The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1875-09-24
THE MARBLRHEAD E1sHERMEM.

the State of Massachusetts. none is, more.
essss; 5s s. St.SP AZ .s
town. of &fhlekead.. He 40 Essst'Ea f,ttf
u 'Frfomm the infancy sofzthe town. t.the;
Mar blehead mon havescast thair,, meta inn
te the: seas or, anchored their st4nch. craft4;
tsr away from land on the fishing banks.
and spent at least half Of the year on the
deep, AT the time Of tie revolution it
WIS The setond town III. the State for s1s1e;;
numbehhgiIAt least 1--WE thousand inhab.:
iitants!1 The standard. Of resistance Ito.
, British tyranny was raised, ard The fish.
,ermen,oi Narblehesd responded e 1ghe
salt uYith : stern enthusiasm. When .
nay was CREATED their tastes found an
out LIT Of more congenial mature, tbut mt.
Y he 6dtset they were obligedto serve on
land and Mesmere fierce and valiant ;fish.|
a,'s N*rs !l9Haa among tbs eoRtlp b ta
,cruit% who thronged to the front from the
leading, fishing towns zof Massachusetts,
eoloay:' At theNclose of tho pro6ricted
l'strugslcs more than one jhalf IL the i;habi
sitants; Of Marblehead ,werep widows and:
orphans: What more ELOQUENT testimony
fh?H tRis could there; be toaourage ,ana'
II Asher Tan, ,xs.s man i eann5a1tabls,
evenota' noagt, rs h.rdy,!:1| and ath1eetic
jtowns,hen for eig ,ntic. strength ana
conra ge traits, which shine out in his de-.
scenqqernpts, from one Of WHOM the writer
heard remarkable exploit OF his anees;'
tor. OF more than six feet in STATURE.
and otherwise hercnlean; proportions, j. he
was feared and; admired by: those who
knew him. Though gentle aid kindly in
his, ordinary moods, mis- wrath was ter:
rible v hen aroused by insult or injustice:
and had something of.tha{ Bersrrker,,
lierceness viii: gives sue h strong col.
oring to the songs ofthe old Morse scaids
and sag h.men: He had been a leader
among his fellows in the 'pefilo1s adven.
lures Of the deep and noaIess pressing
dangerslof the shore. ':sils;rY or: >4.t:,T
:, His fair wife, hut aifew years married,
idolized .her'hero.. and her heart, beat
I With error at: each p.artiinggg, though in
spirit (which has ever 'aaihiimated The Mar!
Ihlehead women, and gave occasion for
! Whittier 'to write his picturesquet"Skip.
per lryson's Ride 'rs She!knew, when he
sailed a way the king of the fishing feet,
| or mar ched, q to join. the continental
armies, that her husband would BE in the
forefront Of every danger. '1''' .-''i .h'
The soldier FISHERMAN Cannot finger
long in The sweet 'idleness ofhome, and
rest in the clinglng armssol wife and babes.
There is provision to be made for the long,
them for '''fi five 3;''d1 reary months, and the
1mackerel .catching feetsis ready to start.
"A bncc>. Taft's fishing smack 'saoored out
in the bay, jevery thing tuutsand ready, for
the two months of spoliation ;ol the deep,
and two hardy comrades have completed
their final preparations. Let us fancy
the scene of departure On q bright Sep
TENDER morning, as the waves smile and
laugh under'thv CLINT Of the beams of the
just risen. SUM-, The air: is tu|l of perfume
sweet ..,clQFer. and dainty aftermath
Of the upland meadows, the fragrant
breath OF kline, and delicate scert Of sea
weed, and fresh, wet sand. Martha Taft
kisses her husband for the last time as he
leaps. from the low jetty, at the Cliff into
his yawl, followed by his men. ;, -
'"rhee must keep good heart, my lass, .
he shouts, as the oars gl;sten III. the sun:
:''Wc'll come back again before .thoust all
the apples strung. Its not like goin' off
to fight the red-coats.'' 49,. ,*j.,,,.
Martha thinks ofother sadder partings,
and smiles gayly in return rs she waves
her red 'kerch;cf too stalwart fisherman,
whose huge figure looms UP in sharp pro.
portions, as he stands in his boat, against
the lev lrnys Of the sun, anxious to catch
the last view Of his wife, $685.,
After all, it was only as he said, short
absence, and there was no danger that q
tisherman's daughter, herself bred among
all the hardy associations, Of the sea,
should dread. Had she herself not sailed
away to- tho nackerel grounds, and time
after time been rocked on the bosom OF
the Storm and the deep? Ear from he,
thoughts was any such mischance as that
which was to inspire her husband TO per.
form a deed, one Of the most remarkable
in the chronicles of the! tiliSel s,!>t'.
1t would be special article to paint
in words, with the same spirited and pic.
turesque touch with which Norton and
De Haas put similar scenes on can vas,
life o. bourd' the tishing:aeet off th ecoast
Of Maine and Mas>achu<et ts., 4 The same
now as i. was loo years ago, We can easily
fancy the scene so realistic, yet 50 poetic
the stanch smacks riding at anchor
looming up IKE phantoms Through the
gray mist 'ay they; rock on the long, lszy
swell, or: dancing On wives that leap and
ex1:t under the fash of noontide, the
hoarseI cries that pass from boat to boat,
the wild life Of the seas tanned down into
shy bondage and sympathy with the hu.
man life: which builds a brief village over
Bat Abncr Taft ard his sturdy mates
though deeply land dumbly conscious Of
the beauty and terror Of the ocean, as al
men Of sea are, Rad other thoughts to alb
sorb them, Topertorm their WORK speed
'ly;, 10 catch and pack their sbSa't load 81
hnny fodd, which meant comfort and con
tent 'for'jth they loved was.the thing
|ltot he don't, that they tmix htoreturn anc
make mattsrs snug at home r. for tbs co Is
eommis}ions that 'avished money at home
while stalwart' men fought in the field, K
give ntinielv assistance 30 the families O
| absent soldiers. $50 the fishermen work
ed!on day after day. and week after week
through fair weather and foul, till thu
''catch was completed. j., ?, ,
The night Of its departure from thu
fishing banks, the little feet was-widely
;: Shattered by A>'stoim., tAbner Taftis
smack ~~as ufiren' out to sea before thu
galeI aud, NEARLY !ssafiereda wreck, Tht
Earrns o{ the tPmpsst b. ear
aS io1g dafk h22Hprf, 5 e ne ~ hu15 an e