Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-08-21

tilc SdllpdilS O1 western LOulSlduu, LOOK
little fishing craft. There was that fresh
purity in the air and the sea which fol
lows the bursting of the elements. The
numerous bays" and keys that indent the
shore looked fresher and brighter, and
there was that repentant beauty in nature
which aims 10 soothe us into torgetfulness
OF its recent angry passions. The white.
winged seabirds flew about, and tall
waterfowl stood silently over their shad-
ows, like picture above and below. The
water sparkled with salt freshness, and the
rowing winds sat in the shoulder of the
sail, resting and riding to port
The little bark slipped along the shores
and shadows, and in and out, by key and
inlet, seeing its shadow on the pure white
sand that seemed so near its keel The
last vestige of the storm was gone, and
the little Gulf.world seemed fresher and
gladder for it, The tropical green grasses
and water plants hung their long, linear,
hair-like sheaths in graceful curves, and
patches Of willow paid and palmetto, in
many an intricate curve and involution,
made a labyrinth of verdure. The wild
lovelness of the numerous slips and chan
nels, where never a boat seemed to have
sailed since the Indians water-logged
canoe was tossed on the shadowy banks,
was enhanced by the vision of distant
ships, with their sails even with the water,
or broken by the white buildings OF
sleepy plantation in its bower of fig and
olive and tall moss-clustered pines
Suddenly the traveller fancied he heard
a cry, but the fisherman said no, ii was the
scream of waterfowl or the shrill call of
an eagle far above dropping down from
the blue zenith and they sailed ON.
A gain he heard the distant cry, and was
told of the panther in the bush and wild
birds that drummed and called with
almost human intonation and they sailed
on again. But again the mysterious,
troubled cry arose from the labyrinth Of
green, and the traveller entreated them to
go in quest of it. The fishers had their
freight for the market-delay would de-
teriorate its value; but the anxious traveller
babe them but about and he would bear
the loss.
1t was well they did. There, in the
dense coverts of the sea-swamps, amid the
brackish water growths and grasses, they
found man and woman, ragged, torn,
starved For nine days they had had no
food but the soft pith of the palmetto,
coarse muscles, or scant poisonous berries,
their bed the dane morass, and their
drink the brackish water; and they told
the wild and terrible story of Last Island.
Last Island was the Saratoga and Long
Branch of the South, the southermost
watering place in the Gulf. Situated on
fertile coral island, enriched by innumer-
able flocks of wild-fowl, art had brought
its wealth of fruit and flowers to pericc-
ton The cocOanut-palm, e-palm, and
orange orchards contrasted their rich foil
age in the sunshine with the pineapple,
banana, and the rich soft turf OF the mes
quiLgrass. The air was fragrant with
magnolia and orange bloom, the gardens
glittering with the burning beauty OF
tropical flowers, jessamine thickets, and
voluptuous grape arbors, the golden wine
like sun pouring intoxicating balm over
it; graceful white cottages fcstooned with
vines, with curving chalet or Chinese roofs
colored red pinnacled arbors and sbad-
| owy retreats of espaliers, pretty as coral
grove; and fair, shining hotel in the
midst, with arcades and porches, and gal
leries-the very dream Of ease and luxury,
| as delicate and trim as if made out of cut
paper in many forms of prcttiness. Here
was the nabobs retreat; in this balmy
garden of delight all that luxury, art, and
| yoluptuous desire could hint or hope Tor
was collected, and nothing harsh, or poor,
or rugged, Jared the tullncss OF its luXu-
| riOus ease.
Ten nights before, its fragrant atmos-
| phere was broken into beautiful ripples
| by the clang and harmony. Of dancing
| music. 1t was the night of the hop"
| The hotel was crowded. Yachts and
pleasure vessels, pretty as the petals OF a
| flower tossed on the water, or as graceful
shells, banked the shores; and the steam
er at twilight came breathing short ex-
cited breaths, with the last relay, for 1t
| was the last of the summer season. In
their light, airy dresses, as the music
swan and sung, bright-eyed girls foated
| in graceful waltzes down the voluptuous
waves of sound, and the CLEAN of light
| and color was like a butterfiy's ball. The
uueeply, luscious night sank deeper, and
| lovers strolled in lamp.lighted arcades,
and dreamed and hoped of life like that,
the fairy existence of love and peace; and
so till, tired of play, sleep and rest came
| in the small hours.
Hush! All at once came the storm, not,
| as in northern ATTITUDES, with prcmonitory
murmur and fretting, lashing itself by
| slow degrees into white heat and rain,
but the storm of the tropics, carrying the
sea on its broad, angry shoulders, III,
reaching the verdurous, love clustered ~
| tie isle, it flung the bulk Of waters with
all its huge, brawny force right upon the
cut-paper prettiness, and broke them into
| sand and splinters. OF all those pretty
| children with blue and opalescent eyes,
! arrayed like flowers Of the field; OF all
those lovers dreaming of love in summer
| daliance, and Of cottages among figs and
olives; of all the vigorous manhood and
| ripe womanhood, with all the skill and
courage of success in them, not a 1.-THE was
saved. The CHASTITY nav Of the waters
| covered them and swallowed them. A
few sprang, among crashing timbers, on
| floor laden with impetuous water-the
many, perhaps, never walked at all, or
woke to but one short prayer. The few
who were saved hardly knew how they
were saved-the many who died never
knew how they were slain or drowned.
| 1t has twice been my fortune in life TO
see such storm, and to know its sudden
destructiveness once, to see low, broad,
shelving farmhouse disappear TO the
ground timbers before my eyes, as II Its
substance had vanished into air, while
great globes Of electric fire burst down and
sunk into the ground; once, TO see pine