River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-05-24

"ohl never felt so done in all my
life as did when he said that. We were
within mile of the sea, farther than
ever from home, and my boy gone. /
just couldn't help it; burst out crying,
andJim stood by me, not knowing | sup
pose, what to do next
But pretty soon he gave shout, and
that was answered by another quite near.
| stopped crying and listened; sure
enough, there was the sound of oars and
the CLEAN of light through the fog.
Then l heard my husbands voice; l
called and he answered, that soon he'd
come up beside us.
Squire Greene was with him, and
they said they'd been out since seven
o'clocklooking for us But, where's Neds
was the first thing almost the Captain
said. So l told him all about it, and
begged him go and find my boy l sup
pose talked in wild kind of way, for /
heard Squire Greene saying they must
get me home first as quick as possible, for
| was cold and nervous. They would
take me to our landing, they said, and
then start out and look for Ned, and Jim
was to find his way back to Captain
Moore's.
"Well, they put me in their boat and
started, the two men pulling steadily to-
gether, and only stopping sometimes to
call Nedf But they got no answer.
never felt the current so strong here
heard Squire Greene say; one man
should think could hardly row against
it My husband didn't answer. guess
he, like me, was thinking of our little
boy out alone in the current.
so we went on for some time. / was
too worn out TO think; | only WAS con-
scious that my feet and limbs were get
ting almost numb with cold. There
seemed to be water in the boat, and the
two men spoke anxiously together in low
tones Pull harder, Wilson; she'll last
if we hurry" heard Squire Greene say,
and they rowed faster and faster. Sud
denly the boat bumped against some
thing in the dark. My husband held up
the lantern and exclaimed: Thank God,
he's safer / reused myself, opened my
eyes, and saw beside us our boat, and in
the bottom of it my Ned, fast asleep.
.'But should think it would have been
farther down by that time if it it was
adrift"
"Yes, but" said Mrs. Wilson, !" it was
stopped, and by what, do you Think
Why, a good many years before that
thered been little vessel wrecked in the
inlet I'll tell you, it was that very
wreck the Captain was telling you about
the other night, the time of that great
storm of 1856. Well, it all broke up, but
part of the hull was washed in past the
flats, and when the water went down it
stuck in the mud out in the middle of the
river 1t was covered at high water, but
at low water a couple of beams stood up
out of the water.
1t was always great bother to the cap
tain, as it was in the main channel, the
folks around here often talked of getting
it away somehow, but they never did, and
it's always seemed to me since, that 1t was
ust put there by Providence to save our
child. For, would you believe, the boat
had drifted down onto it and lodged be-
tween the two beams, not fast, but Just
kept there till we came up against it, and
it was the Lords guiding that brought us
to it, for they had been trying to keep
away from where they thought the wreck
was.
| "'Now,' says the Captain, as soon as
he found our boat was all sound, I'VE
must get right into our boat. Quick,
Mary he says to me, there's not mo.
ment to lose; this ones leaking fast; in
| minute she'll go down.
! Il didn't realize till afterward the new
/ danger we'd just escaped; but they hur-
ried to bring the boats alongside and in
/ the dark almost lifted me from one to the
other. Then Ned woke up, wondering
what it was all about, and had my boy
in my arms and my husband rowing
/ toward home.
We left the old boat there in the
river, and soon through the fog we saw
/ freight Squire Greene shouted all
rightr and there from the shore a real
1 hearty cheer in answer. In another min
ute we'd landed beside great bon fire,
and the neighbors were all round US.
When we got home it was twelve O'Clock,
and if ever / was glad to be in this old
kitchen, it was then.
"I've never been in boat since, even
in the day time; and misty evening
always brings to my mind that night in
the fog"
On going to my room that night,
looked from my window, hoping to
catch glimpse of the river. But the
moon had hidden behind cloud, and a
thick, white fog was spread, like clam
my shroud, over river, sea and land.
| In the dark cedar wood tree-toad
crooked predictions of coming rain.
| And kew that at the Inlet the bank
sedge was shivering in the rising east
| wind, while the water flowed silently
| through the darkness out TO sea, where
float the wrecks of vessels lost on foggy