Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-07-10
TEMPTED.

"Davld,1.d'ye think it's comm on to a
blow2"
"lt looks like it up in the northeast.
Seems to be a-tillin' in to leeward, too"
eyes, it looks bad all round. I guess
we'd better count On bunking at the sta.
ton tonight"
"Well, s'pose we must, if you say so.
Sarah has been a-watchiug the weather
all the afternoon. Seems as though she
knows when I've got to go on station
fore 90 myself. She don't like to have
Inc leave her alone with the children;
and to tell the truth, cap'n, don't really
like to do it myself. If I was young
Teller without a family. Iwonldn't mind
it,"
'Neither would I, David; and yet 1
don't want reckless young chaps in my
crew. Boys that think it's kind of a lark
to spend the night at the station will do
very we'll in ordinary times, but if it
comes to going off in the boat I'd rather
rest my life with steady men, who know
just what the danger is and are viii lin
to face it; men who 90 because it's
Christian duty; and if there's some one
bctter.5
"Of course I'm ready to go, cap'n. Do
you think we'd better muster the whole
crew."
"Better notify 'em to come down if it
turns out rough night, David. If the
wind off shore is shifting to nor'ward,
we shall catch it heavy before mid
night" =, ~,
son round to tell the men,"
Eyes; and let him come down to the
station and get my mare. I'll 60 and
saddler her for him. Tell him to come
ready to stay all night, for we may want
him if anything happens"
"Steve is too good a boy to lose,' unused
Capt. Wooley, as he turned back to the
life-saving station Of which he was the
keeper. "He is doing all he can to sup
port his mother, and will make true
man. I'll keep him in the house tonight,
and not put him to rough service. lie
had narrow escape in the last storm,
and some one else can take the chances
this timc.'
The keeper was as good as his word,
and when Stephen returned from tis
round among the crew Of t. station lie
the house, keep up the fires and have hot
coffee ready when the men came off duty.
This was dull music for an active, daring
boy, accustomed to exposure and eager
for adventure; but Capt. Woolcy's ere ",
although volunteers, always obeyed orders
without murmuring.
The storm came down heavily during
the night, and watch was detailed to
patrol the beach, about half the men 60
ing out. Toward midnight call came
for help from station No. 7, the next sta
ton up the beach. There was wreck
ashore near the line between the two dis
tricts, and Capt. Wooley went up with
the remainder of the crew. .
Stephen was left alone, with only the
fire for company. He found the hours
passed very slowly. He had been hurt
in previous storm, and laid up at home
for several weeks. Money bad run low
the while, and the time was near at hand
when the interest of mortgage on his
mothers place would fall due.
His thoughts, as he sat by the fire, were
not pleasant, for his mother had no one
but him to depend on, and he puzzled
over all sorts Of vain plans for raising the
needed money before quarter-day.
He was only lad Of fifteen years.
This care weighed upon him heavily.
Besides the fear of trouble in case the in
terest was not forthcoming, he had an
old-fashioned feeling of honor about pay
ing debt when it was DUE
With this anxiety On his mind he
dropped into dose, and dreamed Of see
ing rainbow over the sea, with one end
resting on the beech. He remembered
in his dream the couplet:
"Whcrc rainbow touches ground
A pot of money may be found"
He thought: "Of course there isn't
amy money there, but I'll just dig down
Il little ways for fun" and he was STRAIT
calling:
) Here, Steve! Here's the money over
herer'
He sprang up, hardly knowing whether
he was asleep or awake, and presently
heard Dave Throckmorton's voice hail
ing again:
"nere, Steve! show a light, can't
you9"
He ran and threw open the door, and
Dave came in with another of the crew
bearing the lifeless form Of man on q
stretcher, with a tarpauliu thrown over
it.
"He's gone, L guess" said David.
1--WE dragged him out of the surf, but a
baoken spar struck him, and I'm afraid
he's past help"
They laid the bruised figure carefully
in bunk, and then fastened back to
the scene of the wreck. But Stephen,
after examining the injured man, came to
the conclusion that life was not extinct,
and he therefore set to work, applying
such restorativCs as the station afforded
The limp form was that of a young
man, whose fair skin and soft hands told
that he was not sailor. Brown curls
were matted over the pallid face. The
lirs were drawn tight over clenchedwhite
teeth, but Stephen saw, with new sense
of pity, that the features were cast in a
pleasant winsome mold.
The lad worked industrlously and in
diligently, experience having taught him
what to do, and after time be had the
satisfaction of seeing his patients eyes
slowly open. Having succeeded in re-
storing consciousness, Stephen admins
ding to his best judgment 1.->s H.
The night wore slowly away, and still
no one came; from the wreck. y 81. .a55e
The :'rescue," as those are called who
have been rescued from the sea, breathed
enough to show that life still fingered
and no more.
After time the fire burned low and
Stephen rose to put on more wood.
While drawing the Goals together, he
was startled by a cry from the bunk, and
turning toward it, he saw his ward trying
to raise himself from the bed,
Help! help!' called the ssrescue.'
"Help me up!'
mo, NOT cried Stephen in alarm
Lie still it may be the death of you te
STRIP n =s.
"I'm going fast. Lift me up!" and a.
he gasped the words, the young man &C
tuaIly succeeded in drawing himself VI