The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1878-06-28

ACdIu HOIu HtHi. ne Hdu Deen SOiu
5 seeking in California and Australia, ha,
gathered comfortable sum of money
and was about to sail for his nativ
! shores in the good ship Columbia. H,
spoke no word of Alice, nor said any,
, thing about visiting the village. Thi
fact caused some surprise to the villag-
ers, but none to Alice She saw through
, the innocent little stratagem at once.
He wishes to take me unawares, and
has kept silent so long that l might 20
guess at his altered fortunes. Deal
Harry, we shall soon meet again"
Then came the news of the Columbia
She had been spoken by steamer, snd
was bound to neighboring port, which
she would reach in day or two. Even
now she might be off the village, on hel
passage up. From time to time through
out the day, Alice had climbed the
rocky bluff, and looked out to seaward
but without seeing the expected sail
Night closed in, dark and murky; and
ere long the sudden tempest descended
on the sea, and lashed it into fury. Anx
ious hours passed by, and then came the
signal-gun. The suspense became un-
endurable, and she rushed down to the
beach, where we we're already gathered
Father" she urged, "do not let them
perish without an effort Surely there
are enough here who will venture out
to save the lives of their fellow crea-
tures"
All turned look out to the immense
waves driven home by the furious gale,
and then shrank back.
Again came the boom OF the signal
gun, and we could see the doomed ship
driving nearer the fatal reef
| The sound seemed to nerve Alice with
desperate energy. Hastily tying her
handkerchief closer under her chin, and
gathering her dress up so as to impede
her movements as little as possible, she
turned TO her father:
Quick, father the key of the boat
house. You and 1 will so alone, if there
is no one here who will risk his life. l
do not want the shrieks of yonder poor
wretches ringing in my ears forever,
because no attempt was made to save
them"
AT this, we all volunteered, and the
life boat was brought out and launched.
To our astonishment, no sooner had we
got afioat, than Alice was seated in the
stern, with the tiller in her hands. Her
father demonstrated; but she was firm.
Il am neither afraid nor inexper-
fenced, and I cannot remain on shore"
Then, bending over to her father, she
said, in q lower tone: 81 feel sure that
yonder ship is the Columbia"
We all heard the words though not
intended for our ears, and bent to the
oars with increased vigor. In little
village like ours, family news was COM
mon property, so that every one in the
boat knew what interest she had in the
ship.
Alice Lester had been brought up by
the sea, and frequently accompanied her
father in his fishing expeditions. Her
mother had died whilst Alice was young;
SO that, being left in the care of her
father, her education had partaken Of
many masculine characteristics. She
could handle boat with as much skill
as most of the young men; and the kind
of life she led endowed her body with
physical strength, and her mind with
indomitable courage and coolness in the
face of danger.
1t was desperate struggle to reach
the ship. The huge waves spun rs
around, so that it taxed the strength of
Alice TO the utmost to keep the boats
head 10 the waves. Three times we
rested on our oars for an instant, in dis
pair, but each time we were spurred on
to renewed effort by the voice of the
indomitable girl. AS the moon occas-
ionally shone through the ragged edges
of rift in the cloud, we could see her
seated in the stern sheets, her face pale
and resolute, lips set firmly, hair flying
wildly from beneath the handkerchief,
and eyes fixed unchangeably on the
helpless ship toward which she was steer
ing.
All at once her white lips parted, and
she bent forward, as if to avoid blow. 1
was at the bow ore, and turned to see
what had happened. The ship was buta
short distance ahead of us, motionless
for few moments, and repeatedly hid
from sight by the huge waves that swept
over her from stem to stern. She had
struck on the reef, and could hold to-
gether in that terrible position but for
few minutes.
We pulled desperately; for there was
no time to be lost if we wished to be of
use. | could see Alice bending with
every stroke of the car, and her lips
moving in silent prayer.
We were almost close to the wreck
when a fearful shrek went up from it.
Every man turned his head just in
time to see the ship part in two, and
slide off into the seething abyss of wat
ers Instinctively we rested on our oars
For the love Of God" burst from the
lips Of Alice, who, pale as death, elasped
the tiller with both hands, and fixed her
eyes on the spot where the wreck had
gone down.
We needed no second adjuration.
Every nerve was strained to its utmost,
and few minutes brought us in the
midst of floating pieces of wreck, and
here and there human being clinging
to plank and spar and bufieting with the
death that rode the waves. Three men
were rescued from the yawning gulf of
waters, and many more went down IN
our sight without our being able to save
them. Alice eagerly scanned the fea
lures of those saved, but failed to find the
face she thought. Suddenly a voice
hailed the boat, from out of the darkness
to starboard. At the sound Alice started,
as if touched by an electric shock.
Bringing the beats head rapidly round
in the direction of the voice. she ex-
claimed.
Pull, friends, pull. for the love ofhcav
en-, That is Harry Norton
In an instant the boat was flying be
fore the storm. Not a man on board