The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-01-29


n place at the lkt moment through al
arrangement by which the widows only
son who gave way to him certainly suffered
no pecuniary los.
Short as WIS tue time since Edward
Tremayne had appeared upon the scene, It
had yet grown perccpiibly darker The
hull Of the wrecked vessel as she lay upon
the reeI-bOwsprit gone, masts gone, the
mere toy of thr waves, which broke over
her every in,tant-wls now barely dis.
cernible even to the practsed eyes which
were watching her from the shore and
the blue lights which she burned ut inter.
walls, whilst serving To render her position
more distinct, seemed to intensity the
gloom around by the contrast with their
ghastly radiance. The boat despatched to
her from the shore was lost to sight in the
black surging waste of water before she
had gone two hundred yards, andalthough
shouts were occasionally raiseJ that she
had been dlscened on the summit OF a
wsTe, tie positions which were assigned
TO her were rather artistic sketches of the
wishes Of the spectators than photographs
Of what they had actually seen. All that
remained was to wait patiently and hope
and Maud, who had stood gazing after the
boat as long rs it was possible to distin.
guish II in the surrounding gloom, sank
down in sitting posture upon the beach,
and covering her face with her hands, gave
herself up to her mingled emotions Of
shame, happiness, and anxiety. At inter,
walls one or other OF the women spoke
kindly TO her and offered her the shelter
oil her cottage; hut Maud only lifted hcT
head, and looked at them, apparently I'm.
conscious of what they were saying, and,
motioning them away with her hand, re-
manned there alone with her dread. Little
by little the surrounding circumstances
passed from her mind; she lost count oI
time gradually her fear gnined the pre-.
dOminence over her other feelings, until
her whole soul seemed to be absorbed in
an ever-incrcasiug agony Of expectation
and then, just us it appeared rs If hcr
throbbing brain could bear no more, as II
her consciousness were fading away into
the mere blankness Of misery, her anXiou,
ear caught sound, dimly heard aboye the
roaring Of the storm, which caused her,
numb as she was from exposure to the
cold, and crampcd from sitting so long in
one position, to spring hastily to her feet,
and with cyCballs which were almost ready
to start from their sockets in the intensity
of their gaze, to peer into the impenetRble
gloom which now shrOuded the stern fury
Of the waves In the scene upon the beach
great change had taken place. Darkness
had fallen, and the fishermen and women
were gathered around large fire, which
they had lighted with the double object Of
keeping themselves warm, and Of holding
out beacon to the absent boat. II was
large blazing fire, and as the smoke
driited away to leeward, and the red (orkcd
tongues Of flame shot slanting upward, II
cast strange lights and shadows upon the
weatherbeaten forms around 1t, and i'm.
parted to the scene weird and star-like
effect, But Maud was too preoccupied to
observe It. Her interest was absorbed in
one Ohject-the safety of the boat What
was the noise she had heard2 was It
merely the wall Of the wind, or was it the
sound Of voices from the sea A minutes
anxious pause, and then again that sound
issued from the darkness; and in another
moment the boat, bearing heavier freight
than that with which she started, shot
into the circle Of light east by tue fire. A
loud shout Of joy went up from little
crowd npOn the beach, and Maud, her head
swimming in deliriun of joy, staggered
blindly forward a pace or two, supporting
herself by the boat under the shelter Ol
which she had been sitting And then
and thcn-Great Heaven had they got
careless from being so nearly home, and
let the boat breach TOT We're all that
toll and courage to be in vain, and rcscucr'
aud rescued alike to perish almost within
reach Of their comrades on the shore I
Even as Maud watched, huge hungry
wave, with vast oyerhanging crest, came
leaning up astern, and hurting the boat on
high us Il it had been tiny morsel Of
cork, dashed it onwards, keel uppernost,
to the shore, leaving those who were late
its occupants to do sturdy battle for their
lives.
Hour afterwards, Maud, in her bedroom,
at Hinchclill, scarcely yet thoroughly re.
stored TO consciousness after her long
fainting flt, could get only one answer
from those around her, to her eager qucs-
tions-that her cousin had not yet re.
turned.
Up and down, borne now hither, now
thithcr, tossed on every wave that sparklcs
| In mOckery in the cold morning sun. even