and on
opening it, the animal marched in, and laying a little parcel which he
had brought in his mouth, upon the floor, he jumped upon the Sea-flower,
nearly overpowering her, in his delight frisking from one to the other
as if he were mad. Harry was now, for the first time, aware that the dog
had not come with him, and examining the parcel which he had brought,
to his no little astonishment he found it was the identical curiously
wrought block, which he had found after that dreadful night of the
storm. Among the many gifts which he had brought home to his mother and
sister, he had forgotten this simple one, and now he remembered that he
had not seen it for a long time. Why the dog should have noticed so
trifling a thing, was indeed singular. Harry related the circumstances
by which he had come in possession of the curiosity, and from the
presents of silks, crapes, fruits, etc., which he had brought to the
Sea-flower, she turned to the mysterious little curiosity with a greater
interest, examining the grotesque figures with a fascination, when
accidentally pressing a pearl setting, the box (for such it was
discovered to be,) flew open, and revealed to her bewildered gaze--what?
good God! is it possible? Neatly lined is the box, and lying therein--a
cross! the same which the Sea-flower had wrought with her own hands, and
given her father when she saw him last! Carved at the head of the cross
are these words,--"You will soon come to me again; then you will never
leave us;" the child's last words to her father. O, how did they fall
upon her heart now! It seemed as if he were speaking to her from the
skies, and unconsciously she looked upward, as if she might indeed catch
the tones of her father's voice, bidding her come away. "We will come,"
she softly whispered, "we shall soon be with you there;" and turning to
her mother, she added,--"it is not far, that better land; we may hear
their glad shouts, if we will listen."
Over that cross, emblematic of the Lamb who was slain that we might
live, was shed tears from a widow's heart; but those tears were not of
mourning for the departed, for through her who was made but a little
lower than the angels, those tears had been turned into joy. The child
who had ever walked in that narrow way, as if it were the only path in
which the children of earth might tread, had taught her bereaved mother,
that those precious words from the book of life, which she had ever
recognized, but had not strength to cling thereto in the hour of trial,
were truly Christ's words of tenderness; she could now smile upon the
chastening rod. Those dying words, as it were of him who had gone, were
as balm to the heart of Mrs. Grosvenor and the Sea-flower, for what
could be more dreadful than that they should never learn of his last
moments? But to Harry, who had been just upon the point of asking for
his father, it was as the dark funeral pall to his soul, and he
staggered to a chair.
"Where is my father?" he asked, in a hollow voice.
"In Heaven!" was the response of the Sea-flower.
There was silence in that house. Sorrow, which had reigned for a time
around that hearthstone, still lingered, striving to supersede the joy
which must go hand in hand with purity; but its icy touch was to be of
gentler mien, its cold, cold breath mingling with that of more genial
spheres, helping to swell the--"Father, thy will be done." This was a
dreadful announcement to Harry, a stroke which he was not prepared to
receive; and now did the past come to his remembrance with sickening
frenzy. That terrific night!--he had, at the peril of his life, implored
that heartless being to listen to the stranger's cry of distress, to
stretch out to him the hand of brotherly love; and that cry for help was
now sounding in his ear with renewed freshness, for it was from his own
loved father!
"Oh, what an undutiful son I have been!" cried Harry; "had I known then
what I know now! and yet, the fiend would not have turned a hand, had it
been his own father! Thank God, I have his forgiveness for disobeying
his last commands! 't is the one great lesson of my life, and should I
live a hundred years, I will never deviate from what I think would have
been my parent's wishes."
"Natalie!"--the Sea-flower gazed upon that name, the name of her
father's choice,--a simple word, but Oh, what volumes did it speak!
there seemed to be a very sacredness hanging about the tone. As time
sped onward, leaving far behind the past, but not burying it, the sweet,
child-like Sea-flower was gradually putting on the gentle, mystic form
of Natalie; and though the name had become familiar to other ears, to
her its impress was as when she reverently looked upon that cross of
Christ, at the foot of which was traced that which she could not but
associate therewith. The depth of her dreamy eyes spoke not only of him
who had left them, but they told of the soul's instinct in regard to
that which was as yet unrevealed.
"Well, massa, I tinks de sun make up he mind to take a look out at us
once more," remarked Vingo, as seated astride a wood-horse, he was
making vigorous exertions to take the nautical expression from his young
master's boots.
"Then you have had rather a dark time of it at home here, have you,
Vingo? have been rather lonely?"
"Yes, 'deed it has, massa Harry; I 'fraid sometimes dat I lose my
self-complexion entirely, and I tinks you not find so much ob me left,
if it not for missy's bright light, dat shine along de way. Dare not
anoder like her, massa; but I dunno as dat's strange, for de stars not
come down to bathe in de ocean ebery day."
"You are getting sentimental, Vingo," and an expression of thought stole
over Harry's features, and he remained silent, for he could not bring
himself to disclose even to Vingo, his knowledge of the mystery in
regard to the fair creature who called him brother. He could not bear to
think that she was not his sister; and yet, had his memory not served
him thus, he must have observed how unlike she was to any member of
the family.
"Mother, you have looked very thoughtful for the last few days. I hope
that now we are together once more, there is nothing to disturb your
happiness," remarked Harry, as the two sat together on the little
promenade ground in front of the house, enjoying the beautiful sunset of
a summer's evening.
"There is nothing which makes me unhappy now, for although 'we know not
what a day may bring forth,' yet I have learned to smile under the most
trying dispensations of Providence, knowing that His ways are higher
than our ways; but," and her voice was hushed almost to a whisper,
"there has been something upon my mind of late, of which I would make
you a confidant, my son."
There was a pause,--well did Harry judge of what his mother would speak,
and looking into her face, he said,--"Natalie,--she is not my sister by
birth, yet I shall ever claim her as such; and I know, should she learn
that she was of other parentage to-morrow, she would cling to you,
mother, as her dearest earthly friend."
"And for that reason I know she is of noble birth. But tell me, Harry,
can it be that you, who was but a child, remember the circumstance?"
"Yes, mother, I can well remember the infant with the gold bands, and
the pretty white dress, all wet with salt water; then were my first
ideas of innocency."
"She has proved a rich blessing to us, and I do not feel that I can ever
part with her; but I have been thinking it was selfish, indeed, in
keeping her with us, to deprive her of those advantages which would fit
her for filling the station which I can plainly see belongs to her. Not
but that she might finish her education at home, for our island can rank
among the first in her systems of education, and there are many of our
citizens who are recognized by our most literary friends of the
continent, as among the first in the arts and sciences; but I think it
would be greatly to her advantage to see more of the world, and my
purpose is to accept the urgent request of a dear friend residing in
Boston, that my daughter should spend some time in her family, where she
may receive the same excellent instructions with her own child. Our
means have been for the last year or two somewhat curtailed, yet as long
as we have enough to be comfortable, we will share with her what she
most justly deserves."
"Yes, mother, give my portion to her; I can take care of myself, and
you shall not want for anything so long as I can help you. I do not know
how we can let her go, but it is for the best. She will learn of this
world, and they will learn of another."
As the two had been speaking, they had not observed a light form,
reclining under a flowering currant, which only separated them from the
object of their conversation. It was a little arbor, formed by a
clustering rose, vieing with the flowering currant in fragrance; thither
had the Sea-flower repaired, and as the softest rays of a northern sky,
at sunset, sank into her soul, mingling with more mellow light than is
of southern climes, these words fell upon her ear,--"Natalie, she is not
my sister by birth." She paused to hear no more, for she knew the
conversation was not designed for her, and noiselessly gliding from the
spot, she sought her own room. The crescent moon came forth, and beheld
the fair maiden gazing far out over the silver-edged billows, her head
resting upon her hand, her golden tresses falling gracefully over her
shoulders, while from the deep recesses of her heart there sprung up
that which had ever been, and yet was not, and took to itself a form.
"Good morning, Natalie, did I not know you retired early last night, I
should say you look a little unrefreshed. Where are the roses of
yesterday? they should not fade in a single night"
"Roses will fade, mother, and there are those which await the genial
rays of light before their unfolding," replied Sea-flower; "but I did
not retire until quite late last evening, for everything was so
beautiful and glad, that I loved to look out upon the night; and such
beautiful thoughts came to my mind, that I think I must have fallen
asleep, and dreamed; and yet I was awake, for I was conscious of
watching the water, as it sparkled in the moonlight. As the waves broke
upon the shore, they seemed to be striving, one with another, to see
which should venture the nearest, till at last there came one, which
lifted its head high above the rest, and as it receded, I saw there was
left upon the beach a tiny, shining thing, which resembled many drops of
dew. Just then the light clouds separated, and there looked down a star,
_so_ mild, and presently there came another, equally mild, and the two
finally blended into one, still hovering over the glittering one upon
the beach. At last there seemed to be a stream of light connecting one
with the other; I looked again, and the tiny thing which was left of the
waves, had gone to be with the brighter one beyond the clouds. Presently
I looked again, and there were the three, but they were changed. The
first star which had appeared, seemed now to be a lovely lady, oh, so
gentle! the second was yourself, dear mother, and the shining one which
had gone to them, appeared to be myself! The gentle lady took us each by
the hand, and when I saw her smile upon you so sweetly, I began to weep,
and the lady took me in her arms, and wiped my tears away. I was
awakened from my revery by my sobs, for it all appeared so real, and my
tears made me happier."
Mrs. Grosvenor listened to her child with astonishment. "It was a most
striking dream, indeed, she remarked; but fearing the Sea-flower might
notice her surprise, she drew her arm about her, and introduced the
subject which for some time past had been uppermost in her mind.
"What do you think of spending a little time away from home, my dear?
How should you like to graduate with Boston honors? to learn the
customs of city life?"
"I shall like it much, if it is your wish that I should go, mother; but
I know no life will be pleasanter than the happy days which we have
spent here in our own quiet home."
"Perhaps you will not always think thus; you may find greater joys in
the attractions which are before you, yet, I trust, my child, your
affection for your mother will be no less, whatever your
circumstances may be."
"Oh, mother, how can that be possible? Do not repeat the words! How can
it be that I shall ever love you less?"
"No, my child, it will not be; I wrong you in speaking such thoughts. I
cannot bear to part with you, even for a little time, yet I will not
gratify my desires at your loss; and in giving you to the care of my
most estimable friend, Mrs. Santon, I shall feel that you are under the
influence of one of the best of women."
"I shall love her for your sake, but I know I shall miss the dear ones
at home so much!"
The time came when the Sea-flower should leave her home, to learn what
't is the world is made of, and taking an affectionate farewell of the
family, (the red bandana of Vingo being counted among the Articles of
utility,) she was borne lightly over the billows, leaving her island
home far, far behind.