The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-05-21

I cut it away, and it went down in the
deep sea above my boat and seeing a
spar, / seized it, and thrill Of agony
shot through me as I recognized the del
icate figure of a woman. [ drew her to
me, ond lashed her to the spar by my
side and so, in the black night we two
Aoated away over the stormy ocean.
My companion was senseles;-for
aught l knew dead A thousand emo
tons passed through my mind in the
next five minutes Who was my com.
panion on the light spar What was
the vessel l had sunk ? Was ! with the
body of only human being, or wal there
a spark of life left 2 And now could 1
fan it to fame Would it not DC bet
ter to let her sink than to float off with
me. thus alone to starve, to die in agony?
l chafcd her hands, her forehead, her
shoulders In the dense darkness
could not see a feature of her face, tor
tell if she were old or young-scarctly
white or black. The silence on the SEA
was fearful
So long as | had been on the deck 1f
my boat, and the wind whstling through
the :opes and around the spars had mado
continual sound but now heard
nothing but the occasional sparkling Of
the spray, the dash of foam cup, or the
heavy sound of the pressing on my ears.
At length she moved her hand fccbly
in mine. How my heart leaped at tn at
slight evidence that | was not alone on
the wild ocean redoubled my exer-
tions | passed one of her arms over my
neck to keep it out Of the water, while
l chafed the other hand with both of
mine. | felt the clasp Of that arm tight
en-; bowed my head toward hers, She
drew me close to hor-laid her cheek
against mine. l let it rest there-it
might warm hers and so help to give her
life. Then she nestled close to my bosom
and whispered, Thank you.' Why did
my brain so wildly throb in my head at
that whispered sentence? 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 over it, and to my Joy were left on
n floating deck | cut the lash from the
spar, and fastened my companion and
myself to the new part of tho raft or
wreck, | 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 pre-
cedrs TIE breaking up of a storm. The
air seemed filled with vicwlcss spirits
mourufully singing and signing | nov.
cr thought her anything else than a hu-
man being. 1t was that humanity, that
dear likeness Of life that endearcd her to
me. ! wound my arms around her and
drew her close to my heart, and bowed
my head over her, aud in the widncss
OF the moment, pressed my lips to hers
III long passionate kiss Of intense love
and agony. She gave it back, murmur.
lug some name Of endearment, wound
both erms around my neck; and laying
her head on my shoulder with her fore.
head pressed against my check. fell into
q calm slunher The kiss burns on my
lip this hour Half a century of the
cold kisses Of the world have not suiliced
TO chill its influence. 1t thrills mo now
as then
1t was madness with idol worship of
the form God gave in the image of him
self which adorcd in that hour as even
God y | feel tho unearthly joy again to-
day, as | remember the clasp OF those
unknown arms, and the soft pressure of
that forehead. l knew not, | cared not
if she were old or hagPard, or young and
fair
I only knew and roioiced with joy un.
told that she was human mortal. Of my
own kind, by the great Father of our
race.
1t was a night Of thoughts and emo
tions, and phantasms that never can be
described Morning dawned gravcly
the faint CLEAN Of light showed me
driving cloud above my hcad-it was
welcomed with shudier. | hated light.
! wanted to float over that hcaving ocean
with that form clinging to me, and my
arms around it, and my lips ever and
anon pressed to the passionless lips of
the heavy sleeper asked no light, it
was an intruder on my domain, and
would drive her from my embrace, was
mad
But rs saw the face of my companion
gradually revealed in the dawning light,
as my eyes began to make out, one by
one, the features, and at length the ter.
rible truth came slowly burning in my
brain, | mourned aloud in agony, @God-
of heavens, she is dead p and it was
Mary Sinclair But she was not dead.
We hoated all day long on the sea, and
at midnight of the next | hailed ship,
and they took US off Every man from
the Foam " and the other vessel was
saved with one exception The other
was the " Fairy" a schooner yacht, be-
longing to friend of Miss Sinclair,
with whom she and her brother and
party of ladies and gentlemen, had start
cd but three days previously, on weeks
cruise. | need not tell you how | ex-
planned that strange thrill which went
through my veins as the schooner cross
cd our bow the night before the COLI
zion, and what l felt again at the mo-
ment Of the crash, nor what interpreta-
ton gave to the wild tumultuouS emo.
tions all that long night.
| married Mary Sinclair, and buried
her thirty years afterwads, and some
timps have tho same evidencn Of her