The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-04-29

May tell you tO-nOrrOW, uear! Wnat
that? A signal of distress! Again!
again! Run in, child, run in! must
go and help, if help be possible. To-
morrow, Nell, tomorrow
He almost forced me inside the house,
put his arm round me, pressed kisses on
my aching, burning brow, turned and
ran down the cliff.
Mother came to the threshold, and,
seeing me tottering, put her dear arms
about me and pillowed my head on her
breast.
"You have been walking too fast,
darling; get your things off. That's a
shot from some ship in distress Poor
things! God have mercy on them this
wild nightW
How long we stood there don't know.
The storm came on in earnest; the sharp
claps of thunder and the vivid flashes of
lightning succeeded each other; down
poured the rain in torrents. The flashes
lit up the distance, and there, not far out,
we could see ship, and the innumerable
black specks fitting about, poor things,
in agony.
Louder and louder pealed the thunder.
could not rest there, so ] broke away
from mother and rushed down the cliff to
Sea View Had Ned not said he was
going to help? Breathless, mad with
love and terror, reached the Captains
house.
"Ned, Nedw l cried, when the door
was opened.
"He is gone" answered Carries voice;
"gone out in the life-boat with the
men"
"Gonew And like mad thing, / flew
on until I reached the beach.
"The life boat?" | asked of the crowd
of tiSher-folll standing there, all called
out by the signals of distress from the
ship.
dShe be gone out, lass. Pm most
afcared she won't do no good"
"The Cap'en's son, he's gone in her!"
cried one of the women.
knew it, feared it, felt it! 0, Ned,
Ned, come back to mel More rain, more
thunder. All, God help those brave fel-
lows! The lightning flashed and showed
the life-boat tossing about on the wild
white waves.
"She'll never weather it! Yes she WILL
God bless her! Another flash. Where
was the life-boat and her gallant crew?
And where? All eyes strained seward,
waiting for the next flash to light up the
course of the white boat.
Where was she? The flash came; it
showed The boat-keel upward!
O God, where was he-Ned, my dar-
ling?
My senses left me. I can not bring
back one moment after that, until |
woke to find myself in the little cottage,
with mothers loving face looking over
me.
DAYS passed, and still my mind wan
dered, and the scene of the beach was
quite efaced from me, until heard old
GUY Weeks voice ask mother at the cot
tage door, GLOW be she to-day, neigh
bort"
"Not much better, Guy, I fear"
"Ah, poor lass, she. loved the Cap'en's
sons my belief"
Then it all came back; and brought by
my scream, mother returned to me.
For many days | fingered between life
and death; then in time mother told me
the rest of that sad nights events.
How, when | broke from her, she had
followed me to the Captains house,
thence on to the beach, where she had
lust caught sight of ME when | ran back,
like one whose feet had wings, up the
steep cliff, and with one wall threw up
my arms and leaped into the angry sea
below. Mother flew down to the beach,
implored and begged the men to go after
me-but this fearful night would have
shaken the courage of heroes. All looked
away, and mother was nearly mad with
agony, when old Guy Weeks came up tc
her.
"We'll 90, neighbor, me and grandson
Tom; and by Gods help we'll bring youl
lass back again!"
And amid dangers of every kind they
rounded the cliff, and made their way
in their fragile boat to the place where
had thrown myself. There then they
found me, bruised and shattered by the
fall, washed upon boulder Of rock
utterly unconscious.
They put me in their boat and brough
me back to mother, and there lay
for days and days, fever raging within
me, aud prey to wild delirium. M.
hip was broken in the fall, and neve
more, the doctor said, should ] walk th
well known road to the cottage door
where had bid farewell to my heart
darling.
And he, brave, gallant Ned, he ha'
been washed ashore with the others Of tn
lifcboat's crew; and all was mourning am
) misery at Sea View. 0, heaven, woul'
that | had died and nay bonnie sailor low
had lived!
lie here now all day and all nigh
, Winter and summer, watching the splash
: ing of those Acruel waves on the shore
thinking Away of Ned's tomorrow.
What would he have told me, my heart
7 treasure? Was it that he loved me? Al
. who shall know it ever?
Years have passed since this. Carrie
bright loving Carrie, comes to see m
often, and together we talk of him. Sh
Q knows | loved him. How well l love
him God only knows.
e have curly brown lock Carrie CAV
me. l kiss it and l love tit is all
e have of Ned.
All, did he love me?
: "Can clergyman marry himself!