Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-06-22
LOVE IN THE BREAKERS.
A STORY OF CAPE MAY.
BY ETHELBERT THE wANDERER.


places, either on the sea-board or inland
Yet Fate or my restless wandering spirit,
has more than once led me In = the season
to Saratoga, Newport, Cape May, and the
now desolate yet once famous = W hlte Sui
phurs" of Virginia. Those who know me
and few, very few are those who know me as
[ am-know well that | am happIest when,
shut out from the world, its t1yolltles, Its
designations, and its hypocrisies, ] wander IN
the wilderness Of my own mountaln-home,
watching the wild deer in its gumbols, the
trout sporting in the crystal water, or the
eagle piercing the clouds, far, far above the
lofty mountain tops.
But TO my story.
1t was many summers ago when 81 the spirit
moved me to make flying visit to Cape
May 1t was in the height of the season
when l reached the Cape, going by steamer
from Philadelphia. Every Eotel was crowded;
the company was as various as companies at
watering places generally are-belles looking
for mates beaux on the same scent, any
quantity OF fOrtune-hunters, and a few, very
few, really sensible men and women in that
vast crowd. The fair sex was not represent
ed, as | thought 10y any killing beauties"
| wandered in at three or four of the eve
ming hops" and made up my mind that |
had seen much beauty at Mexican fan
dango more in dance on the green of an
woods dance, where one fdler formed the
band, and Virginia reel the dancing
card.
| saw nothing, in fact, TO driye away my
natural melancholy, and had made up my
mind to take one good swim in the surf of
the Old Atlantic, and then on the next day
10 start once more Tor my wildwood home
among the glorious old Adirondacks.
So L took NY bathing suit from my trunk,
the pines IN the west, l sauntered down to
the beach where hundreds were already
sporting II the surf-the shrlll laughter and
pretty screams of the fair ones making fine
contrast with the heavy roar of the surf.
or few minutes | hestated 10 enter the
scanning the scene before me. UIrTeY new
er had a finer chance tor sketching from life
than he would have had there. \ Hosarth
would have been only too happy for the carl
eaturean opportunities afforded him. For
instance, tat, beet-eating citizen, carrying,
NJ least, two hundred weight OF mortality IN
his own person, went ITO the water with
wife on his arm whose lean and lank figure
taller than his own, was too thin to east shad-
ow on the white sand of the shelly beech.
And nee perSa, very fat lady and a man as
lean as Romeos apothecary would be seen
the one waddllng duck fashion, into the wa
ter, the other lettering" toward it like a
half-starved sandsnipe.
Not a handsome woman in the water .
l muttered, as | gazed over and among the
crowd.
But at that moment, as if To rebuke me for
my lack vi gallantry, vision passed me-she
seemed TO be too beautiful to be ANYTHING but
vision-which made my spirit retract the
thought IN instant for the lady was beau
tiful-gloriously beautiful One glance of
her eyes-great, black, Acknowledging ewes
fall 5l,. L 4 .F..
l bluShed from my head to my feet. She
glided-she did not seem to walk-so close
by me that her snow-white bathing-robe ac-
tsally touched me, and the contact threw an
electric glow through me in an instant. Tall
her figure could, even in that ungainlv garb
be seen to be perieet-her complies ion al
most fair for the waves OF lefty hair
which hung about her white brow and neck:
and to crown all, look of melancholy upon
her perfect features that made my but too
susceptible heart ache to be her sympathetic
oontidant, her comforter, if only such a thing
could be.
With bitterness in my heart against the
happy man who could be privileged to wait
upon such an angel, | turned to what
heathen was attending the goddess of my
hearts sudden alteration.
There was no masculine present no one so
near as myself. She entered the water alone
not timldly or with shrinking step, but
like a calmly proud Diana, when no prving
ActeOn was near.
InyountariIy | followed, though at re-
spectful distance. ! watched her every mo-
ton, she advanced farther and farther into
the foamy yeast OF waters
Moving out until more than han her queen
" form was immersed in the brinv waves, she
stood, ana gently bo~ FL her head to the
great breakers. - 1t : rolled in, in snowy
wreathS, upon her. tn, how | wished that
l was one-Just one q. those breakers =
Would | lot clasp that leenlv form in nv
chaste embrace, and be-. it away to some
lone isle of beauty TO mine, niue, for
ever? Yes, l would
But a hoarse shout from men, a cry of
warning, and thousand from rosy
lids suddenly white, recallt me from the
wild dream which was taking session of me
Ny queenly vision had gone rherout than
all the rest; so had l, when a roller of at
least thrice the usual height came tumbling
in upon Us. In a moment she was hidden
from MY view; the next second | was under
a hundred tons OF water, or so it seemed.
Half str4agled, buffeted my way TO the
top of the water, only to find that the Gun
dertow" had swept me outside Of the surf,
beyond the outermost breaker, and that the
tide was bearing me seward.
/ thought not of my own danger. Where |
vas she At that instant saw her-a LOOK
OF despair upon her beautiful fsoe-within a |
few feet Of me, just sinking; for she evil |
IDENTITY could not swim, as she made no at |
tempt 10 do so.
Heaven what strength came TO me then ! |
Never did strong swimmer in his agony |
strike out more boldly than | did then and /
there. In an instant, / was by her side nv /
hand supporting her, and my voice uttering /
these words:
Lady, do not despair. l will save YOU or
die with you!"
Oh, how her look went through and through |
me. Words never could so express gratitude |
Wave alter wave beat over me, but / lifted /
her bright, beautiful head above them all
of your strength will last few minutes, /
we saved !" she said, in tones that were /
melody condensed, rarifed, angelieally mod
ulated excuse my rhapsodies-I cannot help