the oak-trees of the old church grove, where English
worship had been celebrated just a hundred years; and she gave him money
to buy medicine and get a doctor for the blind man, and to purchase her
a shawl at the store. Then Virgie sank into a fevered sleep under the
old oak-trees, and, when she knew more, was gliding in a boat that
Samson was sailing down a broad piece of water, and her head was in his
lap.

"You air pure as an angel yit, my little creatur," Samson said; "and now
I'm a-takin' you down the Indian River into Rehoboth Bay; and arter dark
I'll git you up the beach to Cape Hinlopen, and maybe I kin buy you a
passage on some of dem stone boats dat's buildin' de new breakwater dar,
and dat goes back to de Norf."

"Oh, Samson, if I could love any man it would be you," Virgie said; "but
I cannot love any now except my dear white father. Who is he?"

"De Lord, I reckon, has got yo' pedigree, Virgie."

"Am I dying, Samson?" asked the girl, wistfully, with her brilliant eyes
full of fever. "Oh, friend, let me die so good that Miss Vesty and my
father can come and kiss me!"

"Tell me about Princess Anne an' my dear old Marster Meshach Milburn,
dat I'se leff so long, Virgie!" the old pugilist said, wiping his eyes
of tears.

She began to try to remember, but faces and events ran into each other,
and she felt aware that her mind was wandering, but could not bring it
back; and so the boat, sailing in sight of the ocean and the stately
ships there, grounded after noon almost within sound of the surf.

Sheltered in a piece of woods for some hours, Virgie found herself, at
dark, carried in old Samson's arms up a beach of the sea where the sand
was yielding and seldom firm, except at the very edge of the surf, which
rolled ominously and at times became a roar, and often swept to the low,
sedgy bank. Lightning played across the black sea, lifting it up, as it
seemed, and showing vessels making either out or in, and finally thunder
burst upon the gathering confusion, and Samson said:

"Dar's a gun in dat thunder!"

The next flash of lightning showed a vessel close to the shore, coming
rapidly in on the southeaster, and her gun was fired again, and feeble
hailing was heard; but the storm now broke all at once, and a wave threw
Samson to the ground and nearly carried Virgie back with it to the
boiling sea; but the faithful old man fought for her, and she ran at his
side, uttering no complaint, till once, as they sto