The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1875-02-17

| Young Of1cer was dfa"h' = " 't' III
was within five yards Of it, The. rop'
held him by ono Of its strands :,
This, going round and round, must
part in Il few seconds.
With clasped hands, and eyes
cleaning large and, bright, Bertha
Watched Herbert, her lips tightly
compressed, as if by the power of her
will alone she would prevent Lho rope
from giving way.
The STRAIN upon that one strand was
Tremendous. 1t cracked and snap
ped. but still held.
The first mate stand reaching fal
ont over the rail to be ,eady'to seize
! Herbert the moment he should be
drawn within his reach. The cap
tain had taken bovine hitch on the
end Of the main topsail halliards, thus
forming a moose, which he stood
ready to throw if the strand should
part ere Herbert was pulled to the
ship. .'.....r. .'-.,.,.
70 throw it now would, probably
'bc attended with fatal results. The
moose would strike the other rope
aud not slip down over. the young
man further than his neck, thus
straugling him .r@2itg = Z
Ncarcr-stiIl nearer!
Bertha could no" see her lover
looking up from the white, toamlpg
vortex, his eyes bright with the hope
Of being saved. uo was only two
Yards from the vessels side. The
first mate, leaning far over from tho
outside Of the ship, to which he had
lashed himself, could almost reach
him. ..., ",. d. y. ~. -,
L. "ThanI God! he is saved" tcricd
1lhc man, hoarsely, as he made "a
,clutch at Herbert's hair. ~ G1;
He had just seized IL few threads
of those bright locks-hc was EN-
deavoring to obtain n frmcr hold
swapping sound was heard, as tho
rope parted! & . :.
The man with the moose threw it
but it fell short, dashed aside by /
heavy sea, from Herbert, as the shiI
rushed past him. With q gurgllnG
cry Of despair, the young man driftet
, to lccward! - .s .1 ! =.
But not he alone; for Bertha, who
the moment she saw that the strant
must part had quickly fastened th'
end of the main-topgallant hal'iard
. about the waist, lad sprang braVei!
, into the mad waves, as the turns o
the rope which she had thrown. OF
the pin slackcned, she fast approach
ed her lover. a.... ..a r.f.., 4
Reaching him, when he was. abou
twenty yards astcrn, she threw ne
= white arms about him, and he Id hin
firmly. while the men on deck no"
hauled on the rope. :,
Although half srffocated by th'
raging watcrs-although her bcautl
ful waist WAS compressed by th'
strain Of the rope upon it, so that she
, could hardly breathc-yct, with he'
F., white teeth firmly set, her large w!le
f eyes cleaning like stars through th'
foam, her long wet hair sweeping th'
young mans face, her warm bosom
r beating against his own, the brave
/. Egir! still held firmly 20 her lover, de
: term;ncd to save his life! r. : = -
/, A; last the two were drawn to tht
ships side and helped abroad, amit
the ringing cheers Of sailors ant
, officers. .y..
I Hcr.,ert then bore into the cabi'
tho noble girl, who exhausted BY bel
eSertons, had nearly tainted when sh'
| reached the deck.
As he hung over her applying re
/ storativcs and kissing her again an(
: again, she smiled and said, gently:
"Havc ! not done something a
, last to prove how much | love you! J!
"You arc noble girl !" he answer
cd: "and I now understand you
. Another woman might have beo'
want to express her feelings TO me il
passionate language and with burn
/ ing cheeks; butshe would have stoo'
! hclplcssly by and seen me perish
You are. one Of those glorious crea
tures who arc dcmonstratire in actioi
IA thor than in speech !! "
+ !And so he still found her, when,
few months later, he made her. hi
| wife" . .....