Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1858-12-01
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The Broken Sentence.
L. VIRGINIA FRENCH.
"a ship went out upon the sea,
A noble bark, with q gallant crew >


And in herself richly y-frieghted argosy
of life and love,-the iIl-fated {" Central
America" That dark and terrible picture
of her, painted by inexorable Fate and
hung upon the walls Of tines proud tenn
pie, is one upon which our whole country
has looked, with "bated breath" and tear
dimmed eyes. Then, affair over the ocean
waves "saIed the Corsair, Death, and
gathered in that dread night picture, there
is the Armada of the storm-king,-
wrathful sky above fnd the black goal of
death "a hundred fathoms down." But
notwithstanding all their terrific grandeur
how comparatively small the heed or at
tention given to those dread details Co
lumbia's eagle eye is upon her noble son,
the brave commander-the gallant sea
man-and the humble Christian, the i'm
mortal Herndon. It is as though that
great picture contained but one solitary
human fgure-one sole object Of interest
gaze. We see him as with that heroic
devotion to woman which was one of his
first characteristics, he provides for their
safety until every woman and child has
left his shattered vessel-we see him don
his uniform, the garb in which he has so
long served his country, and take his last
stand at the wheelhouse-we see him un-
cover to the King of Terrors as she ship
fetches her last lurch-with straining gaze
we see him hail an approaching boat and
order to keep off, and be SaUed as he him
self went down, to the last forgetful of self,
and mindful of others-the soul Of the war
rior and the heart of woman Beautiful,
heroic, and self-sacrifcing are such scenes,
but there is another still more beautiful and
sublime-it is thus related.
Gas one of the last boats was about te
leave the ship, her commander gave bis
watch to passenger, with the request that
it might be delivered to his wife. He
wished to charge him with message fol
her also, but his utterance was choked.--
"Tell her ." Unable to proceed
he bent down his head and buried his face
in his hands for moment, as if in prayer
for he was devout man, and true Chris
tian.
In that moment, brief as it was, he en-
durcd the great agony. But it was owe
now. His crowding thoughts no doubt
had been of friends and home its desola
tion beloved wife, and lovely daughte
dependent alene for support upon him.
God and his country would care for then
now. Honor and duty required him t
stick to his ship, and he saw that she mus
go down.
"TeU her-" he began, but tn
thousand waves of an ovcrfowing hear
came rushing over him, like high, ferc
tides tramping in upon her low lee-shores,
and the last cry Of his great soul wa
drowned amid the tumult. Then, and ther
/ he had tasted of the bitterness of death,
and it WAS past As look upon him nov
| pause in actual awe before the image
nv mind. " Tell her--" said he, br
human language had no words to bod
forth the love, the aspiration, the anguisl
of that great soul, in this its hour Of terr
Die trial And so the strong man bowe
his head upon his hands, and bent like
reed before the tempest, feeling only hoy
in such an hour, heart-throbs scorn tt
mockery Of words. Undaunted by tt
storm, undismayed when all hearts wei
failing, standing unblenching ia the vel
{ face Of danger, ready to take death by tt
hand and disarm him of terrors-he boy
/ ed down, unnamed and overwhelmed |
; simple memory of her. And now Sh
r remains to be said what could be sa
: which in power and pathos would not f.
t far, far below the simple reality OF th
: broken, and forever unfinished sentenc
! Tell her--r
r aTell her." aobat? Ahi in va
!, we speculate. In vain we strive throng
0 binding tears to read his heart, and s.
S for him what he could not say for himse
IS And it is best as it is. Let us leave it ;
/ nor dare to desscrate with our poor 81
e misses, the broken column which the m;
e. ter artist was unable to complete. But
'e We say forever faished2 Will he nel
lc "tell her?" Far away in some sunny Il
lie of Balm" brighter and more beautiful th
D. the Amazonion forests through which
ID once wandered, will not thelanguage Of
at Immortal give him power to utter all t