Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-10-02

When the Sunday morning lifted, the
masts were thick as musketoes al a lighted
window, all up and down the harbor. The
sky was dull as death. OFF over the point,
along by Niles's woods there, little PAL
ish streak lay, of a sort ola salmon color,
and with an unpleasant twitch across 1t,
like winking man, On account of the
swinging of the schooners, and the swing
ing of our neighbors, and the slope Of the
swell before the eyes, all Gloucester shores
seemed waltzing in horrid waltz and
what was curious about it, was to see
them waltzing to the time beat by the
Sunday church bells. They rang at half
past at the harbor, and could see folks,
like specks, stir through the icy spray to
90 to meeting. | couldn't help wondering
that morning if any of them said their
prayers for folks at sea. Not that we
looked for any mischief at that hour, and
who ever thought to pray for folks in
portf
1t blew all the morning and it blew all
the afternoon. The shippers came up
about dinner time, and says the mate: " |
wish l had the old lady ashore to day"
But-we could have got to China as we
could have got ashore-some three or four
boats leangth-on to the awful rocks of
Fresh Water cove that Sunday noon.
Yes sir it looks still enough over there
now, and green and soft, and kindly to
the eye; and the foam against the rocks
falls and rises in pleasant manner, much
like the muslin curtain, often think that
haugs in our big parior window. See how
Half way rock looms to day? And the
purple color that hangs on Norman's Woe
You should have walked up and down
Niles's beach and looked at Norman 5 Woe
on that Sunday noon, the 18th of Decem-
Der, 1859. They said it looked like the
mouth of the bOttomless pit and that the
pray rolled up like smoke.
BY > o'clock they q begun to 20 ashore.
\ brig and two schooners broke there in
the Sunday daylight before our eyes. One
smashed to splinters just above US here
She was from Mount Desert | forger the
name An old man and his three boys
went down. l could see them dropping off
like flies. You see the rigging froze 30,
and everything you touched glazed over
and slipped up. 1t blew all the afternoon,
and it blew all the evening
\ little to the fore of midnight. the
skipper sent Hancko below after the old
lady. Jib brought her up, and they tied
her to the mainmast with a tippet she was
knitting for her daughters children, and
almost broke her heart Griggs would
have her on deck and handy Heaven
nor earth couldn't tell, he said, what
would come next.
'' Good God says he if this goes
on we shall 20 down at anchor like baby's
raft -
To say that two-hundred-and-fif ton
ner just swashed sir, like the chips you're
throwing in this minute ant to say any
thing about it. TO say that we couldn't
tell one minute from another, whether we
stood on our keel or our mainmast. ant to
give you an idea. To say how the gale
put arms under US, and cutched us in. and
then stepped back an awful step or two,
over Eastern Point, and down with its
head, and buuted at Us, and up with its
shoulders and b listed us along, dead against
the rock, ant TO express nor to imply it,
To say that at midnight Of that SUNDAY
night, all hell opened under Gloucester
harbor, IS to draw upon your imagination,
sir but its the best | can do
Five minutes after l., the cry came up :
:. We've slipped our anchor " Five min
utes more and we were on the rocks. .sIfi
we don't swarmp before we've time to
break, " cries the skipper, there's chance
for rope, Volunteers for rope my
lads "
For folks were upon shore from the
village. and cries came up. and every time
The sound cut through the thunder. and
Pansies leaped as If she would answer to /
t,and rammed herself between the teeth
2t the breakers like 4 wedge
We looked at one another but no man
stirred.
Said Ben Bumper, Oh rope,
Said Jib Hancko slowly, '' | guess Ill 20. .
But the skipper turned round on him
says he " Ia 20 myself if it wasn't for
he old lady. Anyhow, | won't send you,
lib. Who'll hold ont the old lady if [ |
lon't get acrost?" I'm hold ont the old +.
adv" said Jib Haucko, slow as ever but
I'd rather 90 myself Capn'n Griggs"
Hold your tongue " roars Griggs /.
through the below OF the blast. s. won't /.
;end you # nobody goes, Jib Hancko II /
don't get aorost, You hold ont the old
ady, will you, Jib - e Ay, ay, sir" says
lib. And if do get acrost. you'll hold .
mt the old lady, will you, Jlb Shes to
come over first, you understand do you,
lib ?" Ay, ay, sir, seys Jib.
With that the skipper steps up and
Kisses the .old lady, before Us all, once on
,ne cheek, and once on the other. s. Good |
1y, mother - says he. But the old lady /
,nly wrung her hands and said, they'd |
spoiled Charles Henry's tippet, and she
was very cold.
Well, so Griggs set off with the rope.
It was an ugly job. Twice we thought /
le'd gone, and three times we'd thought |
le'd gone, and once the mate struck his |
wo fists together so the blood come from |
lis knuckles. The ropes parted ~ said |
le.
But next minute through the hellsh /
loise we heard the skipper's voice, and /
Jaw, through the thin and broken shine of |
anterns that folks held on shore, that the ]
.ope lay over, safe and sound
Now, would you believe it, sir, that af-
er that, that old creature wouldn't bulge |
IN inch L declare, it makes me feel bad |
o think of it to this dav Come,
MOTHER" says Jib Hancko, hurrying her
lp in gentle way, for we were terribly
strained and mangled, and no time to lose.
But she sat and wrung her hands-quite
,razed by fright and cold, and crying out;
. My sons carrying me to Boston. to spend |
he nter with my daughter He said it
cost me nothing My daughters !
children have got the whooping-cough."
Do our best, we couldn't stir her, hide
nor hair. Lord Almighty :" said Jib |
Hancko. But after that he held his !
-nnrne. He went and sat down hv the |