The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1858-11-11


eyes rested on the bright, blue water:
of the Atlantic, far out beyond the dis
colored water along the coast, and
clapping her hands with sudden &c
stacy of infantile Joy, exclaimed:
=" Oh, Willie let us go out there
and sail on the beautiful, blue ocean
Won't it be grand? So much pretti
er than this dirty little cove, with the
bare sand banks about us"
Willie sprang to his feet, and gaz
ing to the offing, his bright eyes lit up
with enthusiasm from his sisters words
and he replied: .-
Well go out there and have glo-
rious sail-.just like the great ships
and steamboats, that we see 90 by" (.
Don't go, Willie, mother will be
angry with us.
"Mother will be no such thing, Jen.
ME: She will be proud of us to think
that we have been out on the ocean
all alone. / can easily come back with
the flood tide which will soon set in"
And without further argument, the
reckless boy put his helm up, eased of
the sheet, and away out through the
inlet, towards the line of blue water
outside, went the launch, hurried along
before the. strong breeze which added
strength to the last quarter ebb, and
bore her away at speed that sunk the
yellow ridge to mere line along the
margin of the wide ocean, and the
white cottages on the shore, and the
Venitian blinds into toy houses dotted
with green specks. The colored water
which appeared from the cove only
a narrow strip dividing the white from
the deep azure of the ocean beyond
expanded into broad belt of several
miles in breadth. But with the fine
breeze, and strong outset of the tide
the boat sped on; while the novelty OF
their position, and the natural excite
nent induced by it, caused the time
and speed to fly by unheeded by the
young voyagers, and a sudden dread
came over them as having gained the
blue water, they looked back towards
the shore and saw hills, fields and or.
chards blending and growing indistinct
and fading in the distance. There
was asense of lonely, utter helplessness
shadowing their bright vision; and
there was world of pathos in little
Jennie's sweet, low voice as she laid
her hand on her brothers arm, and
looking mp in his eyes whispered:
go, Willie, let us 90 home. Mother
would feel very bad if she knew we
were out here"
Willie bent down and kissed his sis
ter's pale cheek, as he replied:
eve will go back home, Jenny;
was naughty to come off so far from
land. But don't cry sister; am sorry
Don't blame me; / couldn't help it.
love the sea too much"
No, we won't blame you, Willie;
only let us hurry back, a black cloud
is coming up in the distant west, and
am afraid if we do not"
The child's speech was arrested by
a groan of anguish from her brother,
whose eyes for the first time had been
directed towards bank of dark murky
clouds heaving up in the western hori.
zon by his sisters remark, and at the
very instant that the vision first rested
upon the black pail, a chain of brilliant
zigzag lighting rose quivering along its
upper edge, and few moments later
there came to their ears low muttered
roar of far off thunder.
The young captain had hauled his
little vessel by the wind, but the clumsy
thing lay broadside under the ill-ftted
sail. Besides, the wind which she had
scarcely felt while running on before ii
had now increased SO much that she
keeled over till there was great danger
of capsizing, to prevent which, Willie,
with the assistance of his two sisters,
set out reefng the SAIL
This was soon accomplished, and
again the boat was steered as close as
she would GO; which, at the best, was
little better than eight points, so, that
with her great leeway, Willie soon
found that, in spite of his utmost skill,
his craft was drifting out to sea.
Nearer and nearer rolled on the en-
battled legions of dense black storm
clouds; more vivid cleaned the red
|lightnings flash; wilder the shrieking
gale swept by, bowling and screaming
dread notes of terror to the young
voyagers. The water, which to the
land was quite smooth, began to heave
up the foam-crested waves here and
there all around them, curling over
and breaking all feather white in long
lines of Kissing spray. Great round
drops of rain came pattering down in
the water and pelting on the thwarts
and gunwales of the boat with a sharp,
clicking noise, that smote startingly
dismal on the ears Of the three little
ocean wanderers, for who would be out
in such storm as this? ~
Young as he was, Willie retained in
his mind much of what he had heard
his father relate at various times in
regard to the management of ship at
sea, in a gale; and the knowledge he
had thus gained in theory, now stood
in good stead. He had heard of keep
ing a ship before the wind in squail,
and of scudding in a galeAthe dull
sailing clumsy boat was his ship. The
theory which he had learned he pro.
ceeded to put in practice; and when
the first mad gust of the pelting lorna
do fell upon the launch, she was going
dead before the wind-otherwise the
sail would have been snapped in an
instant. AS it was, she was clashing