The Kenosha telegraph and tribune. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1859-1860, 1860-01-12
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THE WRECKER'S BEACON.
CHAPTER I.
BEFORE THE GALE

| TTrrT ass
The good ship Pathfinder, of New York, and
bound to Copenhagen, had entered the North
Sea- having left the Straits of Dover two DAYS
4 behind 31q L.,is,r, -, - 'A'''9
Ihs commander of the ship was a. young man.
not over eight and-twenty, and his name was
Marrce Dester.; He stood by the taffral, gazing
on upon the horizon to the eastward, ever and
anon raising his hand above his head to feel if
tnere was any wind stirring, and as often casting
ms eye alott to see how the canvass hung. AS
ne stood thus his mate approached and spoke to
| him: s-a49if4 isBo0citig0I9b Iof1I,i = - =
"a What dye think of this, Capt'n 10 eti
tnlnk we are in for storm, sir" the master
rephed ''And Itell, you what it is, Griffin" he
ADDED, after sweeping the horizon again with his
eyer when 1t comes it will be an earnest one
None ofyour, broad Ocean puffs, with nothing
but water to hatch wind from but we'll have It
| rght fresh from some of those places where they
know how to make things blow..'9
"Ihen you thinkwe'll have hard one?" said
Griffin. la0ifsitats 10 trg1.ro ...-.-
| > Aye answered the captain, with almost a
shqddsr 81 feel it in my bones" ~ - !,
In the meantime, Captain Lester had been
watching the sea and sky as before, and he fan
cied that the signs of the storm were growing
more and more. palpable every moment The
sun was going down in thick bank, giving to
the whole western horizon, a dull, purpiish red
bloody hue, with there and there spets of a
darker tinge, like openings, through the fiery
cloud, looking upon fearful blackness behind
DO you see how strangely it looks off there2r
sad the captain, raising his finger towards the
point where the sun was setting. lrHz- H'f
iAye,n returned Griffin, 81 have been watch
ing those dark paces.'' N-#'l' aAf --.,.
And others noticed the same thing, and spoke
| of it too, 4. o. - q
| Seven o'clock came and went. Eight o'clock
| came, and the first watch was set. h .l1el
To- 1F-a -1aI-.
men at the last dog-watch left their stations
This calm can't last great while. Youhad bet
ter batten down the matches now while there is
nothing else to do; for am sure there will be
need Of having them close before the coming of
another day. 3aa.sdaa .ias6 edT
| The men had no thoughts of going below, for
they could see and feel and they were not Who'll
! ~ Ignorant OF what was coming; they went
| at work and secured the matches with thick tar
pa ulinS; and when this was done those who had
no particular station collected about the wheel.
Another hour passed away-and another Ten
O'Clock came, and still not breath. The ship
lay upon the water like dead thing, with the
ropes and blocks, and sails, rafting and Tapping
as she was swayed to and fro by the lazy swells
"What does it mean?'' cried Griffin, as the bow
struck five BELLS fsdi'E
"Hark !" said the captain, almost instantly
u guess you'll soon see.i Did you feel that =
Ea and that pr 10 s...2 - .fn.e
1t was puff ofwind, and light flying of
spray or, perhaps it was spit of rain, At all
events, the puff was felt and the drops of wa
ter tell upon other cheeks than Maurice Testers;
and other ears than his heard the dull moaning
which came over the dark waters. So other
ears heard the roar which followed, and other
bodies quivered beneath the shock of the storm
giant when he came in his might el
Aye-the storm had come. 1t came with wind
and rain, and with an angry heaving of the sea.
1t came with darkness like Erebus, and with
the voice of thunder. The gale continued in
crease in fury as the long night passed away
When the morning came the scene was one OF
awful grandeur. The wind was bowling with
terrific fury; and the broad sea was dashed into
huge mountains, that foamed, and tumbled and
ieaped along over the bosom Of the Deep seem
ing every moment ready to whelm and enguli
the frail bark that struggled within the demon
grasp. s1A Hc iisoTf Ts-a4I 4''lgEo
When Captain Lester had observed the signs
of the morning, he feared that the storm would
continue through the day, and so he told his
men, The sky worea hue of horror, and rain
was now driving down, minging with the dash.
ing sea, At noon it was still worse. p 81
At length night shut in again, and not sign
yet OF the passing away of the storm The
frightful bowling Of the tempest seemed rather
to have increased than abated. The men gathered
upon the quarterback, clinging for support to
the racks and rails-for the life-lines swayed sc
much that they were afraid of them-gathered
so near to the light of the binnacle-amp as they
could, as though even from such feeble beams
they might find some comfort. But not all were
there. No-not all Four stout, true hearted
men had been swept away by the storm Neal
a score were left; but how many shall see the
light of another day /? f
AT nine o'clock Captain Lester went below
lie took down chart of the North Sea, and
having spread it upon the table. he sat down tc
examine it. He was thus engaged when Mr..
Griffin came down; but he did not look up until
he had finished the calculation. RI
4 "How is it 2" the mate asked, as he saw his
commander lay down the dividers. 1s Lat
Il have been making reckoning, and l find
that we have but little more sea-room left. The
course we have made since we wore has been ,as
near as l can calculate, north-west-by-west sc
that we must have been driving towards the
coast of Northumberland. l think we have
plenty of room to stand ON until midnight; but
we cannot stand on much longer. If the gale
does not abate by that time know not what we
j shall do'' e'1a4 So
q The captain started up from his chair, and
would probably have walked across the cabin
but at that moment heavy sea caught the ship
and gave her pitch forward, which caused him
to catch his seat as quickly as possible. AS soon
as the food had gone from the deck, and the
vessel had struggled up from the shock, he
locked into his companions face, and said, in
voice made tremulous by deeper emotion thar
ne had before manifested
Griffin, j have something upon my mind more
than you know; and am now anxious to COM
municate it, too 1 must tell it now, for have
a strange foreboding of coming i'll. Something
is TO happen that will bear great calamity tC
some of US. l am not croaking-I am only
reading what the Unseen has written on my
soul However, you shall hear my story. You
sea p
"Yes,,' said the mate.
: And perhaps you knew that they were los
IN this sea ~
81 have heard so, sir.' 2E.
, "Ay-soit was. I was boy then. TheJ
were on their way to Copenhagen, as should
be now. My father commanded the ship, sh'
was called the Clara Jane she was named TO
my mother; and she was staunch, noble craft
| was at school then, in Troy and when knew
; that my parents were dead | was well nigh deat
, with grief fancied then, in my first hours 0
orphanage, that my heart would break and,
| think such would have been the case if the
had kept me at school. But some of those VIII
r cared for me came to see me, and it was finally
arranged that should go to sea. And l pros
pered-prospered so well that, when was TWEEN
~ years old they gave me command of ship.
" The man who owned the ship which frs
, Q 1mmanded was named Thornton. He had
q iughtcr named Carrie-one of the sweetest
Iparest and loveliest creatures that ever gracet
ltlis poor life of earth. She was four years