The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-09-28

-lhoh yo" can send the boat Dack iOl
me-"
And as the words trcmblci on her
tongue, Juliet Chaoner glanced over her
shoulder at the white crested iringcs Of
foam slowly creeping up the sands, and
knew that in two hours from that time
it would be one wild tossing mass OF
waves.
Yet she smiled and huttcrcd her white
handkerchief to them, as the heavily
frcighted boat glidcd slowly away, and
spoke cheering words to the brave little
oarman, even though the chill of death
lay cold at her heart.
Slowly the black outline Of the boat
faded into indistinctness, growing less and
less and when it was hidden from view
by the projecting line Of the coast the
bitter loneliness of her position came to
Juliet Chaloncr in all its overwhelming
force.
Like a great golden orb, the sun hung
above the sea; while the blue, cloudlcss
SKY smiled overhead. Nature was full
Of soft, serene rcpoSc, and yet Juliet
Chaloncr stood with claspcd hands and
silent endurance, waiting for the death
which was momcntariy drawing nearer
and ncarcr-thc stern relentless death
whose horrors had never seemed 50 ghastly
as now.
She thought how the blue tides would
sparkle over her gravc-shc thought how
perchance her dead corpse would float on
the waves, the golden hair all wet and
dark-and cold shudder came over her
whole frame.
And he will be at home Tonight, -
she murmurcd.
my God. my God surely this is the
bitterness of death !"
The thunder of the cruel waves were
i'll her ears-the moaning Of the surf
and Juliet Chaoner knew no more.
"Send boat back to Blyden's Point?''
echoed the old boatman. Bless your
heart, sir Blydcn's Point is seven feet
under water by this time"
"And Miss Chaloner ?" shriekcd Mr..
Elton.
"The Lord have mercy on her soul -
solemnly uttered the old man, taking of
his cap.
There is no use in huryins, ma am /;
but I'll get up my boat. We may per-
haps bring off her body, if it hasn't drift
ed too far out
"Oh, Juliet !, Juliet" gaspcd Mrs.
Elton, wringing rer hands, what shall |
say to my brother when he asks for you ?
You gave your life to save ours And |
dared to call you a coward {"
The soft light of shaded lamp fell
across Juliet Chaloner's eyes, as She
opened them, with vague sense of hav-
ing passed through II wild, troubled
dream, and dim remembrance of thun-
dring tides, and the dizzy rise and fall of
the waves.
"Whcre am !" she murmurcd. "Y on
here, Clarence? Have we crossed the
River of Death, and is this heaven ?"
"My own loye,' tenderly responded
the deep and well known tones, " take
courage; there are years Of love and hap
piness before us yet. You would have
given your life to save others, but God
would not accept the sacrifice"
But how came hcrc?" She asked,
as she remembered the slip
perry sands and the sound of many wa
ters'
And then Clarence told her how, COM
ing from the nearest railway station by
boat instead of the usual stercotypcd
stage route, he had caught sight of a
white object on the sands Of Blydcn's
Point, where the raging tide, were fast
crcling around the cyolct Of ground.
Bidding the boatmen row up to it with
all possible speed, he found himself just
in time to rescue Juliet Chaloncr from Il
death more horrible than one could well
imagine.
Gods hand guided us there dearest,
he said, impressively. "My noble girl
were it possible to love you better than |
did before, this act of sclf-sacriics would
move rue to do so"
From that hour Mrs. Elton cherished
and reverenced Miss Chaloncr as if she
had been saint for to her there seemed
something more than human in the the
noble self abnegation of Juliet's courage