The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1875-02-04

] out in the open cir on the free glad
waters Of the bay.
Heaven knows tried to stay home
with them, but Captain Jack would
have me 90. 1 was afraid to openly
rebel, because-well, because 1 did
not cafe to breed devil in that dor.
mant but powerful brain.
Thus / was tied, rendered helpless
by the honesty and confidence of
Jack, the Innocence of May, aud the
ungoverable passion Of Ralph. I be-
came victim to all these terrible
agencies for evil, without being able
70 think OF a plar for ameliorsting ng
them. stF EEfEs
suddenly and without any pre-
vious warning, the knot in this tangle
became unraveled. There was only
one way out OF this whirlpool, and
Ralph proposed il himself
he came to me one night, pale as a
spectre, and said, in hOsrse whisper,
that we must 20 out at daybreak.
SEQ !' said, "GO where-tO the
city ?"
ITO the city-the deviI--to the
/ farthest ends of the earth :" he cried,
raising his hands in spasms of agony.
! / said no more, but packed our port
manteaus and got to bed, while poor
Ralph walked the floor till morning.
With the first beam Of the sun came
the cry of the baby in the adjoining
room, and Ralph came,over To the bed
"If it hadn't been for. the child"
he said, and paused.
"Well thank God then, for the
child, Ralph" l said. "You'll say so
yourself some day."
Wewere aboard a steamer the next
week bound for the Spanish Main.
From thence we sailed for Egypt /;
and Heaven knows where the restless
soul OF my eomrade had not drawn me.
At last he came to me himself.
"I'm hOmesick, Hail." he said.
s'Lst's go back to America"
| Useless to descant upon my rapture.
/ was the most disguised and WORKOUT
pilgrim that the world had ever seen.
There was no peril for US by land
or sea till we reached the Kill Won
KuH. To get to the dear old mansion
where abode the dearest old Quaker
lady that ever was moved by the
spirit TO have such son as Ralph, We
had to take the river boat. And now
the sun was setting over the familiar
hills, the waters of the bay all aglow.
had reason to hope that ia an hour
we would be safe.
But just then Ralph started to his
feet. [ had hoped he was asleep (;
but there was slumbering light in
his eye that told of broOding and dis
content. Come" he said, "before
the light dies quite away must have
one look at the shOre.n fF ltE3iF
p. Ralph p cried, ''donPtlI ask it of
you ~ II liHii VIII
But he was halfway up the stairs
not the stairs we had descended the
others, the one that led to May and
the child. 1t was destiny. They
stood by the pillar in almest the same
attitude as when I last saw them.
Ralph, in mounting the last step,
tumb bled forward.
'I beg PARDON" he said, and then
remained, with mouth agape and
staring eyes, looking at the woman
and the child.
She said not word. It will be re-
membered that she had seen him be-
fore.
He staggered forward. "May," he
sid,-"Why, May ~ then put his
hand to his head in bewiiderment.
She still remained speechless but her
lips trembled and her hands left the
shoulders of her child and unconsci-
ously extended themselves to him.
"Yes, yes,' he cried. "Oh, come to
me :" He drew her to his side, devour-
ing her with his eyes, while her own
fell-fell, filled with tears, under his
burning gaze.
At that moment there was cry of
terror, q rush forward-too late. The
child, vino had climbed unnotieei on
the taffrail of the boat, fell overheard
into the darkening water.
May struggled from the arms of
Ralph, and would have thrown her
self after the child, out 1 caught her
and held her tight, while Ralph
plunged after the boy.
Hundreds of people rushed to see
the train stopped on the bridge; sort
of paralysis settled upon all, except
one little fishing-boat that one, i'm
PEELED by powerful strokes, went after
the swimmer and the child.
Once, when the little head-oh how
little it looked upon the big sIrging
wave went under, the hands of the
boatmsn seemed stiff with terror a
breathless second of despair followed /;
but Ralph was famous at swim ming,
and now his soul was in it. On he
went, cheered by the multitude. Now
the little head was seen again, the
long curls of yellow hair drifting up.
on the cold green waves. the tide
swept the light weight of the child to
the bridge and, just as it was sink
ing again, Ralph grasped. the little
waif, and went under with 1t himself.
Painting and exhausted, battling, all
clothed as he was, with choking
waves, he gave way at last, and a
huge groan burst from the people.
| But the boatman was now close at
hand, and, dropping his oars, sprang
into this gulf ofblackness that seemed
ready to devour them all.
But I saw the boatman's face as it
went down, and took heart of grace.
wasn't q bit surprised when he came
up with them both, and fOated them
with one arm to the boat, while with
the other he cleaved the waters that
seemed not to hinder, but even to aid
their old comrade. As the little boat
with its dripping cargo came straight
to our steamer some of the woman
sobbed and others laughed with hys-
teric joy, while many a strong man
could scarcely keep back the tears.
One emotional fellow near by pro-
posed, as a vent to his feelings, that a
purse should be raised for the boat
man, ~ s-. ~
"If it hadn't been for him the father
and child would both have gone I'M
DER" he said, carrying his hat
around. ss-t1
When they came to me for con-
tribution refused. In the first place
the way to my pocket was Obstruct-
ed by the fainting form of May, and
besides, it was ridiculous
YOU'D better give the money back
again, now that you feel calm mer,"
said to the emotional chap. SIT don't
look well to pay man for saving his
own child. Besides he don't want
any money. He's rich.n
'But we mean the boatman."
$50 do L"
"Who in thunder ia the other fell
low, then, that jumped of the boat
here ?"
"a passenger, that's all. Why, it's
nothing. You or /, or anybody would
baYe done the same thing il we'd
thought of it quick enough"
"Hum'," was the skeptical remark
of this chap, walking off with hat
full of money. fil+
Half an hour afterward the little
lad was huddled close to his mothers
heart; Ralph was lying back among
the cushions in the cabin; Capt. Jack
was close at hand, bursting all the
buttons off an overeoAt that the emo
tiouaI fellow had insisted upon his
accepting as mark of his esteem,
and looking at May aud the child
with all his honest soul in his eyes.
"Gracious God :" he said, going
over to Ralph, "suppose you hadn't
been aboard"
"And suppose you hadn't been out
with the boat ?'' said Ralph.
Suppose we look about for a solu-
ton to these things" 1 said.
We slept thar night at our old quar-
ters at Captain Jacks house on the
shore. AT sunrise the little CHAP was
at his old trick again, and cried out
from his sleep in the adjoining room.
I Ralph grasped my arm. "Fhank
God" he said-"thank God for the
child"