Natalie

Natalie

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Title: Natalie A Gem Among the Sea-Weeds
Author: Ferna Vale
Release Date: January 28, 2004 [EBook #10848]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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NATALIE;
or,
A GEM AMONG THE SEA-WEEDS

By
FERNA VALE.
1859.

To thee, my darling Hattie, I dedicate the Sea-Flower would that this
casket contained for such as thou, a purer gem.

PREFACE.
In writing the following pages the author has spent pleasant hours,
which perhaps might have been less profitably employed: if anything of
interest be found among them, it is well,--and, should any be led to take
up their Cross in meekness and humility, searching out the path that
leads the wanderer home, it is indeed well.

NATALIE.
CHAPTER I.
THE SEA-FLOWER.
"What was it that I loved so well about my childhood's home? It was
the wide and wave-lashed shore, the black rocks crowned with foam! It
was the sea-gull's flapping wing, all trackless in its flight, Its screaming
note, that welcomed on the fierce and stormy night! The wild heath had
its flowers and moss, the forest had its trees, Which, bending to the
evening wind, made music in the breeze; But earth,--ha! ha! I laugh
e'en now,--earth had no charms for me, Nor scene half bright enough to
win my young heart from the sea. No! 't was the ocean, vast and deep,
the fathomless, the free,-- The mighty rushing waters, that were ever
dear to me!"

ELIZA COOK.
"But the goodly pearl which the merchant bought, And for which his all
he gave, Was a purer pearl than will e'er be brought From under the
FOAMING wave."
H. F. GOULD.
"Massa Grobener! Massa Grobener! Please, sar, look here! De good
Lord hab left his mitest ob angels here on de beach; and please, sar,
step low or de wee bit will take to its wings and fly away. De good
Lord be praised! but old Bingo hab found many a bright sea-weed in
his day, but dis am de sweetest sea-flower ob de whole."
And as he spoke, the little one stretched out its tiny arms toward the
poor old black man and gave a faint moan. Captain Grosvenor, who
had now come up with the negro, was no less surprised than had been
old Vingo, at discovering, among the fresh, bright sea-weed, an infant
some eight months old. The babe was carefully lashed into a large
wooden trough or bowl, and a canvas firmly stretched over the top,
permitting only the head and arms to remain exposed, and judging from
the dripping condition of the worthy little sea-craft, it could not have
been many moments since it had come to anchor on the smooth, hard
beach; probably the now receding waves had borne the precious burden
to this most welcome harbor--"whereby hangs a tale."
"De good Lord be praised, massa! but dis am de most curous ob all
sea-ve'cles that eber trabers de great waters! I sure it must be a speint
from de great scripture ark massa read about in de good book; or may
be it am one ob those old-time chariots, fiery chariots, we sings about;
only it so moist around here, it put de fire all out and leabe de chariot.
Or I tink it may be one ob dose machines Bingo used to see in old
slabe-massa's church, hung up ober de minister's head, to make de good
psalms or de prayers go de right way, and I don't remember which; old
Bingo always retained a bery bad memory, eber since before he was a
child; but I tink dey used to call it a sound board, though it was full ob
cracks."

Ah! poor fellow, had you seen that heart-rending look of despair,
mingled with sweet resignation, upon the face of that mother! had you
seen the glistening tear in the eye of that noble father, as, but a few
hours before, they consigned their idolized child to the mercies of the
deep; had you heard that prayer to God, if it might be his will, to spare
their darling from an ocean-grave, your great heart would have been, if
possible, kindled to a greater love for that helpless little one!
Captain Grosvenor, after having carefully taken the child from the
grotesque looking craft, which had proved so trustworthy a sailor, and
wiped the drops of