The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1872-01-26
MtstellanRons Selections.
EBB-TIDE. E B E

EBB-TIDE,
A furious war of seething water
raging around a battlement Of hard
wet rocks; a foam-lashed cliff bury
ing its feet in an angry sea; and
long, white fringe of surf drawing
line across the blackness of th
night; a sweeping gale Of wind howl
ing through the hollow cavern
among the rocks, and a great shi
going to pieces on the reef outside
an old man STOPPING over some oh
ject which the sea had thrown pitt
lessly among the stones, and hold1ni
his lantern forward as if to see wha
thing it was he had stumbled ove1
"a little brandy, my good fellow!'
he shouted, trying to throw his voic
above the loud roar of the breakers
'It will do you good. I have il
Therer'
He lifted up the thing which h,
had found, and set in on rocl
which the sea in its fury assault
ted less mercilessly than others. b.
the lanterns light it seemed to be {
young man, strikingly handsome
but with well-formed, regular fea
lures, and with mass of brown hail
which lay across his face like drift
of matted sea-weed. He opened his
eyes moment in the glare of the
lantern, and then dropped backward
again in q swoon.
''No use," muttered the old man,
"He's most dead already. The old
woman will have to tend to him."
Like one who was used to such
burdens, he lifted the insensible wait
lightly in his arms and climbed with
him by the steep path to the top OF
the cliff above. A little cottage, built
far back from the edge of the rocks,
sent one cheering ray of light cleav-
ing through the clustering, inky
night, far out to sea; and towards
this the old fisherman made his way.
"Here, mother" he said, bursting
open the door with his foot, and de-
posting his bundle-for it was little
else now-upon a couch within
take care of this one. He's the first.
The vessels breaking up; there may
be more. Hot brandy and plenty OF
blankets will do it, I guess.
"Mercy upon us!'' cried the old
woman, "what a good-looking man
Lay him down there. That's it.
Now leave him to me, Silas Grant,
and go back and help the others.
I've resurrected more than one
young chap, and old ones too, that
was higher gone than this"
81 know it," said Silas. Where is
FIoraP"
81 sent her off to bed. 1 was
afraid some Of 'em might be brought
in here that even l couldn't resur-
rect, and there is no use in seeing
such things.
"Quite right" he replied, button
ing up his coat for another rally into
the storm. "Don't let her see him
either before morning"
Wrapped snugly in Dame Grants
warm blankets, and with hot water
bottles at his hands and feet, the res
cued man glided, almost without a
pause, from the unconscious
ness of death to the insensibility of
sleep. To him the bowling gale and
beating storm without were as the
wind and rain ofanother world. He
knew nothing of the drifting spars
and timbers and pieces of wreck
that came floating to the shore all
night; some with clinging cargoes
of breathing, yet half-drowned, life;
some with only a freight of ghastly
death; some with not even that poor
load, but knotted with ends of rope
and pieces of torn hankerchiefs from
which the owners had lost their
hold, and sunk forever in the boil
ing, foaming sea. He heard moth
ing of the crashing breakers on the
shore below, saw nothing of the bea-
con-fres lighted along the cliffs for
the guidance of any boat that might
be struggling from the vessel to-
ward the shore. 1t was not till long
that he knew the story Of
that dreadful night and of his own
rescue. Then they told him of the
dead mother whom the sea had hurl-
ed piteously ashore with her lifeless
infant clasped close to her cold bo-
som, and her long hair sweeping its
baby face; and of that other silent
story OF woman's love, where one,
when in the heaviest Of the surf, and
almost within reach of help, on look
ng round in the glare Of the beacons
md seeing that her husbad had lost
lold upon the slender spar that had
hus far borne them both, let 90 her
'wn grasp also, and followed him to
Ieath without a cry. Through all
hese things he slept in peaceful un-
When he awoke, it was to light
nd life. The first object that met
is opening eyes was one so unreal
nd beautiful that he doubted wheth- |
it belonged to heaven or earth.
It the window near his bed sat a
oung and slender figure, with faith
al frank blue eyes, bending over
ONE pretty work in worsted. Lovely
5 was the rosy beauty of her cheek, I
ct was it surpassed by the glory of
er long and wondrous hair, which
ropped downward upon her should
RS in the morning sunlight-for the
torn had broken with the day-in