"Them was the letters of it!" assented the Captain. "Worked on his
shirt and hank'cher, so fine as ever was. Well, Jewel Bright, when
I seed all this, I says, 'January,' says I, 'here's Christian corpses,
and they must have Christian burial!' I says. So I brought 'em all
up to the house, and laid 'em comfortable; and then I gave you a good
drink of warm milk (you'd been sleepin' like a little angil, and only
waked up to smile and crow and say ''Tar'), and gave you a bright
spoon to play with; and then I rowed over to shore to fetch the
minister and the crowner, and everybody else as was proper. You don't
care about this part, Honeysuckle, and you ain't no need to, but
everything was done decent and Christian, and your parents and the
other two laid peaceful under the big pine-tree. Then the minister,
when 'twas all done, he says to me, 'And now, my friend,' he says,
'I'll relieve you of the child, as would be a care to you, and I can
find some one to take charge of it!' he says. 'Meanin' no disrespect,
Minister,' I says, 'don't think it! The Lord has His views, you'll
allow, most times, and He had 'em when He sent the child here. He
could have sent her ashore by the station jest as easy,' I says, 'if
so be't had seemed best; but He sent her to me,' I says, 'and I'll
keep her.' 'But how can you bring up a child?' he says, 'alone, here
on a rock in the ocean?' he says. 'I've been thinking that over,
Minister,' I says, 'ever since I holt that little un in my arms,
takin' her from her dead mother's breast,' I says; 'and I can't see
that there's more than three things needed to bring up a child,--the
Lord's help, common sense, and a cow. The last two I hev, and the
fust is likely to be round when a man asks for it!' I says. So then
we shakes hands, and he doesn't say nothin' more, 'cept to pray a
blessin' for me and for the child. And the blessin' kem, and the
blessin' stayed, Star Bright; and there's the end of the story, my
maid.