The herald. (Smyrna, Del.) 1870-1871, 1870-12-17
For the Herald.
Scraps from n sehOOimastcr's Desk.
NUMBER TWO.
The Dying Messenger BOY.

IT am dying" Such was the sound
that broke upon my ear. Dying? Yess.
he was dying. War; rude, unmerciful
iemp.-t swept over Mobile Bay. ;'arra
gut's pennant waved from the peak. on
war. Ia victory; and chrered tie dying
messt niger hoN, IA he lay on t,e quarter
III" X Oi the sl"np-0f.war Lickaw anna;
while lis life current ebbe,i aud flowed,
carrying with it hie's bark upon lts
dsr> waters; his lips muiler"d, Mother,
farewell; am dying and as | heard
thar muttereh sound tn night of his far
dist ut home. His lile-l knew il; for it
was an oft-repedted story, told me i" ex-
chyuge for my own. tear dashed
down my W, ather- beaten cheek. IL was
hut for moment. dashed it away
and stool o. lower tn catch his dying
message. ''Tell them to forget me. l
,iied un foreign seas" Those woriis still
ring in INV ears. His story knew too
we'll. In a foreign land, far rom home,
and cut dowr so 500, only fifteHn-y t
0y,ng. Ah. perhaps that mothnr Was
saving her oli-repeated morning prayer.
and praying for her runaway sailor boy
W ~ had leli hir home of plenty, 10 fol-
low the hard, rough, perilOus life OF n
sailor.
A young, ambitious boy. reared
amidst pie nty. he wandered one da'
down among the shipping. scanning
with eager ere the sailors in their vari'
GUS motions Of loosips sail, weighing
anchor, and getting under way. h'
wanted 40 he Al ssilor; aud WHEN disap
pointed ly "A rJugli refusal of ms appli
omation for tho berth of cahin-boy, IA
tr..o again; and th- xt week !ount
hin., sick at heart, on on the broad Al
,sniic. SAILING /" foreign 'andN' An. how
he Wished he lind taken that mother
ndvice. ijui ton iiruud Ia retur'' aid "si
her rgiveness, ne cursed his steps, an
nr,ir N-d nn "a the uLfitt,d p'si'ion dis
conlcntmcnt had placed him.
Two yea ayeI he WAS unr at the mes
sen4er M.Nsu 81 tine Larkawauna. But Ia
Thoughts often reverted to that hapr,
J hnnte ainnnS the riffs of the Hnrksiii
coast' snd si5s77.s- ni ronira e
al III. old school house in "nerry fs"s
iand," the land Of his birth.
Amavttrr.. wears, ana no tidings from
home. And as we sat in the toi ecnstle
uiirn pntir.u 81 tta trick inA do"h nj
cuprr a.. He thought % ber-thal Tn"the
IA nforeign land, weeping ov'r her miss
n.r son. This was 80" thou. nj Ill"
u,.d. h.. eycliIs giiste on the meInora
hle 5,n DAY ui : ulu~t, 1861, Wi'e'' faira
pui. IaShr,. "a Ia m.iiii-t y. ted Inc VAN"
wrodDn a d ron walls, iriunIhanth
through Noble Ba. asst th" tro" M
i,.tt enchts of death Ia v!cto y. An'
~ hen the ship's bell strIck the hour o
midnight rhe shrill PIP of the hoa
swain. whistle called Ia" inid-w"tcl. =
We st,bd around The harvest of death
nj ing near an open port. waiting i"r IN
solemn words of the chaplain, I'VE com
nit the Gody of our beloved brother Il
the deep" y pray er rose from my lip
f,r IN httle friend md ship-nate, Will
III. p..le moon brams cast Silvery deaf
sm,ie. ami the toil,Tg bill sounded
) mourlifai requ EN- over the burial
tLeN VINO hut few hours before facet
" III. brave hearts the nov stained an'
sansLine deck; aud amn"g that numDe
SIT 10, ons v iiu WIS Unce Onr vi .ne lnes
singer t,oS o. Eafrasut's lirel.
Z. ROE.
SMYkNA, Del, Dee. 18th, 1870.