Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1873-06-05
Fireside Department.
The old Fishermanis Story

A little bright-faced boy had
Just put a match to the kindling
woodzofthe CRATE, and was watch
ing the fame as it forced its way
through the cracking Goals, when.
half in thought and half aloud,
he said, s'wh6 would think a
little match would make such
big fregr
"Ah; yes, my little man." said
his father, "a little match, like
other little things, may do great
good or great harm, A Alrgood
Sapostle once said,l 'sbehold, how
great a matter a little fire kin
tlethr; And now, as our Ere is
burning, I will tell You a story
about little match, and the
good that, it did. s-a.
sFar away down ON the shore
of the Bristol Channel stands a
small fisherman's cabin. 1t is
just far enough from. the water
to be out Of thereach Of the great
waves that come rolling in from
the Irish Channel;and near it is
Il creek, or little river, in which
the fisherman used TO shelter his
Boat. Attic time of my story
the man happened to have left
his little cabin and gone to Ten
by. 1t was market day there,
and as the weather was rough
and wintry, he had stayed away
from home. 1t was desolate and
dreary about that house on the
cold December day of which / am
fspeaking. ABDUL. ,leaden sky; a
cold, keen blast. sweeping up
clouds of sand along. the shore;
the moaning of the sea-birds, and
the regular beat of the waves up
on the shore, formed the total of
the. sights and sounds on the
coast that day. "
= @Astrong wind-had been blow
ing for three, days, and all who
thought of the sailors at sea pray
ed God to keep him from its dan
gers. A good brig had just made
Il tbe entrance of the.channel, and
was beating up towards Bristol.
She had a captain, mate, and six
sailors for her crew. oTheir voy-
age had been a pleasant one, and
was now nearly over They were
thinking of their homes and
a. friends when the fierce storme
came on. The rigging was stiff
with ice, and it was hard to han
die the ropes or manage the ship.
The.men; did their duty, as all
true English sailors will do; but
it was in vain. The winds and
the waves, and the bitter cold
tvereto strpiig for them, brave as
4 they Mela, and carried fhe brig
steadily towards the shore. Soon
they heard a sound terrible to
seamen, it was the noise of the
!. ldeakers.- The captain called all
hands about him, and raised his
voice in prayer He prayed for
their safety, if God so willed it,
that they might have strength to
meet the fierce waves, and that,
if they could not be saved from
.shipwreck, they might be safe in
the mercy of God.
=.,g ,'@sIhe brig soon struck, and as
e she lay with her side to the shore,
the water for a little space was so
calm that the small boat was
safely launched, and every man
seated in it. But, alas! before
they could reach the shore a
great wave struck the little boat,
and the-poor men We're east into
stbe boiling sea. -Four of them,
with the captain, reached the
land, and though scarcely able to
move, dragged themselves for
e ward to find shelter They
E raised a shout when they came
in sight of the little cabin; but
alas! there was the creek be-
tweenit and them. s:We must
go through or die" said the Capt.
and after a. great struggle, in
their tired state. they reached
the other side; but the brave
captain could ago no further. |
sLeaye me, my meh,". said he; |
"get help for yourselves, and then
come back if you cam The, men
:. gained the house, but were hor-
rified to find it7empty. One man
only took heart, as he looked at
the fireplace and the wood near
it. But, alas! there was neither
flint nor steel to strike a. light. |
A moment he stood in agony;
but as he raised his head he saw
upon the rude mantle small box
marked matches With trem-
bling haste he.seizedit, and found
one little match! Here were
four sailors; a little way off lay
their brave captain. All their
lives depended, one might say,
upon that single match. If it |
failed all must die; for cold and
hunger were fast doing thier work |
upon the poor men. With a
trembling hand and silent
. prayer he edrew the match; and
as the little feeble flame broke
out, "Thank Godr' burst from
the men. -
K. ''They soon managed to make
the wood catch fire; and as the
blaze shot up. the glare brought
relief to the poor captain, who
lay on the beach too weak to
crawl. t... ....-a.
go 1.-The feeling that now he
should be saved helped to keep
him alive. When the sailors
came to where he lay he was
nearly home; but they carried
him in, and gradually he reviv-
ed. s.---rl ..7.o.-
.6z"Remember how much good
thing that seems so insignificant
as a match can do.n H. %