Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-05-23

"Then God have mercy upon usH
cried the Watcr-wardcn. "Can never a .
one ofyou lend Il hand to peg sail |
down -
ON try,n cried Poppo; "I'r try"
said Conrad and "I'll try" cried three
or four more OF the stoutest hearts.
"Straw here straw herc!" shouted |
Oosterhout "Schoorl look to that. |
Poppo, have three sail brcadths stitched /
together We want more hands Run |
down some one, to old Willibald's wife,
and tell her to ring the alarm bell. Hold |
hard, lads join hands God mercy /
Here ii cOmes.N
Hands were clasped in a moment. The |
below of the approaching waVe-the |
Kissing, tapping sound as it rolled up the |
bank--and then the surge swept over
the top, and for a moment none could
tell which was water and which land.
The wave swept back again into the
great deep. Then came the race for life
and death. BarroWs of sand rolled up
to the place--the needles flew through
| the canvass--thc bags were tilled-a
! hundred hands were busy in piling
/ them, and for some time il seemed as if
the waves were bafilcd in their intent.
Towards nine o'clock that night the
gust drove fiercer, and the rain beat
/ heavier, on Farmer Schoorns gables
! And ever and anon came asOund which
none then present had ever heard-a
heavy fall and rush on the roof, rs the
tops of some of the mountain waves
were carried right over the embanl-
ment, and swept down like deluge in
to the village. Mother and children sat
by the fire in terror-scarcely a word
spoken-only now and then a half-sup-
pressed cry as the thunder of the sea, or
the roar of the falling spray, was louder
than common.
A knock at the door. 1t opened. The
beggar who had left shortly after Con-
rad Schoorl had gone forth, again en-
tered.
"Do you wish to be saved ?n said he.
'If you do, follow me-"
"Follow you whereof cried Dame
Schoorl, wildly. "And where is my
husband ?"
''Be of good cheer" he answered.
"Your husband shall be saved also. But
in an hour where we are now standing
will be deep sea. One house only in
the village will hold out against the in
undation, and that is Jan Maarsens.
Thithcr you must 60"
They looked at him in amazement.-
Beggar still i'm outward appearance, he
spoke so that they felt that his words
were truth. None dared to ask him
whence he had his tidings. They knew
not who it was that spalIe; only they
felt that he was not of this world
"Will my husband and my son be
saved" asked Dame Fleta, i'll a low
voice.
81 will look to their safety. Follow
, me, and at once.o
Steadying themselves as well as they
could against the blast, the mother and
; her children went forth into the village
Is.fr .f.l, IL ,:,.l,t n,, l,D
sea-wall glaring CHASTITY fires and ever
, and anon bright cloud of spray burst
| ing up high above them. In the streets
women and children hurrying wildly
, by. Cries, shriells, and confusion eve
rywhere.
l "Press on, and turn neither right nol
l left" said their leader.
A louder thunder from the dyke an(
| such a shower of spray fell as drencheC
G them to the skin, and made them gasl
' for breath.
4 Keep on to Maarsen's," again sale
q their guide II 90 to save the others.n
4 They passed on. AT the garden wal
G they met Jan Maarsen himself hurryinG
G out in Il frenzy of despair.
o "Stay, good neighbor, stay" criet
I Dame Schoorl. But he rushed past
O Thankful once more to be in shelter, tn,
s three fastened in at the door which thu
>. unhappy man had left open, closed it
= and sank down on their knees.
O 1--WE have made a good fight, boys
said the water-warden of the dyke
=. ''but we are beaten. God have mere.
= on our souls! for our bodies will be 70
}, the fishes"
J. "Can nothing more be done?" sai'
k Pope;
~ when the foundations are gOing?' salt
y Oosterhout coolly. Come, my lads, lie
!, us all forgive and ask to be forgiven,
" we have any matter between us an,
t. then llneel down and the sea may do it
l. worst"
d "Follow me,' said deep, low voice a
. Conrad's side.
,e "Where ?' he cried starting. "Wh
le spoken
< Follow me-" again said the voice.
" And father and son afterwards used t
v say that neither knowing why no
t. whittier they were to follow, they fel
At compelled to go. They saw nothing
ST they only heard voice before them.-
I'd Generally il only said, "follow," bu
once or twice it cried more loudly, go
:, me quiclkerv EDWARDS and EDWARDS
40 . led them, till they stood at Jan Maal
" sens door.
~ ~ "In, said thevoice; "and take refug
" saved"
10 At the same hour, fifty miles away
~ Philip SchOorl, the boat-builder
Harderwyck was sitting at supper. !
n, low, quaint, boarded room, leanin
IN out over the canal; the walls orni
u mented with three or four strange fish
ne dried and nailed against the panelling
ar the fire, cracking and merry the raj
Ut dashing in floods against the shutters
Us u, even the lazy canal ripping against il
bank.
O. IA bad night this said Philip
himself. "ANery bad night. The W;
e, ter-staat will have enough to do. III