Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-12-30

The searoen echoed his cries.
The two young Englishmen, compre
bending their peril. elasped hands in 81
lence.
For tho next few minutes it seemed that
a Pandcmonium reigned.
Then n noise like the report of O cannon
suddenly doomed through the storm and
the darkness. The little vessel shivered,
staggered. aud careened upon her side.
She had struck upon q rock.
moment later crew and passengers
were struggling i'll the waters.
few moments OF bufetings and toss
| ings, Of vain struggles and agonized, in
voluntary prayer, end then Jasper Lowder
felt his senses slip from linn, and became
unconscious.
When he came TO himself, he was living
upon q rocky beach of the Siciliah shore,
sore, bruised, and weak as child.
He opened his eyes. The wind had
spent its fury, aud now moaned along the
coast with desola,e, despai ing wall. The
waves beat against the rocks.
| Lowder struggled to his elbow.
Wrecked I" he muttered. 81 am cast
ashose, ;while tho others are drowned!
Oh, this is terrible l have lost my best
friend to night !"
He moaned and wrung his hands.
she is dead, who would have done 30
much for me, and 1 so wCr bless am saved !
|
must be resigned Low"
! At that moment he behcld dark object
at little distance in the water. The
waves hurled this object against the pro-
iectirg head of suuken rock. At the
same same instant Iowder recognized it
as the body of q man.
He crept toward it, and the waters
dashed the body on the shore at his feet.
He put his hands on the face. How cold
aud wet it was It felt like the face OF a
dead man Lowder's fingers came In con-
tact with the soft, silken moustaehe, and
he knew that the body was that of Guy
TresSilian
i Of the five who had stood on The sloop's
deck half-hour earlier, these two alone
were left. The captain and his crew had
found their deaths among the cruel, yawn-
ing waters.
Lowder thrust his hand under the waist
coat of his friend. but he could not per-
ceive the beating of his heart Despair
took possession of him.
"Dead - he said shrilly. dead And
he would have done sc much for me if he
had lived And his father and the young
girl be was to have married will wait II
vain for his coming His place az Tres
silian Court is empty. Who can fill it 2"
, It seemed to him that some demon OF his
r side echoed the question Who could fill
The place left Udcnnt by noble Guy Tressiiian?
. A thought came to him-a thought SO
strange and sinister that he shIvered in
voluntarily. Again he felt of Tresslian's
, heart. It gave no throb against his hand.
He passed his hand over Tressilian's head
and discovered gaping wound In the
skull The hair was clotted with blood.
Q Putting his hand into his breast pocket.
e Lowder drew ont his little water proof
match safe. lie opened it with trembling
fingers and struck a light. The red flicker
danced on young Tressilian's face.
How ghastly and terrible it looked The
ewes we're closed, the smile was gone. The
I seal of death seemed set on the noble fea-
lures.
b Iowder examined the wound. 1t had
J, been made by contact with the sharp rock.
and even Lowder perceived its terrible
l character.
q eff he is not dead, ho soon will be, he
8 muttered. His brain has received an
: awful injury. He will never know who he
y is again. He won't live till morning, and
y he is perhaps dead already. Ho must he
d dead !"
o AGAIN j: seemed TO him as though some
'r demon echoed his words.
6 Tue match dropped from his fingers into
= the water. For little while he croucbed
o on the wet stones in silence, battling 1t may
y he with the better and nobler instincts OF
= his nature.
r. At Lost, with sudden and abrupt STEALTH
10 meas, his hands stole into the breast pockc'
q Of Tressilian and drew out his private note
book, packet OF letters, a few trinkets.
e He secured these among his own wet gar
ments. Their possession seemed to giVe
le him courage, and bis face hardened, and
: he knelt beside tho body of his friend and
" rided his garments of all that they con
l tanned. beBtowing bis plumber on his owl
I'd Then lie took his own purse, his note
u. book, IL few receipts and trihes from hi
own pockets, and put them IN the pocket
J" Of Tressilian. :,
cit is done!" he whispered TO himself
n looking with wild defiant eyes through tn
~ ~ darkness. ono one is harmed he
NJ dead. Ii he had lived, he would have pro
Id vided for me. As he is dying or dead.
RS must provide for myself. This likeness be
y. ttDeer as aCiN make my fortune. His friend
g. will DO spared terrible grief. and /
~ shall live at last ! Fortune gives me
IT chance to gain name and wealth st on
i lucky stroke y
RS A. if to give himself no chance for re
'" pentance, he arose to his feet and turne
Dg his searching chances in an inland dlret
~, ton. A light, as from cottage wlndo"
glimmering family through the thick haze
- caught his gaze.
up Raising his voice, he called loudly:
, Help Ho, there help J"
The wind had abated, and bis cries ran
IN out through the night with startling dis
u tinctnese The light he had seen move
'as and disappeared. A minute later, answer
g ing cries reached Lowder's ears. and h
81; heard hasty steps, ana saw tho approach
llo ing light of a lantern, borne aioft by
We mans appraised arm.
IN "This way ?" shouted Lowder. IVY
are wrecked on the rocks For the Low
er of Heaven, hasten ~
,er The bearer of the lantern. attended D
20 q male companion, came running to hin
TT and wss soon at his side. The lanter
vaa bearer was rough Sicilian fisherman
or' grade above his class. His com panlo
biv was also Sicilian. but evidently OF some
hi. what higher degree. Both were all e1cl''
~, ment, astonishment and sympathy,
Use III as 10" WTluG 10 rlr oi and called O.
of Inc story OF Ine 5it;"r &c his noble youn