Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1854-06-25
4duarp
The Ice VOyage---A Sailor Boys Fortune.
BY GEO. $. RAYMOND.

te IVY Joy. hurran, motner! Lou snail nay
e e hre' and good things to eat, besides nice war
oress and stout shoes now."-Shouted chubb,
! piueeyed boy, Of, it may be twelve years, clad
the humble garb of poverty, hinging wide the doc
# and bounding into a small comfortless anartmen
!, on the third floor of dingy looking old woodel
building near the canal in the village of CIeyelap
Ohio.
"Come, hurrah, my mother, put away that slay
work and go and get you nice warm dinner righ
off" continued the little fellow approaching pale
delicate woman, scanty clad in a thin dress he
face pinched with hunger and her hands even thel
blue with cold ..- ~. 49,.
"What do you mean, my child?" said the woman
looking wonderingly up from her work. do yor
know have no money to buy anything to eat, anG
must finish this vest, before can get even sin
gle stick of wood for fire, which is almost out
Nonsense, mother-let the old vest go to some
| poor woman that has no stout boy like me to earn
| money for her. You shant work this way any
longer mother. Look here" and the little fellow
flung down his two handsfu of half dollars, while
rogueish smile lit up his handsome face as he be-
held his mothers look of wonder
| "Au right mother" interrupted the boy, and
down went another handful of bright silver coin
| "Ill tell you all about it mother You see | went
to get my pay of Mr.. Dennison to-day, for my two
months cooking on board the Aurora. Well, he
paid me my $50 all in these pieces, and then he
| asked me if would go for a month in his new
schooner for fifteen dollars. told him would and
| then when he heard me tell how hard you had to
work, and how poor and sick you were, he paid me
| ten dollars more, and said you must get better
room, stop working hard, besides he says if I'll
stay all the winter in the schooner and take care of
her, shall have twelve dollars every month, to be
paid weekly to you. So, hurrah, mother, we II have
big fire and nice dinner, and-wet, Mr.. Denni-
son is good man after ALL if he is rich old bach
eor, as that erab-apple, old maid aunt Hetty John
son, calls him."
Heaven bless you my noble bOy!" sobbed out
the widow, she easped her arms about her childs
neck, bowed her head upon his shoulders and wept
like very child herself for joy: not so much for
the timely aid her son had brought her-although
her heart was full OF thankfuness for that-as for
the noble qualities displayed by the brave little fel
low in remembering her and bringing home every
shilling of his hard earned wages instead of spend
ing it foolishly too many boys of his age would
have done. t @
A month passed away, and again the handsome
sailor boy-Frank Merril, stood beside his mother
in comfortably furnished room, in more respec-
table part Of town, while the widow, as she gazed
proudly upon her boy, looked full ten years young
er, and much happier than she had, done only four
short weeks previous.
cheerful blaze was in the grateI everything
about the room, neat and eloquent of comfort,
and the widow Merrill was really beautiful in her
brown merino dress, and black CATERS, with her
dark brown hair, parted on her classic brow and fall
ing in wayy masses upon her shoulders. l,a.--
Frank thought his mother very beautiful and so
did another person present. That person was Mr..
Joseph Dennison, the boys employer, bluff, good
natured, money-making bachelor. of forty-five who
at the boys request accompanied him home.
"Mrs. Merrill said Mr.. Dennison your son has
been in my employ for the past three months, and
l am so well pleased with his prudence and general
qualities that with your permission, i would be
pleased to keep him all winter on board one of my
vessels which sails tomorrow for Buffalo.
-lt is SO late in the season that she may not be
able to return this winter, in which case you can
have Franks wages monthly or weekly in advance
for such is his wish. and shond you need anything
further, your order on me will always be honored"
She could only murmur her thanks, and invoke
Gods blessing on the kind hearted stranger whom
she had never seen before, and who bidding her
good night, left her alone with her darling boy
On the following day the schooner Western Ira
der, left Cleveland with full cargo of oats and
corn bound for Buffalo.
That very night there came a cold northeast
snow storm. which finally closed the navigation of
Lake Erie for the winter
A whole month passed away without any news
from the schooner and then, when every body had
given her up for lost, her Captain and crew came
back to Cleveland with the report that she was
frozen fast in the ice; but oil they could say to in
duce the boy, Frank Merrill, to abandon her was of
no avail. .s r
mo, will never leave her he said, II promised
Mr. Dennison to stay by and take care of her thro
the winter"
| "God bless the noble boy" said Mr.. Dennson,
as the Captain told of the little fellows fidelity, and
| the exclamation was echoed back by dozen bus-
ness men of Cleveland, who happened to be in the
office at the time. ..., -........ ..
Within two hours more efficient commander
with eight fearless fellows, who agreed to stay by
the vessel till they got her into port some how,
set out from Cleveland to board her; but when they
| arrived abreast of where she had been frozen in,
the ice was broken up to within five miles of land,
and the schooner was gone.
Three weeks passed, and all remained uncertain
with regard to the fate of tie Western Trader, or
her brave boy commander, when she was heard o.
again on the Canada side some 6fty miles westward
of her former position. But before relief could b'
sent to her, there came violent gale from the west
ward which broke the ice, and she was borne dowr
the lake embedded in field Of ice of more than
hundred acres.
Next she was seen off Erie, a hundred miles d
the westward of Buffalo, with spy-glass the,
could even see the boy standing on her deck but j
was almost night-to board her was impossible
and at daylight she had disappeared.
As there was but small stock of provisions OF
hoard when she left Cleveland, peoplei wondered
how the boy had subsisted all that time ana pre-
dicted his death by starvation, provided the scnoo
nor sbonld live out the fierce winter gales. 5.a
- .:,o. oftar her appearance OF Erie, thu