Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-06-25
LOVE IN THE BREAKERS
BY ErHELBERr TIE wANDERER.
A STORY OF CAPE MAI.


places, either on the sea-board or inland
Yet Fate. or nv restless wandering spirit,
has more than once led me in " the season "
to Saratoga, Newport, Cape May, and the
now desolate vet once famous "W hite Sui
phurs of Virginia. Those who know me
and few, very few are those who know me as
am-know well that l am happiest when,
shut out from the world, its frivOlities, its
designations, and its hypOcrisies, L wander in
the wilderness of my own mountain-home,
watching the wild deer in its gambols, the
trout sporting in the crystal water, or the
eagle piercing the clouds, far, far above the
lofty mountain tops.
But to my story.
Itwas many summers ago when "the spirit
moved me I" to make a flying visit to Cape
NAV Ii was in the height of the season
when l reached the Cape, going by steamer
from Philadelphia. Every hotel 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 few, very
few, really sensible men and women in that
vast crowd. The fair sex was not represent
ed, as l thought by any killing beauties"
| wandered in at three or four of the eve
ming shops" and made up my mind that
had seen as much beauty at Mexican fan
dango, more in a dance on the green of an
Andalusian village, and not less at back
woods dance, where one fdler formed the
band, and Virginia reel the dancing
card,
l saw nothing, in fact, to drive 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
TO start once more for my wildwood home
among the glorious old Adirondacks.
So took my bathing suit from my trunk,
and when the sun began to drOop toward
the pines in the west, l sauntered down to
the beach where hundreds were already
sporting in the surf-the shrill laughter and
pretty screams of the fair ones making fine
contrast with the heavy roar of the surf
For few minutes L hesitated to enter the
water, being more pleasantly engaged in
scanning the scene before me. barley new
er had n finer chance for sketching from life
than he would have had there A HOgarth
would have been only too happy for the Carl
caturean opportunities afforded him. For
instance, a tat beef-eating citizen, carrying,
at least, two hundred weight of mortality III
his own person, went into the water with
wife on his arm whose lean and lank figure,
taller than his own, was too thin to cast shad-
ow on the white sand of the shelly beech.
And rice Versa, very fat lady and a man as
lean as Romeos apOthecary would be seen
the one waddling duck fashion, into the wa
ter, the other lettering" toward it like
half-starved sandsnipe.
Not a handsome woman in the water
] muttered, as / gazed over and among the
crowd.
But at that moment, as if to rebuke me for
my lack of gallantry, vision passed me-she
seemed to be too beautiful to be anything but
a vision-which made my spirit retract the
thought in an instant for the lady was beau
Enthusiastically beautiful. One glance of
her eyes-great, black, allbewildering eyes,
fell upon me as she passed, and felt that
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-
taally touched me, and the contact threw an
electric glow through me in an instant. Tall,
her figure could, even in that ungainly garb,
be seen to be perfeet-her complexion al
most too fair for the waves of jetty 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
conidant, 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, l turned to see what
heathen was attending the goddess of my
hearts sudden alteration.
There YVES no masculine present, no one so
near as myself. She entered the water alone
not timIdly or with a shrinking step, but
like calmly-proud Diana, when no prying
Action was near.
Involuntarily followed, though at re-
spectful distance. watched her every mo-
ton, as she advanced farther and farther into
the foamy "yeast of waters"
Moving out until more than half her queen
" form was immersed IN the briny waves, she
stood, and gently bow ID her head to the
great breakers, as the, rolled in, in snowy
wreaIhs, upon her o. how wished that
was one-just one OF those breakers p
Would not clasp that leenly form in my
chaste embrace, and bean L away to some
lone ''isIe of beauty" to l. mine, mine, for
ever? Yes, would
But hoarse shout from tie men, a cry of
warning, and thousand sci, ms from rosy
lids suddenly white, recalled me from the
wild dream which vas takingl lesion of me-
Nv queenly vision had gone fal Their out than
ali the rest so had /, 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.
A9&- ohAuhSACut bunCtCu W tuC
top of the water, only to find that the "un-
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
was sheS At that instant saw her-a look
of despair upon her beautiful face-within
few feet of me, just sinking; for she evil
IDENTIFY could not swim, as she made no at
tempt to do 30.
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, my
hand supporting her, and my voice uttering
these words:
"Lady, do not despair. viii save you or
die with you'll"
Oh, how her look went through and through
me. Words never could so express gratitude.
Wave after wave beat over me, but lifted
her bright, beautiful head above them all.
=" If your strength win last few minutes,
we are saved u she said, in tones that were
melody condensed, rarifed, angelically mod