Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1844-01-04


out Of forty one upon The land.
A lady said TO me n few evenings ago,
I have been married eleven'yenrs, and
counting all The days my husband has
been al home since our marriage, il
amounts TO but three hundred and sixty
DAYS. He is now absent, having been
gone fifteen months and two years more
must undoubtedly clapse before his wife
can See his face again, and when lie
shall return, il will be merek'a visit Ia
his family for few months, when he will
again bid them adieu for avoiher lou'
years absence. 4
! asked the lady the o,hes day how
many letters she wrote Ia hr< husband
during his last voyage. "Ons hundred, "
was the answer And how many did
he receive Z" "Sx." The 'invariable
rule is To write by every ship that leaves
this poIt, or New Bedford, or any other
port that may be heard of for the Pac'he
Ocean. And yet The chances are very
small that any two ships viii meet on
that boundless expanse. II sometimes
happens that a ship returns, when those
their families during the whole period OF
their absence. Imagine then the feel
iDgs of husband and father, who re-
ufrn- to the harbor OF Nantucket, after II
separation Of torty-eight months, during
which time he has heard no ildIngs
whatever from his home. He sees the
boat pushing of from The wharyes which
is TO bring HIM the tidings Of veal or wo.
lie stands pale and trembling, pacing the
deck with emotions which he in VAIN en-
jeavors TO conceal. A friend in the
boat greets him with smile, and says,
Captain, your family are all well y
Or perhaps he says, Captain, have
heavy news for you, our wife died two
years and half ago"
A young man leli this island last SUN
mer, leaving in his quiet home a young
and beautiful wife, and infant child -
That wife ands child are now both III the
grave. But the husband knows not, aud
probably will not know Of ii for months
TO come. lie perhaps falls asleep every
night thinking OF The loved ones left al
his fireside, Inile imagining that they are
| both cold m death.
On bright summer afternoon, the
telegraph announces that n Cape Horn
ship has appeared in the horizon, and
immediately the stars and stripes of our
national banner are unlurled from our
dag staff sending II wave of emotion
through the town Many families are
hoping that il is the ship in which their
friends are to return and all are hoping
for tIdings from the absent. Soon the
name OF the ship ~ announced. Aud
then there is an enger contentI' u wsi
The hoys To be The iirs, bearer OF The Joy
iul tidings to the wiio OF The captain :
\ For which service II silver dollar H. the
established and invariahle fee. Aud
who can describe the feelings which
must then agiiate the bosom of the wife
Perhaps she has heard of no lidngs from
the snip for Tore than II year. T.emL.
to meet her husband. "ls ho alive"
she says to herself, cor am | widow
aud the poor children orphans :" She
walks about the room enable To cornpose
herself sufficiently TO ST down eagerly
Is she looking out OF the window and
down the street She sees @ man with
hurried steps turn the corner, and a little
boy hold OF his hand Yes, II is he
And her itle son has gone down TO the
boat and found his father. Or, perhaps,
instead Of this, she sees two Of her he igh-
bors returning slowly aud sadly, and
directing their steps to her door. The
blood flows back upon her heart. TBGy
husbands death And she falls sense
less To the floor, as they tell her that her
husband has long since been entombed
IN the lathomless ocean.
This is no fiction These are not ex-
rreme cases which the Imagination cre.
ates. They are facts oiicontlnual occur.
renee, facts which awaken emotions to
~hich no pen can do justice.
a few weeks ago, a ship returned to
this island, bringing the news Of another
ship, that was nearly filled with oil, tha,
all on board were well, and that she
might be expected in "A neghborlng port
IN such month. The wife Of the cap
ldlu TcslOtu w y NdUtuCktl, HEu th1By W
the month, with heart ihrobbng with
affection and hope she wen, to greet her
husband on his return. At length The
ship appeared, dropped her anchor in the
harbor, and tho friends OF the lady went
TO the ship To escort the husband Ia the
wife from whom he had 80 long been
separated. Soon they sadly returned
with the tdings that her husband had
betn seized with the coast fever, upon
the island of Madagascar, and when
about week out, on his return home, he
died and was committed to his ocean
burial A few days after | called upon
the weeping widow and IluIe daug h,er il
their destined home Of bereavement and
anguish.
,E