Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-05-23
FEATHERSTONE's HERO.

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That yours IS not a hushed and erp-y nest
| -Hdrgqret z. SaH9Stsr, ~ GhfiStna Cai9n.
FEATHERSTONE'S HERO.
ABOUT the time it happened, Little
Tins had been at Featherstone School
year, think; though l NAV be mis-
/ taken-I have SO much to remember
since began to grow old. There are
all the boys who were at Featherstone
in my day, the looks of the blessed old
school itself, with the many-windowe
buildings, the weather-stained belfry,
where the gulls made nests, the neat,
trim Fairgrounds, and the whole broad
ocean surging along Cumberland Beach,
only a mile away-all this l must never
forget. For what would be the good
fortune of being a boy if one could not
have his schOOl-fellOws to remember;
the home they had in common, and the
glorious old days when he and they
woke up on the bright, sunshiny morn
ings, without a thing to do in the world
beside coming a lesson or two? Then
there is the master-thOugh i took US
some time to find out just what noble,
generous man he was; and the masters
kind, motherly wife, who cared for us
boys when we were sick, and who
brought Billy Wilson through a des-
perate struggle with the typhoid fever,
when everybody said he would die.
Who of us will ever forget the quiet,
sleepy afternoons we passed in that
large, still schOol-roOm, studying our
illustrated histories and Biographies;
listening to the old clock beating away,
as if it we're the pulse Of the place; and
looking out wistfully through the deep
windows at the sails heaving in sight
now and then, on the glimmering
ocean, Or, will any of US forget the
days when it stormed, and the sea
threw its spray away up to our win
dows, and at night rumbled over the
beach like guns, keeping US awake for
hoursg And, finally, whenever we look
at the sea, are there any of US who viii
not recall Little TimsP
What an odd-looking little chap he
was, to be sure, when he first came to
the school! The boys laughed at his
nsme-Littlefeld Tins; and called him
Gran ther'' because he appeared so
old-fashioned. Then somebody began
to nickname him Little Tins, and we
all took it up. He was not so very
small in stature, however; only slim
and poor. His face was freckled, his
hair red, and he had large hands, that
looked as though he had always been
used to very hard work. One of the
boys said that the master had brought
him from a poor-farm: but we never
found out whether that was really the
truth. Ali we knew about him was
that he had no parents and was kept at
the school to do the chores. When the |
biggest boy shook him, one day, be- |
cause he refused to fag, he sat down /
and cried; said he wished he was dead. |
He never had any friends, and we |
might kill him, if we wanted to; he |
didn't care, he said. Some of the boys
hadn't any pluck. Afterward he kept |
away from us all as much as he could, |
and studied his lessons alone.
But the day came, at last, however, !
when we found out what brave heart |
Little Tins had; and then, of course,
we wondered that it had taken us so
long to discover the fact. 1t was some
time in the springs dark, cold, rainy |
day, when the sea had been made wild |
by the high wind. The most of US had |
remained indoors all the afternoon; |
and, when evening came, we gathered |
around the open fire at the end of our |
long dOrmitory and took turns telling |
the sea stories we had read. Oh! you |
may believe it was Just the jolliest |
comfort in the world! To hear Billy |
Wilson telling about his fathers cruise |
to Bombay, while you were watching
that great heap of a fire cracking and |
darting up bright flames, and listening
to the storm beating the windows and |
the surf laundering against the shore, |
was worth great deal, can tell you.
And what a noise the wind and the |
waves did make that night! 1t was as |
much as anyone could do to catch a |
wink of sleep; and 1 recollect how l |
lay awake ever so long, fancying tEat 1 |
could hear voices outdoor crying and |
calling to US. 1 suppose 1 must have
been dreaming an hour or two, though, |
before I really did hear anything; be- |
cause 1 sprang up startled and con-
fused when that loud boom and rumble |
broke above the noise of the storm.
"What was that, LudgateP" whis-
pered little Tom Dufield, frightened; |
and then in a moment everybodyin the |
dormitory was sitting up in bed, want
ing TO know what had happened.
George Jennings crept out to the end |
window and pulled up the curtain,
Just as another crash made US jump, |
and we caught a glimpse of flash |
in the distance, bursting the darkness
apart.
cts q ship on the reef, fellowsr'
called out three or four at once.
There was a general scramble for
our clothes, and then we crowded |
about the window and waited for an
other flash. But before it came the
master opened the door, lantern in hand.
"You hear those guns, boys? There's
a ship on the reef and they are firing
for help. Put on your great coats and |
come right down to the cliff We |
must do everything in ourpower to aid
them.n
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