The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-05-27

Thsy dared not, on such aight as this, how
ever. take the shortest war, which lay across
the Down, and had been mach delayed, 30 that
the light in the little room zSas guenched, and
the hut itself far out to sea- when they arrived;
but they were in time De assist in bringing
Phoebe up the cliff. We ard nothing of them
NATL the party wsre ia Il little hall, and ct
the parlor dcor-all safe. =
/ will tell you one thine~nore of Charley, 10
prove to you how brave az oy he was.
One of his chief pleasures was to join the
fisher lads in their perious expeditions, after
the nests OF the eider-du. land for the eggs OF
other sea fowl. With Be aid Of an iron bar
and rope, he would swirg himself over the
face of the steepest cliff and into caverns
which one would have tsought no creature
could have entered save VIII wings.
Upon one occasion, he snt out with another
youth, with only one stron srope between them,
and, instead of one remain ng above the preci
pice while the other went -selow, they thought
it would be excellent fun o. go down together.
They chose too, for this 81 ,uss,nent, one Of the
Hottest and less frequenteS cliffs OF al, midway
in which, however, they(ksd seen from their
boat, once, a great cave, uch haunted by the
sea fowl.
They fixed their bar fri er than usual, and
took to tie rope together, he fisher lad being
undermost. They laughes and chatted IN air
with the sea four hundred feet beneath them
as town bred lads would l6Igh and chatter In
swing; but they found it e no means easy to
reach the cavern with theis double load, being
afraid to make pendulum Of the rope, for fear
it should wear away from tle increased friction
at the summit.
At last, the boy beneath obtained a footing,
and held the rope fast willie Charles slid off
into the hole. But, attrs. ed by the cry which
the latter raised at sight q the myriads of nests
which lay within, and confused, perhaps, be
sides, with the swinging, the fisher lad let the
rope slip through his 6ngers; once only 1t
swung within distance, but in his agitation he
made futile grasp at it, Esd after one or two
vibrations, succeeding one another more rapid
ly than l can write of then the two boys were
left in their living tomb, W. b the means of es-
cape indeed within sight, b 1t only to tentalize
them with its proximity; Sven or eight feet OF
fathCmless space lay betweSr them and ia
situation to them, who web understood it, more
awfully perilous even than st seems. No yes
sci ever came near enough on account of the
breakers, to see any signal such az they could
mako from the sea they d left no word at
home of whereabouts they were going; and,
even should they be found, 1T was very lmprob-
able that means could BE- devised for their
rescue, while they had sti,- the strength and
spirit to take advantage g them. The boys
looked at one another in b.snk dismay, as they
thought of all these things
my poor, dear mother" said the fisher lad,
with groan, for be was her only hope.
"Supposing one dropped" asked Charles,
thoughtfully, after few moments, would this
tide carry one for certain on to shore in the
fshipg bay? 2"
"Yes," said the other, "and within the next
hour, to q certainty, but it would be only as a
dead corpse, Master Charles"
Sod alone knows that" quoth Charley; "we
must trust in him."
He wrote down upon slip Of paper (which
/ now po sess, With the writing just little,
very little shaken, poor fellow, when it gets to
the last message) some such words as thesa:
"Robert Hs.4.s is ia the Cults Mole UPON
Walden Cliff; he has lost bold of the rope,
and must have help-at once. My dearest love
to al, ct home. CHARLEY"
Ee put this up in his case bottle, taking the
cup off at the bottom, so that the writing might
be seen at once through the glass, and button
ed it up in his coat pocket.
"My people are richer than yours, Bob, and
can better spare me-" said he. 81 am going
10 leap at the rope, old fellow; let Us shake
hands,"
The lad tried to persuade him not to risk it,
but rather to hope for rescue by mears less
desperate. But
Don't unnervs me, Bob" was the simple,
heroic answer once, twice, thrice, and here
goes"
The other hid his face while the spring was
taken. listening for the far-off splash, perhaps,
| that should tell him his friend was dead, who
had spoken to him the instant before. But
when hs looked up, our Charley was holding
we'll OF to the rope, only he was deadly pale.
| He rot to the cave agafnf in safety, ard the
two rescued lads came up to life again, with
! their pockets stuffed with elder down.
Charles was brave boy-his widowed moth
! er's darling and mine, in whose care she lief.
him, and beloved by all. He did not know her
long, but loved her dearly, and had the strangest
thoughts about her always. He thought that
she was near to him, and, upon the eve Of any
special peril, he seemed to grow conscious Of
her presence. The night before he left us, as
we wandered in and out the rocks by the sea
shore, and around the leafy paths that thread
the copse, and up and down the level sands, all
grown 80 doubly dear to him at parting, he was
full of this. Perhaps it was but natural, having
dwelt 80 long upon the happy pact, and stroke by
stroke together re.orcheG many picture hang.
| ing dim enough in the Icing gallery of memory,
that we should come at last 10 her. With our
| eyes upon that boundless world Of waters, dark
ening as the night drew on, with that whisper
| of eternity breaking softly On our ears, alone,
and in that beautiful spot, il was natural, say,
that we should speak of the beloved dead.
"Mother he called me "mciher,p even
| then" she is listening to US now" he said. ~
shall see her in my dreams tonight; she is
quite close to u.s." .--.-
begged him not to talk thus, aud reminded
| him that it was time to 20 within.
"Nsy." said he, "but let US once more
climb the Down"
SO we toiled up the steep behind US in 81
lence, under the innumerable glars.
See YOU" said he, when we had reached
the summit, "yon steadfast lights On ocean
There rides mighty feet, the guardian angels
OF our land, and all night long they keep strict
watch and ward because Of us. There were
they still, though hid from view, ustil we gain.
ed the headland, and there will they be when
, we descend again. So it is, as / think. with
some of Us few souls but have some spirit
watching over them, although unseen, save,
, happy, when a more than common danger
! threatens, when heavenly stoops to earthly. and
the feet sails round to u.s.
do not mention this because think such a
belief was to Charles's CREDITOR believe it 70
! be a false and weak one-but to prove that be
was no re sanphire ga, herer aud pil,aeer OF
gulls' nests, youth of nerves and sibews only,
! Had he been 80, would Janet, the enthusiastic
the poetess, have ever loved him 60 dearly SIS
, she did :? Would gentle Alice, for whom / have
/ heard him weave full many fairy tale? Would
i, Herby, whose young head he filled with visions
of tilt and tourney ?.
|, 1t was terrible, the parting from q lad like
this but he thougE the Fusabad appointment,
was too good to let Sip, for our sakes although.
| e., h,n,eolf he woul1 t>ava tnuch IL