The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-03-29
rorf1y 1AnA COUNTY, I0W rlzuRsDaY MARCH .. 1877.

6eeakeiijs md they weren't fsr sway.
y That frfghtened me. IA
TheA Ned began 10 row a9aih, but q
&if be Mas tired and discouraged, and aoon
Il N4pped. 80 81.
- I can't row any nlors, mother SAYS
Ee, the tides aesinst d. s. don't make
IN Inch, and l can't And out where We
4re.' You'll have to rest, and then try
Rgain, Ned, says I. : II 1 could help you
row I would, but you know can't. just
Etry . little more, and we'll soon get to
Eshore.' He didn't answer, and We cat
3Afll but knew from the motion OF the
Pat that we were drifting. knew, too,
nat It was ebb,tide, and there was strong
entrent tox aid the sea. You've noticed,
iAAven't you, what strong current there
b In some parts OF the river!
"s Ned l. said, after few minutes,
| trying hard to speak cheerful and mot let
him know how anxious felt, you must
make one more effort; few pulls will
surely bring us to land. So Ned took the
oars'0hce more, and pretty soon, to our
! great relief, We felt the bottom of the boat
scrape against the sand, and another
stroke Of he oars brought us to land. Ned
got out and began to haul the boat up,
but Immediately cried out: It amt our
shore ct ALL declare if we aia't by
Capt. MooFe'sl That was : few rods be-
low where we'd started from! The boat
hsd turned round, most likely pulled
about by the current, and here we were,
farther than ever from home.
What to do didn't know. Ned was
L md Osvt dvnA Il -,
with him alone again. At last proposed
that we'd try and find our way TO Capt.
Moore's, and ask some One there to row
rs over, and this time Ned, poor child,
was glad enough to Go it. We had some
trouble to find the path that led up
through the woods. However, we did
get on it at last, and felt our way to the
house. Capt. Moore was out, but Jim
Lewis, young man who worked for him,
was there, and he agreed to take us across,
though Mrs. Moore wanted us to stop
there all night And. indeed, I'D have
been tempted to stay, for felt dreadful
nervous when thought of the dark and
the fog and the strong tide, but my baby
was always in my mind-I kept thinking
he must be crying for me-and of course
I'd have risked anything to go to him.
"It was about eight when we le1e
Moore's. When we get to the river Jim
said he'd take Capt. Moore's boat across
to come back in. and proposed, as it was
more comfortable. that should get in it,
and we'd tow ours. So we started, our
boat fastened behind, with Ned in 1t. Jim
hadn't been here long, and didn't know
much about rowing, and neither of us
thought how much harder that would
make the pulling. It's queer Ned didn't
think of it, but l guess he was too tired.
GAS / said before, it was ebb-tide, and
the water rushing out 10 sea very fast;
never saw such black sky. and the fog
that thick it seemed as If you couldn't
breathe. As we put off from land once
more, and went out into the darkness, /
remembered all I'd heard about people
being lost in the fog. l thought of my
husband and baby and my sister, and q
horrible feeling came over me that I'd
never see them again. And all the time
it was getting damper and colder and
blacker. ~
"sWe don't seem to keep straight
line,' Jim said, after he'd been rowing
what seemed long, long time. The
other boat, or the tide, or something,
swings us around so. We'd ought to be
near across, but the waters as deep as
ever l knew, though didn't say 30,
that we were not going across, for heard
the sound of the sea, at first very faint and
far off, now getting louder every minute,
in the current near the mouth of the river
and carried out tD the breakers. such .
thing mas happened.
"Well. for perhaps half an hour, neither
of us mad spoken, but I was SO frightened
I'd almost forgotten about our boat, when
Jim remarkcdit was easier pulling than
before. Then all of sudden he stopped
rowing, leaned past me, and felt in the
stern Of the boat, then made an exclama-
ton as if scared. What is it?' says /,
somehow knowing right away what was
the matter. i thought sO-the boats
loose, by George, and the Lord knows
where she is now!' ~
ut seemed as If that was too muchl /
felt all confused, and Think told Jim
that he must find my boy-he must turn
back. If only knew which way to
turn back says he, and began halloOing
and calling Ned. But there was no
answer.
IL can't remember what did or said /;
when think Of that time the same dread
full feeling comes over me that had then,
when my boy was drifting out alone in
that little boat to sea. / thought he must
have got beyond hearing before we missed
him, and there was no chance that he
could row against the tide, tired as he
was. Then Jim began to row again, but
in an uncertain sort of way, stopping
every now and then TO shout. Once we
thought there was an answer, but after
that we couldn't hear sound.
"At last he gave up calling. and felt
then there was no hope of ever finding
Ned or getting Ashore. Jim said he was
going to try and get me safe home first.
and then start out again with my husband
and other men to help him. had TO own
that was the best plan, but it made me
shudder to think what might happen to
Ned in the meantime. don't know how
long it was after we lost the boat-it
seemed like hours-but at last we touched
shore.
"Oh how glad was! Jim landed and
walked little way; then he came back
and said be thought we were near the head
Of Sandy Point"
How near was that to your home ?"
asked.
aWhy," continued Mrs. Wilson. it's
on this side the river, q mile or two below
here. | was thankful to be even that near
home, and I told Jim we'd better leave
the boat and walk along to the shore to
our landing, and 50 to the house. Il was
| long, wet walk, but was willing 70 try
it, So Jim pulled the boat up, and We
started, a. We supposed, toward the shore,
keeping close to the waters edge to guide
us. But pretty soon the ground began TO
get very soft. and Sandy Point is all
pebbly and hard. Jim got down on HE
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