Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-03-30

"Do let us bear it then, by all means"
"Perhaps you won't thinks its much OF
a story after all" Mrs. Wilson said, apollo
getically, "but it's something I'll never
| forget as long as l live. 1t was about IF
teen years ago, this next November, that /
got word my sister was very sick and they
wanted me to come over at once and see
her. She lived then nearly opposite our
| landing on the other side OF the river
maybe you noticed that white house back
among the trees. Well, my husband
wasn't home-he'd gone TO the village, and
1 didn't dare to wait till he got back. So
| left word for him that I'd be home for sup
per, gave the baby into the care Of the hired
girl and started across the river with my
eldest hey, Ned. lie was about twelve
years old. 1t was three o'clock then, and
| remember thinking we'd be back by tea
time. We got over safe enough, for Ned
pulled a strong oar and the wind was in
our favor. found my sister very low, and
l stayed with her Till near six o'clock, for
1 couldn't bear to leave her. But at last
we started home, for kenw they'd be ex-
pecting us back for supper.
w utu W. Ndult buA VI AhN hph9O hhS'N
was such thick fog we could hardly see
an arms length before us. II it hadn't
been for my baby I'd have turned back
as it was, wanted to ask one of the neigh
bors to go over with us. But Ned wouldn't
hear to it he insisted he could row back as
well as not, and If he pulled steady it was
easy enough 10 keep straight line across.
50 we got into the boat and was pushed
off,"
"What sort OF a boat was ii ~ | asked.
"Why one of those little fiat -bottomed
boats, you know. I never did like to get
in one of them, they tip over so easy.
Well, at first | could see Ned rowing
steady, but the fog seemed TO grow thicker
and thicker, creeping up from the sea, till
| il had spread over the flats and wrapped
round us so at last could not even make
ont the outline of my boy. For a while
we talked little, but amer that just sat
still, thinking of my poor sister.
~ guess nearly an hour must have passed
when noticed Ned was rowing slow and
sort of irregular-I could tell by the sound
Of the oafs-and asked him If he didn't
think we was near home.
"'We'd ought 10 be, mother says he,
aud knew from the way he spoke he was
tired and worried. He stopped rowing
now and stood up in the boat.
az can't make out the shore, can your
says he but l couldn't see anything but
the blackness all around. l could hear the
water tapping against the side Of the boat
and the noise of the breakers-and they
weren't very far away-that frightened
| me.
"Then Ned began to row again, but as If
he was tired and discouraged, and soon
stopped.
az can't row any more, mother says
he, the tides against us. ] don't make an
inch, and l can't find out where we are
You'll have 10 rest and then try again,
Ned, says /. IF could help you row I
would, but you know can't. Just try a
little more, and we'll soon get TO shore
He didn't answer, aud we sat still but
knew by the motion we were drifllng. /
knew, too, that 1t was at ebbtide, and
there was strong current towards the sea.
You've noticed, haven't you, what a strong
current there is in some parts Of the rivers
"Ned, said, after a few minutes, try
ing hard TO speak cheerful and not let him
know how anxious felt, you must make
one more effort, few pulls will surely
bring us 10 land. So Ned took the oars
once mole, and pretty soon, 10 our great
relief, we felt the bottom Of the boat scrape
against the sand, and another stroke Of the
oars brought us TO land. Ned got out and
began to haul the boat up, but immediate
ly cried out: 1T amt our shore at all |
declare if we ain't by Captain Moore's {!
That was few rods below where we'd
started from. The boat had turned round,
most likely pulled about by the current,
and here we were, farther than ever from
home.
"What TO do 1 didn't know. Ned was
tired out, md l was afraid to venture with
him alone again. At last 1 proposed that
we'd try and find our way 10 Captain
Moore's and ask some one TO row us over,
and this time Ned, poor child, was glad
enough to do it, We had some trouble to
find the path that led through the woods.
However we did get on ii at last, and fell
our way TO the house. Captain Moore was
out, but Jim Lewis, a young man who
work ed for him, was there, and he agreed
TO take us across, though Mrs. Moore want.
ed us TO stop there all night. And, indeed
I'd have been tempted 10 stay, for fell
DIRE adfnl nervous when 1 thought of the
dark aud the fog and the strong tide, bu
my baby was always in my mind-I keP
thinking he must be crying for me-and o
course I'd have risked anything TO 60 tC
him.
at was about eight when we left Moore's
When we got to the river Jim said he'c
take Captain Moore's boat across TO CONF
back in, and proposed, as ii was more com
Portable, that 1 should get into it and wee
tow ours. So we started, our boat fastened
behind, with Ned in it, Jim hadn't beer
here long, and didn't know much abou
rowing, and neither of us thought how
much harder that would make the pulling
It's queer Ned didn't think of II, but
guess he was too tired.
"As | said before, 1t was ebb-tide aud thu
water rushing out to sea very fast; neve
> saw such black sky, and the fog tina
thick it seemed as If you couldn't breathe
As we put of from land once more, anC
went out into the darkness, remembered
all I'd heard about people being lost in th
: fog. I thought of my husband and baby
and my sister, and a horrible feeling cam
over me that I'd never see them again
= And all the time it was getting damper an'
, colder and blacker.
! "'We don't seem 10 keep a straight line,
jim said, aner he'd been rowing wha
: seemed a long, long time. The other boat
or the tide or something, swings us roun'
4 so. We'd ought TO be near across, but th
f waters as deep as ever knew, thoug
l didn't say so, that we were not goin
across, for heard the sound of the sea, a