The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1854-06-23

vas Sonet DoWh went my gallant boat,
and with her, another vessel, unseen in the
black night. The wheel to which I had
been lashed, had broke loose, and gone over
with me before she sank. 1t was heavy and
cut it away, and seeing spar, went down
in the deep sea above my boat seized Il.
and thrill of agony shot through me as I
recognized the delicate finger of woman.
drew her to me, and lashed her to the spar
by myside, and 50, in the black night, we
two alone foated away over the stormy
ocean. sf = ass,sa<' So. fa ~ -
MY companion was senseless-for aught
knew, dead. A thousand emotions passed
through my mind in the next five minutes.
Who was my companion on the slight spar |?
What was the vessel had sunk Was /
with the body only of ahuman being, or was
| there spark of life left7 and how could /
fan it to fameg Would it not be better
TO let her sink than float off with me, thus
alone to starve or die of thirst and agony.
- chafed her hands, her forehead, her
shoulders. In the dense darkness I could
not see feature of her face, nor tell if she
were old or young-scarcely white or black.
The silenceron the sea was fearful. So long
as had been on the deck of my boat, the
wind whistling through the ropes and around
the spars had made continual sound but
now heard nothing but the occasional
springing of the spray, the dash of foam
cap or the heavy sound Of the wind passing
on my cars. aa
AT length she moved her hand feebly in
mine. How my heart leaped at that slight
evidence that was not alone on the wide
world. redoubled my exertions. passed
one of her arms over my neck to keepit out
of the water while i chafed the other hand
with both of mine. / felt the clasp of that arm
tighten. bowed my head towards hers. She
drew me closer to her, and laid her check
against mine. / let it rest. there-it might
warns hers, and 50 help to give her
life. Then she nestled close to my bosom,
and whispered shank you.' Why did your
brain so wildly throb in my heart at that
whispered sentences She knew not where
she was, that was clear. Her mind was
wandering. At that instant the end of the
spar struck some heavy object, and we were
dashed by huge wave on it, and to my
JOY were left on floating deck. I cut the
lashes from the spar, and fastened my COM
panion and myself to part of the new raft
or weeck, / knew not which, and all the time
that arm was around my neck, and rigid as
| if in death
| Now came the low wild wall that preceedes
the breaking of the storm. The air seemed
filed with yiewless spirits mournfalIy sing
ing and signing. l never thought of her as
anything else than human being. It was
that humanity, that dear likeness Of life that
endeared her to me. Iwound my ann around
her and drew her close to my heart, and
bowed my head over her, and in the wildness
of the moment pressed my lips to hers in a
long passionate kiss of intense love and ago
ny. She gave it back, and murmured some
name of fendearment, wound both arms around
my neck, and laying her head on my shoul-
der with her forehead pressed upon my neck
fell into a calm slumber That kiss burns
on my lips this hour. Half century of the
cold kisses of the world have not sufficed to
chill its influence. 1t thrills me now rs then
1 1t was madness with idol worship of the
form God gave us in the image Of himself
which in that hour Iadored as even God.
!. feel the unearthly joy again to-day, as
remember the. clasp of those unknown arms,
and the soft pressure of that forehead j
knew not, / cared not, If she were old and
haggard, or. young and fair.
! Ionly knew and rejoiced with Joy untold
! that she was human, mortal of my own kin
! by the great Father of our race.
1t was night of thought, and emotions
and phantasms that never can be described,
/ Morning dawned grayly. The first faint
gleam of light showed me driving cloud
! above my head, it was welcomed with a
shudder. / detested light wanted to
! float on over that heaying ocean, with that
form cfinging to mo and my arms around it,
and my lips ever and anon pressed to the
j passionless lip Of the heavy sleeper. ask
| ed no light. II was an intruder on my do
main, and would drive her from my embrace,
i l was mad. .
! But as / saw the face of my companion
/ gradually revealed in the dawning light
1 as my eyes began to make out one by one
the features, and at length the terrible truth
came slowly burning into my brain, / mur-
mnred aloud in my agony, "God Of heavens,
/ she is dead r And it was Mary Sinclair.
But she was not dead, ss,s
! We foated all day long on the sea, and at
midnight the next night hailed a ship and
they took us Off Every man from the Foam
and other vessel was saved with one excep-
ton. The other vessel was the Fairy, a
schooner yatcht belonging to afriend Of Miss
Sinclair, with whom she and her brother
and q pssty of ladies and gentlemen had
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