Mower County transcript., 1871-08-10

nacK Toward inc SnOTG ana sa" NILS,
fields, houses, and orchards all blending,
growing indistinct, and fading away in tho
dim distance. There was u sense Of lone
ly, utter hclplcssncss, suddenly shadowing
their bright visions; and there was a
world Of pathOs in Elias SWEET, low
voice, rs she laid her hand g;Dtly upon
her brother's arm, and looking upinto his
eyes, lovingly whispered
"Oh, Walter, let Us 90 home; mother
would feel very bad, il she knew we had
come away out here"
Walter bent down his head and kissed
his sisters fair, pale cheek, us he Sail:
I'VE will go back home, Ella. | WAS
naughty to come oil so far from the land
But don't cry, sister; am very sorry
Don't blam: me- couldn't help it 10
love The sea SO much"
mo, we won't blame you, Walter, only
let lis hurry back; for see, yonder is ter
rible black cloud coming up in the west,
and am afraid if we do not"
Elias speech was interrupted by groan
Of anguish from her brother, whose eye,
for the first time, had been directed by his
sisters remark, toward bank of dark
murhy clouds heaving up in the west, and
at tho very instant that his eye res cu upon
tho black PAIL a Chain of brilliant. zigzag
lightning rose 4uiYering upon its upper
edge, and few moments later, there came
to their ears the low, nluttcrcd roar of
lar off thunder
The young captain had hauled his little
vessel by the wind. but the clumsy thing
lay broad off under her i'll fitted sail Be-
side, the wind, which she had scarcely
felt while running off before it, had now
increased 50 much thai she kerjcd over
Till there was great danger of her t;apsiz-
ing, to prevent which, Walter, assisted by
his sisters, set about recting the sail.
This was s,on accomplished, and again
the boat was steared as close rs she
would go, which at best was little more
than eight or nine points, so that with
her great lcc-way, Walter soon found that,
in spite Of his utmost skill, his boat was
drifting rapidly out to sea.
Nearer and nearer rolled ON the embattlcd
lcgious of black storm clouds; louder came
the fearful thunder crashes; more vivid
the red lightning's flash; wilder the
shrieking gale swept by, howl ng and
screaming dread notes of terror to the
young children in TIE boat The water
which in by the land was quite smooth
bcgau to heave up i'll huge foam crested
waves here and there all around them.
curling over and breaking all feather
white il long lines of snowy, Kissing
spray. Gi' at drops of rain came pattcting
down in the water, and pelting on the
thwarts and gunwales of the bout with a
sharp, clicking noise that smntc starllingiy
dismal on the cars of the little ocean wan
dcrcrs.
Young rs he was, the young captain re-
tanned in his mind much Of what he had
heard his father relate at various times in
regard to the management of vessel in Il
gale; and the knowledge which he had
thus gained in theory, now stood him in
snip before it in u sqlall, and of scudding
boat was his ship. The theory which he
practice; and when the first mad gust of
the yelling tornado fell upon them, they
were going off dead before the wind
o. herw ise the sail would have been blown
away or the b. ,at would have been swampcu
in an instant. As it was, it went dashing on
through the wild storm and screaming sur
gcs, scudding away, right out into the
mighty wilderness of waters.
Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes went by,
and still the war of elements went on in
all its terrible fury; and still the brave
little fellow stood at the helm, bare head
cd, his cap having blown away, his clothes
dripping with water, aud steady to his
puu pos, s'eercd his tiny barque ON and
away before The fierce, bowling storm.
Once, only, be faltcred, and that WAS
when the b',at Quivcr"d for a moment on
the crest OF d mighty wave, and then went
rcel;ng and plugging, standing almost on
end, down into the Kissing vortex of the
watery rayjnc. Then, a siuglc, quick cry
of horror escaped the young captains
lips; but the next moment Ella crcpt up
to his side, laid her hand upon his shoul.
der, and spoke in a low, soothing tone,
that almost instantly called back his CON
tidencc. and elected from his lips cry of
for his sisters hcroism.
"D"n't DC frightened, dear Walter"
spoke the little angel, Mother says that
God watches over people that live on the
sea; and don't you remember how often
our dear mother has told US that Jesus
loved little children? If God watches
over us, and Jesus loves Us, VIC shall be
safe. So ,lont bc sslrai>l."
Night -elak, wild and gloomy night.
cure down upon the world OF waters, and
still tho tornado RACES i'll all its horrors of
wind, lightning, rain and thunder; and
there in their trail open boat, VIC will
leave the haplcss lil'lc ones speeding on
and away right out into the very heart of
The broad Atlantic. We will lid them
good night, and glance back to their home
to their fond mother, rendered dcsolatc
IN heart by the dread calamity that has
aIl,il upon her in the loss of her chill
lrCn.
at the moment when tho children en-
parked, Mrs. Howard had glanced out to-
ward the cove, and for Il tcw minutes she
watched them with all mothers fond
pride, a, she SAW them sailing 10 ard fr,
N the quiet waters of tho little cove; aud
hen some visitor called, and she forgot
Ter children till just as the storm c.mc
lown, when II ncishbor came running in
he boat had been seen only few minutes
previously, several miles out to sea.
The first terrible shock almost killed |
lcr; but soon rally ing all her woman en-
rgy and mothers love, she rushed forth |
rom her home, aOd regardless of the
'urious storm, aroused her ncighbors,
md bcsought them with all the
,loquencc called up by the deep
anguish of her riven heart, to lend their
lid in the recovery OF her lost darings.
There was no vessel near, and to venture
tut to sea in such a storm with such small !
,ralt as were usually kept along the shore
II that vicinity, was worse than madness;
md So hume liAtc dispatches were sent to
he city, not only to the owners "i the
vessel commanded by Captain Howard,
)ut to the pilots, and within Il short time,
;wo of tho staunchest pilot boats, manned |
ny extra, picked crews of gallant souls,
we're speeding on their swift-wingcd
course in search of the lost children. Mrs
Howard. herself hastencd to the city, to
lrge with her presence and Influence, more
prompt action; but the two vessels had
been gone an hour when she arrived, and
so she repaired to the residence of Mr.
Winton, the owner Of the vessel her hus-
band commanded, to await the return OF
hose who had 50 suddenly and nobly |
gone forth in that mad storm in search OF
her darlings
Leaving her there in a state of fcvcrcd |
anxiety, hoping in the very teeth of
!csl:tir, VIZ. too, will (" forth into the
wild, yelling gale to look upon most
ublimc ocean picture.
1t WAS past mid gbt-dark as the
lccpcst, glounicst cells of an inquisitOrial
dungeon, save when tho vivid lightning's !
lash lii up The Ciinmerian blackness with
l. glare rivaling that of the brightest |
sun
Some eighty mics to the cast of Sandy |
|Iuuk, lay, hove to, d vessel, inward bound,
ia one of the most terrific gales that ever
swept along the northern coast OF Amer
c. The gale had set in an hour before
slmdown. and ever since dark the vessel
,, l,,,,,, !,,,,. f., ,m}nr tl,n rl,nrtaot pOcvi