St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1860-09-20

point Of an island, go ,' "'
Flamed toward us with fires that seemed to
burn from the waters t...Y
Stately and vast and swift, and borne on the
heart Of the current.
Then, with the mighty voice Of giant chal-
lenged to battle, u"
Rose the responsive whistle, and all the echoes
of island,
Swamp land, glade, and brake replied with a
myriad clamor,
Like wild birds that are suddenly startled from
slumber at midnight;
Then were at peace once more, and we heard
the harsh cries of the peacocks, ..
Perched on tree by cabin-door, where the
white-headed settlers
White headed childred stood to look at the boat
as it passed them,
Passed them so near that We heard their happy
talk and their laughter.
Softly the sunset had faded, and now on the
eastern horizon '',''
Hung, like tear in the sky, the beautiful star
of the evening. ...-
Still with his back to us standing, the pilot
went on with his story:
"Instantly, all the people, with looks of re-
proach and compassion,
Flocked round the PROSTATE woman. The
children cried, and their mothers
Rugged them tight to their breasts but the
gambler said to the captain
put me off there at the town that lies round
the bend of the river.
Here, you rise at once, and be ready now to
Roughly he seized the woman's arm and strove
to uplift her.
She-she seemed not to heed him, but rose like
one that is dreaming
Slid from his grasp, and aeetly mounted the
steps Of the gangway,
Up to the hurricane-deck, in silence, without
lamentation.
Straight to the stern of the boat, where the
wheel was, she ran, and the people
Followed her fast till she turned and stood at
bay for moment,
Looking them in the face, and in the face of
the gambler
Not one to save her-not one of all the COM
passionate people
Not one to save her, Of all the pitying angels
in heaven! ~': :.
Not one bot Of God to strike him dead there
before her!
Wildly she waved him back, we waiting in 81
lence and horror.
Over the swarihy face Of the gambler pallor
of passion
Passed, like CLEAN Of lightning over the west
in the nighttime.
White, she stood, and mute, till he put forth
his hand to secure her;
Then she turned and leaped-in mid air fut-
tered a moment
Down, there, whirling, fell, like broken
winged bird from a tree-top,
Down on the cruel wheel, that caught her, and
hurled her, and crushed her.
And in the foaming water plunged her, and
hid her forever"
Still with his back to us all the pilot stood,
but we heard him So
Swallowing hard, as he pulled the bell-rope to
stop her. Then turning
*'rhis is the place where it happened" broken
ly whispered the pilot.
''Somehow, never like to go by here alone in
the night-time.' 81 ..'
Darkly the Mississippi flowed by the town that
lay in the starlight,
Cheerful with lamps. Below we could hear
them reversing the engines,
And the great boat glided up to the shore like
a giant exhausted.
Heavily sighed her pipes. Broad over the
swamps to the eastward
Shone the full moon, and turned our far-trem.
bling wake into silver.
All was serene and calm, but the odorous
breath of the willows
Smote like the subtitle breath OF IN infinite sor.
row upon US. 49,,
atlantic Monthly.