The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1875-10-14
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Ont of the Foayn.

1
| It was in the dusk of evening and dozen
old sailors sat on the wharf, lookingS Hpo and
down the river and talking Of matters thirty
| years old.
''See tnat schooner, thcre?' said one OLD
yray-headed man, who has b,lffetel the seas
and braved the gales ever since he was lad Of
| ten. -
! He pointed to- top-sal schooner coming, up,
| and continued:
! ssLooks just like the Lucy. though mayhap .
! little more tim, for we didn't study lines and
curves in those days like they do now. She
| was called fast one in them times, and she'd
| have jumped clean over Long Pint if the old
| man had given her canvas and a fair START
| There wasn't any treacheryl about the lucy.
| lust where you found her, to-day you'd find
| her tomorrow | recken you've all been off
| Pint Betsey ina stiff breeze Well, you know /.
how the foam dies there. and how a craft dan
| ces like Il pea OF 4 hot Shovel. We'd give r
Lucy the big top sail and let her jump while .
| other craft We're bobbing along under reefed
fore and main. She'd jst get up n howl, you
bet, and the wliitecaps would wet the crosse
trees, almost but she never went back on us.''
| The old man stopped to clear Ills throat and
| then went on ~ b Q-ls II rI s5F.ei
| ''Howsumever, all crafts have their day. and
the Lucy's came at last. was mate of her
then, and one wild night she dipped her nose
into Saginaw Bay The storm struck lis sud-
den like, and tell you it w;sa rousey !! The
wind didn't bow-it Just screamed! The
seas cot their backs up purity quick, and when
we seed we were in for it we made things
snug and held her steady. Wild Why yo,t
couldn't see over the cabin roof from the
wheel for the darkness, and the lake seemed
as if old Satan was holding grand Charming
match. When her nose went down we 'spected
she'd never lift again. and when she began to-
climb we thought she'd shake every stick out
in her,
He paused to deposit more tobacco in his
pipe and after moment continued: .'sJ!ia
''She'd have lived 1t out if any craft could
That was the worst night ever saw on land
or lake, and dozen good vessels went to the
bottom or left their bones on the beach. The
Lucy held out for an hour and then went
down as if some one. had pushed her unller.---i9
There were segen of us, besides the cook, who
was III the bin praying a.ld groaning, and
some went doWE and some We're swept away.
guess must have been almost gone, when
got my head above water and found myself
tangled up with the foremost which rolled out
OF her as She settled. I don't know how I
cung to it all that long night, with the foam
churning around ME like yeast and flying thir-
ty feet over my head but when daylight c;fma
was there and aIive.'' E .f.i{a2.li,s - yieti
He stopped, sfivered little, as if the bare
recollection frightened him, and went on:
The storm was still bowling, and knew
WiS Il SCllGf. LII was III october, and Lake
Huron is mighty cold water in the fall. was
Citing weaker every minute, when. asI climbed
a big green wave. saw b:ig-the Charlotte
and Jane-not half mile away and coming
right down for me! She was rolling and
bouncing, and shet my eyes and gin up all
hope for how could she pick me up in that
mad sea? She bore right down. and when she
| hung right over my head heard shout from
the crew. They saw me, but another min
ute they were half a mile away, running like a
racer Fls,-l sie
| "And she lett you?" inqEilel one of the
group in whisper.
Every other craft that ever sailed would
have done il, = resumed the old captain, shut
| Captain Gray-God bless him WAS aboard
the brig. Shall l tell you what he did? He
/ jist shook out sail enough to handle her, and
| right iii the face OF that awful gale and that
mad sea he wore ship, made q long tack and
| by and by saw her coming down again You
don't hardly believe it, bit amt here to-
prove it? No boat could live in that sea. and
they knew it. They shearea right down so
close to me that her chains seemed to hang
over my head, and down came q noose. I'tf
been fixing II little. and was ready fer em.
got this right arm through the moose and was
| ierked hundred yards the first lick Right
here by the elbow the moose frightened. and
they drew ae abroad with my whole weight on
| this arm. Was clean gone, arm out O. socket,
this cash here on my face and broken knee
cap, but there was life in ese.'
| ''And the Captain?" queried one as the old
| man paused
up there! /" he replied, pointing heaven
ward ''Ile was rough. like most OF us, but
he had q heart like OK He died at Buffalo
twenty years ago. was there with him when
he went off, and while we was fixing the body
for the coffin there came a sudden flash like,
| ii hundred lamps were blazing ut once i'll
the room, and heard the recording angel OF
| Heaven call out: Captain Gray!' And next
minute the Captain answered: 'Ayel aye!e
And that's where he is.-DctroH Free Press.