Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-05-05

eyes every time . wave comes In Z" he
asked petulantly. |" saw In newspaper
the other day an account Of . man clicked
to death by eating piece OF meat-do
you suppose his descendants will all for
swear meati Pshawl am going up to
the hill; want to see II there are any
sails il sight. shall not get shipwrecked
up there, he added dryly, ~ he drew on
| an old oil Jacket Of his fathers.
"You are Just like Tom"
Eyes DO have heard" he interrupted.
l"I suppose you wish was like Rob
"Ralph, Robert wasn't TO blame Il
Lulu was drowned. You do wrongly to
speak 20" she replied gravely, but with .
little secret thrill Of pride as her boys
| fearless spirit
"Wasr>t to blame! Well, II I had sis
ter, and the boat upset that We were In,
do you think I'd run home and wrap my
face up in my mothers gown and cry,
while she drowned! That's what he did,
everybody knows, and 4 say he Is . mis-.
cradle coward I" he cried, with flashing
eyes. 81 only wish ] had been there
such . pretty little thing IS she was !!
It's pity il wasn't him-the great baby |"
and he flung himself out of the room too
indignant TO make more talk about the
matter.
The wind increased momently, and the
spray from the incoming waves hung Ike
veil along the long reach Of dripping
sands. A hollow, hungry roar came up
and crept away behind the hills In shud
dering echoes. A limb from the great
poplar in the yard fell against the win.
dows with q crash just as Ben Anderson
drove up to the barn door.
sits the hardest storm we have had
these ten years-a regular old-fashioned
line gale" he said, coming into the
kitchen where his wife was trying to
coax the fire up chimney instead Of its
coming into the room, as 1t had for the
last half hour.
II am So glad you have got home,
Ben! |" she said, coming and laying her
hand on his arm.
He saw how white she was, and no
ticed the hand on his arm trembled.
"What, nervous, little woman" he
asked, smiling
~ was 80 afraid the trees would blow
over and frighten the horse when you
came through the woods" she replied,
with little hysterical sob. "And the sea
Just hear it!''
He is in the storm as well as in the
calm, Myra," he said gravely. But see.
ing how nervous she was he did not tell
her how near her fears had come to the
truth. A great pine, standing close to the
road, had gone. over IS he came by, just
clearing his head, and grazing the back Of
the wagon. One instant later and it
would have crushed him to death, and
Myra would have waited in vain for his
coming!
"Where is Ralph ?" he asked, looking
round, sudden fear that he had gone
down the harbOr Overtaking him.
II never saw such boy-unless it was
brother Tom. Why, he Is rugged up in
your old jacket, up on the hill he would
20. He thinks this is splendid this
terrible stprm--and wishes he was out
side I" she added, with shudder.
Heaven help those who are outside"
Mr. Anderson replied, soberly.
"DO you think there are any vessels on
the coast ?" she asked, anxiously.
"Thcy had been looking off with their
glasses from Coles Hill for an hour or
two when l left town. There was large
ship Just discernible In the distance. The
spray was so thick twas next to impossi-
bic to make her out. / hope she
managed to keep out to sea ;.with this
wind driving her, If she became unman-
ageable from any ca1se, 1t would bel q
hard look"
"Father! there's sail outside, and It's
driving in toward the point" Ralph cried
excitcdly, opening the door, which sent
sudden sheet of flame and smoke half way
across the room.
"Come in, Ralph" Mr.. Anderson COM
manded.
But | want to go down to the beach,
father. H.
"Come in, say" he repeated sternly.
Ralph shut the door and came slowly
through the porch into the kitchen. 1t
would not do to disregard his commands,
he had learned that thoroughly. His
mother he could "bluff off," as he called
1t, but he never tried it with his father.
"You could not stand on the beach an
instant in this gale, Ralph, and the spray
drives clear up to the windows-see y
And as he spoke 1t grew suddenly dark,
and the wind whirled the rain and spray,
and great handfuls Of green leaves which
1t had stripped from the trees, against the
glass, almost shutting out what little was
left Of the rapidly waning light
Ralph sat down by the window In 81
lence, while his mother set the table Tor
supper. Outside the storm and the dark
| ness increased till the long line Of beach
grew CHASTITY and indistinct. and Atful
shadows crept shivering through the rank
March grasses, like lost spirits searching
for rest. Suddenly the dull boom of q
gun broke with q slow, sullen crash
through the pauses of the storm.
Ralph sprang to his feet, and followed
his father to the door. The wind caught
1t from them, and lifted 1t from It's hinges
| In an instant. Mr.. Anderson drew to the
inside door as quickly 90 possible, but not
before the light had fared and gone out,
leaving them In ahsdowy sort of dark.
ness, that was full Of dim, brooding
gloom. Mrs Anderson crept to the win
dow, and listened with her ear against the
pane. Outside, on the broad stone step,
Ben Anderson, with Ralph BY his side,
listened to the crash, crash Of the minute
guns that came up through the terrible
rumble and roar. sometimes with startling
distinctness, and anon caught up by the
fierce wind, and tossed to and fro till \ fell
back into the sea. and was lost in its hoarse
diapason. The guns suddenly ceased, and