Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1854-01-19

pairing 10 break the silence and propose
.acking toward the shoal again.
Blu. suddenly, close at hand, there rose
a cheering voice out Of the darkness.
"Hillo there! Hillo! Don't run fel.
low down."
"Is's Billy" shouted the master electri.
cally. "It's the boy himself Hillo it is
Hillo! Where are you my hearty 7"
His voice rang clear over the uproar ol
the winds, and waves like trumpet-call Of
succor in The crisis Of battle.
"Here sm," s.ou,ly replied the little
hero, his sk'ff dancing Up suddenly ou. Of
the gloom. "Luff little, o you'll be over
me-"
All rushed on the side of the schooner.
except the helmsman, who called up all bis
SIX i'll to save the sklfr, as he afterwards said,
without, hitting it.
An interval of thrilling suspence succeed
ed. The pilot-bosl devIsled for en- instant.
from her course. curtesying up towards the
wind like a lady in dance, and then fall
ing off again, dashed forward on her old
course, like the same gay beauty coquetling
! a partner But, during that second, the in
lreped lad, watching his opportunity, had
sprung at the bob stays, and cIsmbe,ed
dripping on deck, jus. as the schooner fell
off
He was surrounded at once, and borne
shouting out in triumph. eft, where the mas
ter, handing the helm TO sno.her, csugh him
in his arms, as if he had been his own child.
You'll be as great a man as Decatur, If
you live, my lad," he cried. Decatur was,
in The masters opinion, the greatest person
that ever brealhed. "But come below,
come below" he continued, "you're as we,
as musk-rat Dang it, Billy" he ex-
claimed rapuronsIy, "bus you're hero"
"You think ] wasn't scared then, sir"
said the boy, proudly, his eve Frightening.
and his liule figure expanding percep'bIy.
" ou'll Iell mother so. won't you, sir 20
That ! wI!,'' said The master, clapping
hIm heartily on The shoulder. "You did
exactly ~ha. was right, and kept up your
spirits brsvely; if you hadn'. my boy you'd
been food for the sharks. maybe, by this
time. should have been some skeered
myself, Billy, if I'd been in your place."
"Would you, though :" said the boy, as
he looked up, by The dim ligh, Of the cab
in-lamp. "Oh! no you wouldn't. Blu.
was some glad, ! tell you,'' he added quick
y, his eyes glis'ening, "when | saw the
schooner come .idIDg the seas towards me
and thought I'D see mother again." And,
at this recollection, his forti,ude gave way
and he burs, into food Of tears. But
they were tears sacred to mothers memo
ry, and they did him honor.
This is no fancy sketch. The newspa-
pers of last n November recorded the self
possession and courage of the hero Of our
story, exactly as we have told it, only in
more general terms. Do we err, in saying
with those journals, ,ha. The world will ye.
hear more Of this brave boy
A WALL OF FIRE OR WALL OF Snow.
il was during the campaign which brought
| The allied armies to Paris, in 1914, that an
aged woman and her grandson, who lived
in small village in Germany, were prepar-
ing for their nightly rest. The peasants IT,
Universally entertained we'll grounded ter
ror of The marsuding Cossacks, who formed
the light cavalry of the Russian army. and
| who penetrating the most obscure solitudes
swept away all on which the subsistence
of the poor inhabitants depended. From the
position of the advancing troops, these un-
welcome visilanls were at this time hourly
expected in the village. 'Grandmother,
said the child, when their simple supper
was done, swhs, shall we do If the Cossscks
come here:' We must pu. ouI confidence
in God,' she replied, 'for he never forgels
any who lrus, in him. And now, my child
read The chapter aud let US ask our heaven.
ly father to take care Of u.s. The evening
portion was the second chapter of Zechari-
oh, and the old woman called the boys al
ienlion to the promise in the fifth verse q
will be wall of fire round about But,
| said he, with the literal exactness Of child.
hood, swiI God really make wall of fire
around US to keep ou, the Cossacks! lido
no. say that replied The grsndmo'h 'bu'
he will certainly protect US in the best way.
and if there were no other means Of doing
so bu, by fire, even that would not be want
ing.' They wen. 10 bed and slept; the one
in the carelessness of youth, the other in
the caImness of faith. The nigh. was quiet
and seemed unusually long, till the grand
mo.her-.hough moi CLEAN Of daylight
appeared-desited the child 10 rise and
open the door. On doing SO, he found The
entrance, as well as the window, blocked
up with snow. As there were provisions
enough in the house, they remained con-
tented prisoners; ano when, on the ensuing
day, they conlrived 10 llberate themselves,
it appeared ,ha. during that very night the
dreaded Cossacks had entered the village,
and, while the terrified inhabitants sought
safety in fight, had destroyed some Of .hei'
dwellings and pIundered all. One cottage.
only, hidden by the drifting snow, escaped
and there, we may we'll believe, the eyed
Christian and her young companion devou'.
;. ly returned thanks to Him who had heareC
their prayers end made q " all Of snow no lest