The weekly standard. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1865-1867, 1866-01-13
If any rat eoald have killed nse, that
one would have done It.

Z If any rat eosfd have killed ne, that
one would have done i.
The first winter he spent at home,
after his majority. was an unasaAlly Sc
we're one, and prudence as well as com
fort required, that he who had long
been soiourning under more fervid
sun than ever shines upon his native
land, should not rashly and unnecces-
sarily face the Northern blasts, but an
event occurred in December that
would have called him forth had he
been o salamander. The wind which
had been high for several days, rose
upon the seventeenth to furious gale,
coming landward. AS night drew on
the sky cleared little and sent broad,
angry glare across the ocean. This to
our hero was novel scene. Itthrilled
him with emotions Of exultant sublimi-
ty, and the better to enjoy a view he
ascended the highest tower where he
might behold both land and sea. AS
the sun sunk out of sight he saw, or
thought he saw. out at sen some object
appearing more steady than the rest
less white edges of the waves. Seek
ing to observe the object through a
glass he could not again find it, but
was SO sure of having seen it previous
ly with the naked eye that he had q
sort of vexed perplexity about the mat
ter and could not dismiss it from his
mind all the evening. He could neith-
er study nor write, butrestlessly pacing
the drawing room, or aimlessly sound
ing few notesnow on one musical In
strument, now On another, he seemed the
very opposite of hissusualcalm self. It
is often regarded as strange that one
should have premonition Of fatal
event, but is it not equally SO that one
sometimes stands on the brink of des-
Tiny, when one turn to the right or left
shall decide his earthly, perhaps his
eternal fate, and yet like somnambuGst
blindly yet firmly and fearlessly tread.
ing, see no indications of o crisis, feel
no presentiments of a change. Lord
Fl. had certainly some kind of a dim
foresight, whether natural or supernat-
ural / cannot say, that from the time
he beheld that ship, if ship it were,
some crisis in his destiny had arrived.
When he went to his bedchamber he
could not lie down to rest, and con-
tinued the same uneasy pacing to and
fro, his thoughts in strange tumult.
Sometimes he went to q seaward win
dow and looked out as if expecting to
see something and again returned to
his perambuiations Once he thought
a light seemed to glimmer across the
roaring waters, but presently all
looked dark again. Anoiner illusion.
He knew not whether to blame his
eyes or his brain both had been strong
and steady for thirty years. No, the
sight must have been real. Returning
again to the window the light appeared
burning brightly, steadily and near
ef to the land than before. Gould
it be that ship was driving towards
the rocky shore before such a gale
The thought was horrible. It would
be almost madness to attempt to succor
her on such a night Men were or
dered down to the shore to make what
observations they could, and see if it
were possible to render any aid. The
messengers soon returned to tell him
that the light, which was doubtless on
a ship, was nearing the rocks, and that
they had heard through the storm the
sound of guns indicating that the crew
were already in great distress or knew
the dangers towards which they were
hopelessly drifting. 1t was more than
humanity, it was a kind of passionate
recklessness that fred Lord HIS spirit
afeeling that he must go to help the
vessel at the risk of any and everything.
''Who.' he cried, "for the sake of his
perishing fellow creatures-for Gods
sake--will take his life in his hand and
go with mel Think what you would
that others should do unto You in ike
circumstances, and do ye in like man
ner unto these. said he, pointing to-
wards the fatal vessel. A few brave,
kind hearts spoke promptly their con-
sent. There were two fishing boats
tied to the shore. which soon had men
enough TO manage them, and they
pushed away amid the cries and pray
ers of women and others who watched
them launch. Beaten back BY the storm
(which, however. was now subsiding)
they did not reach the ship until she
had split In two upon rock. Crowds
z u