The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-10-25
THE ICE VOYAGE.

1 Jos ihptilCl. 1oU
shall have fire, and good things to eat,
noww shouted a chubby blue eyed
boy of it may be, twelve years, clad in
the humble garb of poverty, flinging
wide open the door and bounding into
a small comfortless apartment on the
third floor of dingy looking old wood
en- building near the canal in the then
village of Cleveland, Ohio. Come,
hurrah, mother, put away that slave
| work and go and get nice good din
| ner right off," continued the little fel-
low, approaching pale, delicate wo-
man, scantily clad in a thin dress, her
face pinched with hunger, and her
hands even then blue with cold.
Why, what do you mean my
child?" said the woman, looking won
derinRly up from her work. do you
| know l have no money to get anything
to eat, and must finish this vest be-
fore get even a stick of wood for our
fire. which is almost out?'
Nonsense, mother let the old vest
go to some poor woman who has no
stout boy like me to earn money for
her. You shan't work this way any
longer, mother. Look herew and the
little fellow flung down OH the table
his two hands full of half dollars, while
a Ioguish smile lit up his handsome
face as he beheld his mothers lock of
wonder.
"Why, Frank! Frank, my son,
where have-do you"
"A1i right, mother" interrupted the
boy, and down went another handful
of bright silver coin. "I'll tell you all
about it, mother. You see, | went to
get my pay from Mr.. Denison to-day,
for two months cooking on board the
Aurora. Well, be paid me twenty dol
lars all in these pieces, and then he
asked me if / would go FOR a month in
his new schooner for fifteen dollars
told him L would, and then when he
heard me tell how hard you lave to
work, and how poor and almost sick
| you are, he gave me teu dollars more,
and said yOu must get ano' ber room
and stop working SO hard besides, he
says if I'll stav all winter i'm the
schooner, and take care of her. | shall
have twelve dollars every mouth, % be
paid weekly TO you. So hulrah, moth
Or; We'll have big fire and nice din
ner, and-welI, Mr.. Denison is good
man after all, if he is a rich old bach,
as that crab apple old maid, Aunt Het-
ty Johnson. calls him"
"Heaven bless you, my noble boy ~
sobbed out the widow as she clasped
her arms about her child's neck, bowed
her head upon his shoulder and wept
for joy-jOy, not so much for the time
ly aid her son had brought her, al
though her heart was full of thankful
ness for that, as for the noble qualities
displayed by the brave little fellow i'm
remembering her, and bringing home
every shilling of his hard earned
wages, instead of spending it foolishly;
as too many boys of his age would
have done.
A month passed away, and again the
handsome sailor boy, Frank Merrill,
stood beside his mother i'm comforta-
| blo furnished room. in a more respect.
able part of the town, while the widow,
as she gazed proudly on her boy, look
ed full ten years younger and much
happier than she had done only four
short weeks previously.
A cheerful blaze was in the CRATE,
everything i'm the room was neat and
| eloquent of comfort, and the widow
| Merrill was really beautiful in her
brown merino dress and black slippers,
with her dark brown hair, so like that
of Carlo Dolce's st. Cecilia, parted on
! her classic brow and falling in wavy
masses upon her shoulders.
Fank thought his mother very beau.
tiful, and so did another person pres
ent. That was Mr.. Joseph DenisOn,
the boys employer, bluff, coed ma
tured, mOney-making bachelor of for
| ty-five, who, at the boys request, ac-
companied him home.
| "Mrs. Merrill" said Mr.. Denison,
"your son has been in my employ for
| the past three months, and l am so
well. pleased with his prudence and
general good qualities that, with your
permission, l shall be pleased to keep
| him all winter on board one of my yes
sells, which sails tomorrow for Buffalo.
| 1t is so late in the season that she may
| not be able to return this winter, i'm
which case you can have Franks
wages paid monthly or weekly or. i'm
advance, for such is his wish, and
should you need anything further,
your order on me will be honored
always"
The widow could only murmur her
thanks, and invoke Gods blessing on
the kind-heartei stranger whom she
had never seen before, and who, bid
ding her good might, left her alone with
her darling boy.
On the following day the schooner
Western Trade left Cleveland with a
full cargo of oats and COIN, bound for
Buffalo. That night there came on a
cold northeast snow storm, which
finally closed the navigation of Lake
Eaie for the winter.
A whole month passed without news
from the scheoher, and then when
every body had given her up for lost,
her captain and crew came back to
Cleveland with the report that she was
frozen fast in the ice some thirty miles
| to the eastward. and full half that dis
tance from land. They had left her
aud escaped to the shore on the ice; but
all they could say to induce Frank
Merrill to abandon her was of no
avail.
"No, will never leave her." he
said. al promised Mr.. Denison to
stand by and take care of her through
the winter, and will if live"
"God bless the noble boy J" exclaim-