The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-12-30
to fan' and che helpless 81 sch5F5nnIsIrE hG5F5nIIE w;fk

It's crew still clinging to the riooing
could be seen from land. As soon a.
possible sturdytu was got under
way and went putting fiercelv. but slow
~ cutting its way through the ice In
tenseaswas the colo, crowd S,on va4E
;nta Haeu on tne Shore watching with eager
.n.erest; NO answering shout was heard
10 the cheerful halloo of the men on the
tug; Everything about the schooner was
still and motionless. The crowd stood
aWesHueE What amaze itseEhretl rniti
the tug steamed slowly back. Then the
crowd rushed toward it and as suddenly
Tell back, while the awful whisner
passed from one to another. "It's the
Merry Bell and every ,one on hoard
stark dead. frozen TO |. the riSeno -
Inc schooner was only a charnel- honse
and the people had been expendino
their sympathy upon creatures who had
been Tor hours beyond it. Amono the
crowd waiting ten. the shore Rose Rell
had stood closely yelled. There had
been tears and screams from waiting
wives and methers,s but. she turned
quietly away, as one in a dream. and.
walking blindly, lmadeI hergwav,homc,
She rang the bell, said nothing to the
servant who opened ahe gdoor, but
passed quickly to her own room. utter
ing no cry, shedding nc tears lansl thrssS
herself into chair before the fire
Mrs. Bell SO found her when she came
In few moments later and her own
shrek foshelpfailed dseo fotise ekdsd1eh-
ter. Unconsciousness is blessing Off,
entlmes and so it proved now.
With the return of eonsciousnesscame
memory. 90 mamma. the schooner
was the AMerry Bel, ana AG aboaSd
dead. frozen! He was to come home on
it! y, what shall do?' The blessed
tears eamesnowsaadssausedsthe shrssvd
doctor to nod his head wisely and whis-
per to Mrs. Bell, She'll be all right
now" and auetly made hisexit.- When
IN his buggy he confideH to sfts ofrs his
horse, "Humph! A lover at the bottom
of this; young Culbertson, too, sup.
pose; he is part owner Of the schooner.
Good fellow; sorry if be is. gone; miser-
able way of dying. too; and that pretty
girl! Wellsweil!sd detchp,E StierepDolly;
what are you about?'' Then the good
doctor logged on to another patient and
forgot all about it.
That morning, soon after breakfast.
little JackBeif. an 1biqniEptg wndnoster
that would some day make his fortune
as reporter for a Chicago daily, ran in
briskly, skates in hand, nose and cheeks
red with cold and absolutely bulgine
withshBwss S " sI150C ~ ~
Say, Sis, schooner out there stuck
in the ice; men sticking to the masts.
Eoks. 'sayl it's the Meffy BenIaHd, sbg
George, Sis, l shouldn't wonder if Mr..
Culbertson was one of 'em. Hope he
aiA' t., h4Ighs for heprolhise an9esa r1eSv
Sled If I would say nothing about tie
day I caught him kissing, you.''
"Jackr' sternly interposed his moth
ers -oiee- Tor EsN ScQ8
y. ss::Nhere, is it, Jack; quick, tell ,me?,'
said Rose in voice sofs trembling aAx
lety.TT5saa s+s- 81 sesaazaaa ~ 3i5isss sse.esg
....Oat there; from behind Dick Matt
land house yph can see herr, ,!,.r ~! :,
l,e. Then, she had slipped, away to see the
schooner and hear from iothers, what
ground there was for her lfeafsg gatiT-Iff~
8 s, All day she moaned, ana grieved and
would not be Gomforted, for HANDSOME
Fred lCulbertson was her promised hus-
band, and she had given all her heart
into his keeping. When he sibade her
goodbye few weeks before he had
called baols gatfthe last. ..I'll be home
for Christmasr' He was part owner of
The Merry Bell" and had intended
coming back on this her last trip for the
season.
The cold ooatinued to increase. xx'Ehe