Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1859-01-13

II You need not be told my reaso
/ for quitting Boston forever. / can
e here after many wanderings, and,
r this day, no soul there knows b.
: that / am dead
|, Once more the old man pause,
relighsed his pipe, and In a moi
!. cheerful tone continued his story:
: 4 had lived here with an old 'negr
: woman for my housekeeper for neal
!, ily four years, when an unaccouDtabl
; impulse prompted me to visit Ne,
Orleans. There was no reason why
should either go on or stay, excep
my own inclination; and 50 I.ral
down to the bank there, bailed th,
first beat bound downward, and tool
passage for the city.
I 1T was hot but beautiful day in
May when the White Cloud swung
out into the current, and steamed cal.
lantly down the river. The heat was
tempered by strong breeze from the
South, before which small feecy
clouds that seemed almost melting
into the distant blue, like little fairy
barges, scudded swiftly to the north.
ward. Always silent and distracted
was that day unusually thoughtful.
| remember I sat all day on the
guards, to all appearance looking at
the banks Of the river, really looking
dreamily into my own hearts history,
with that sort. Of pleasant sadness
which every meditative man SO often
feels; that partial losing of ones pres
ent consciousness in the cloudy liv-
ing over again the pleasantness Of
years agone.'
Late in the afternoon the sun dis.
appeared behind mass of leaden-
blue clouds, gliding its volumed
verge with aline of dazzling light
The wind ceased entirely; sitting
closeness crept through the. atmos-
phere; and to an eye at all weather.
wise, it was evident that the armies
.of the air were mastering for a con-
Hct- By and by the thunder, which,
like the artillery on a distant battle
field, had all the afternoon trembled
along the horizon, swelled nearer and
more near; the Lightning, fierce spirit
of the storm, leaped from the bosom
of the cloud. and waved his flaming
banner in advance; few large drops
which, in the oppressive stiffness,
sounded like shower Of shot, clat-.
tered upon the deck; and then, with
all the din of summer tempest. the
elemental battle whirled around us.
For more than three hours the
storm ragtd with unabated fury, and
even when the fercest rush had swept
away to the east, the rain poured
down in steady torrents, and, except
for an occasional pale flash of light
ming, the night Was intensely dark.
During the whole of the FIRST half Of
the night | felt no inclination TO sleep;
i rather felt as if | could not sleep,
should | try ever so earnestly, and at
nearly two, 0 clock in the morning ]
was standing at one of the glass
doors Of the social hall. | do Mt
know how long had stood there; /
only know that | alone of all the pas
sengers Was waking; and, except for
the escaping steam, there Was no
Sound ON board. Suddenly / was a.
reused by loud shouting without, fol-
lowed 10 quick succession by the hur-
ried trampling Of feet. and crushing
shock, that made the vessel tremble
to her Keel. As ! gained the deck,
the air was filled with loud screams
and agoniziDg cries for help. The
next moment the rosin torches Of the
boat flashed their red, light upon
the darkness, and there, close before
US, lay a disabled steamer, sinking
rapidly. In the thick darkness the
eye could not properly measure the
distance, and in a rash attempt to
cross the Goose of the White Cloud,
she had been cut far below the water.
line. .
4 had not dwelt SO long on the
rivers bank without familiarizing my
self with the use Of the oar, and with
the aid oftwo or three Of the first Who
recovered their self possession, I
launched one Of the steamers boats
and pushed OF to the assistance Of
those who werestruggling in the water.
Ishall neyerforget the faces saw that
might; and ! shudder even now as I
recall their looks Of despairing sup
lplication as the turhid waters closed
over them forever, within SIGHT; al
most within reach of haInino hands,