The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1870-01-12

anu ~ WIS 10 avail hlfnSelf of sea
air and bathing, that Mr.. Wayne
| had removed thither; Almost eve;
ry fine day, he and Florence were
down on Point Pleasant beach
MIR. Wayne bathing, and Florence
reading and watching linn. ,aaG3.
The attachment between this
father and daughter was very
stron possibly because Mr..
Wayne lad tried hard to be both
fatherand mother TO bis girl.
! Sometimes, when I could get m
sufficient courage to do so, / would
60 down to. the Point and ioin
them, but these occasions were
rare, because / could not make
sure that Florence wanted me to
disturb them often. True, she nj
ways smiled, and made room for
me on the rock where she found, a
seat, but she did not smile much,
and she had.a way of looking out
to sea, which made me fancy She
was dreaming dreams in which I
had no part. Stanford was not go
particular. He was down at the
Point almost every day when the
Waynes were there, and the smell
OF his cigar and his light laugh
fioated landward together on the
seabreeze. 1t was in July, that
the manufacturing company in
which all my property was inyes-
ted, failed, and left me very nearly
penniless. 1t was 1,lain that /
must go to work, and | was cour.
ageo6s enough % be willing to
take hold of anything which offer
cd. But til c I'll IN es were dull,
workmen plenty and work scarce,
and in spite of all my, efforts, moth
ing presented itself for me to do.
l was gloomy and down-hearted
for the most part, and everything
looked cheerless and apprel,ensiye.
In this mood, one gray September
day, strolled down 10 the Point.
l had not expected any cne would
be there. but as turned an angle
of The path, l saw Florence in a
waterproof cloak and hood, in her
old seat; and I caught out in the
eurf the gleam of Mr.. Wayne's red
bathing suit. Even as I gazed, and
before had spoken to her, asharp
cry broke from Florence, and I
saw with dismay that Mr.. Wayne
had got beyond his depth, and not
being able to swim, the under.tide
(which was very strong at that
time-was sucking him under, in
spite Of his efforts to resist it. In
a moment, / was buffeting the
waves, and though I am a strong
man and an extra good swimmer,
must confess that more than
once, 1 was on the eve of giving
Grand letting fate dispose of
both myself and the helpless bur
den with which / was trying 10
reach the shore. But the sight Of
Florence standing on the sands,
her face white as death-her arms
extended towards us, gave me
strength, and by and by, more
dead Than alive, I succeeded in
laying the old man at his daugh-
ter's feet. And would have risk.
ed my life over and over again,
for the sake of fhearing her say, ~ as
she said then .,rr . 80, : 'ylfs
/" William Morton, may Heaven
ever bless youi You have saved
all l have to love-" =. -re1 z
Paul Stanford was on the SPOT
almost immediately--very mucl,
out OF breath and very profuse in
his protestations of sympathy. He
bad witnessed the danger Of Mr..
Wayne from Colneys HaI, a Quar-.
ter of Q mile away, and had come
with all haste, but too late to be of
material assistance. He hoped.
however, that Miss Wayne would
not refuse him the pleasure of sup.
porting her father to the cottage.
And 80 ky his superior tact and
address he managed TO secure for
himself what ! was dying to ask
for, the privilege Of accompanying
them to their residence. But Mr..
Wayne remembered with graft
tude the service / had done him.
Three days afterwards I received
aletter from the President of the
Short Line and Point Pleasant
Railroad, saying that Iscould have
the situation OF station agent and
signal fender Mt Baclly's Bridge.
The salary was a liberal one, con.
sidering the duties to be perform.
ed, and / was indebted for tho of
fer Of the situation to Mr.. Wayne
who was the personal friend of the
President. Ofcourse, 1 accepted
the proposition. i was in. need OF
employment and this place would
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