Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1880-05-08
IS Home, Sweet Home" = Evening
Music Mt Sea.

FIFTY years ago was midshlpman
in the United States Navy; and have
memories of the service, one OF which
sailed from New York on the 4th of
February, 1929, on the sloop-of-war
Hornet, beautiful ship, which might
have served as the original of the low,
raIish craft described by Cooper in
8. The Pirate.r l was detached from
her on the 4th of July of that year, and
sixty-eight days afterward she went
down in the Gulf of Mexico, with all on
hoard, and no vestige of her was ever
afterward seen by mortal eyes.
On one of the delicious afternoons OF
February peculiar to tropical chimes, as
the sun was nearing the western hori-
zon, the Hornet lay becalmed on the
south side of Cuba. The sea was I'M
commonly smooth, imparting hardly
sufficient motion to the ship to disturb
the sails as they hung loose against the
masts. l had not before so fully real
ized the mirror-like sheen of the UNI
rippled bosom of the sea; but now it
came home to me, and felt that there
was sublimity even in the repose OF the
s.yastv deep" l could not gaze on it
without being reminded, by contrast, OF
the tempests that anon sweep over NJ
and thus was its stiffness associated with
its connection, its quiet with its awful
power. The sun was setting.
Not AS in Northern chimes. obscurely bright
But one unclouded blaze of living light.
The whole sea, to the westward, was
like liquid gold; and the sky, far up,
glowed as if on fire. The rays pene-
trating the water seemed gilded cords
binding the waves in peace.
A few of the officers were on the
forecastle, viewing the scene and con-
versing. With sailor-ike versatility
they passed from topic to topic, dwelling
long on none, till, as the shades of the
brief twilight fell around, their feelings
seemed to change in accord with it, and
graver themes were touched. Suddenly
the glories of the departing day were
extinguished by the pail OF night thick
set with stars; but almost as suddenly
the light of the sun was succeeded from
the opposite horizon, by stream OF
silver light from the full moon in
cloudless sky. Then it was that memo
derly of far-distant families; brothers
recalled loved sisters; sons felt softened
by recollections of maternal affection
and perhaps some young lovers heart
beat quicker at the thought that she, u
thousand miles away, whose eyes were
life to him, might at that moment be
gazing at the moon, and fancying that
his, too, were at the same moment fixed
upon il. For a time few words were
spoken. All felt that silence was vel
come. Each retired to the recesses OF
that sanctuary where the heart hold:
undisputed sway, too sacred to bt
disturbed. do not recall time wher
the deck of the Hornet and the
sea and the air were so utterly sound
less.
Suddenly, but gently, from the mids
of a knot of sailors sitting on the deck
a clear, melodious voice sang the frs
line of {" Home, sweet home" As thu
words "Mid pleasures and palaces
swelled upon the air, single exclama
ton of pleasure escaped some OF tn
hearers, but before the line was finished
they hushed into silence again. We ha'
all often heard the song, but never hat
it seemed to come so welcomely, 81
thrillingly as then. Had it been SUM
by even an ordinary performer, the Ell
feet would, at that moment, have oeel
great; but, breathed as it was, with
fervor and feeling l do not remembe
to have known excelled, in voice full
manly, sympathetic, and evidently cul
tivated, it swept the chords OF ever
heart. AS the singer proceeded, men AM
officers silently gathered near him. Tn
sturdy seaman seated himself by tn
side Of his officers, and listened wit
subdued attention. The man who's
locks were whitened by years, perhap
hu xorse ennallr with the boy who's