The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-11-27


the little boat rises and falls, ever max
| ing its way slowly towards the wreck;
| "And the women are weeping
| And wrngng their hands"
with the touch Of his last sad lingering
kiss upon my lips, watch with strained
aud aching eyes the angry awful waves,
and the tiny black spot that reveals tho
boat, with Humphreys last words echo.
ing in my mind as | gazc-"lf never
come back" Never come backl Is there
mstg Is IL tears; cannot see the
boat.
"She is lostw "They have gone downw
voices are shouting around; and men and
women are rushing TO and fro,
Bees fingers grasp mine tightly.
oIIeayen bring them back ~ she cries In
her clear sweet voice; and then---"Mad-
gle, see the boat they have reached the
wrcckW
He may never come back--never como
back! The weary, weary words; and he
said them \ little while ago, and kissed
me---oh, SO sadly AS one kisses the dead.
And the sweet sad words, II have loved
you welw Loye--the love my soul was
hunserng for--is mine, and perhaps lie
will never come back,
son, tell me where they are Bee for
cannot see.'
They are taking the men from the
wreck she replies. "And now l cannot
see them for the waves"
ION, Humphrey, Humphrcyw / cry,
with i great fearless sob. | cannot SEQ
for the showers OF binding spray. son,
Bee, do you see them nov; Tell me-" !
cry and hide my face.
Heaven help thcm---thcy are lost ~
shricks u voice in the crowd; and great
walIing cry Of Womcn's voices rises above
the roaring boom Of the waves
Crouchcd on the beach, my face hidden,
l listen 10 tie shouts OF human voices
II look at tho sea, shall 90 mad; and
every moment seems like an eternity Of
anguish.
"They arc coming back" hear Bee say
ing. "Oh. the waves Madsic, don't look,
ii is too awful, They arc coming nearer;
can see their faces. Now the boat is
hidden by the waves; and now All.
SEQ
Her words are drowned by the roar OF
human voices.
"~Iycd saved"
| spring up to see tho boat and those
brave souls with white set faces sweeping
EDWARDS towards us, carried on by great
wave with monstrouS curling crest. For
one second with hushed breath we see
them; and death seems rushing over the
bowling sea TO seize and grasp that frail
shrinking craft before they reach the
shore.
4 prayer rises to my lips, see only
Humphrey; and II seems to me that his
eyes meet mine. And then All,
Heaven, have mercy nov, Like child's
toy the boat with eight living souls on
board comes rushing onward, sways, aud,
tossed by the mighty waves, sweeps broad
side on to the beach, one wild shrek Of
grief and horror goes up, and as from one
man, hoarse cry of agony comes from the
sea, where human beings tight and strug-
gle for life in the boiling, seething surf.
All, Heaven, il | live to be old | shall
still see and hear it all--the great hungry
waves, the crowd rushing wildly to and
fro, the shriekS, the cries, and those strug-
Cling figures Smitten down as they rise,
lighting with the strength "a the mighty
waves -m"r -lSnlng in up TO their waists
! in the sea Of foam, and women screaming
as, one by one, human lives are saved,
and strong ready arms snatch them from
death.
spent and breathless staggering from
the beach, ! see Chris Dclacourt helped
| up by Stalwart fisherman; and gasp
comes from Bees lips Us lie wrenches him.
self from the arms holding him and rushes
forward again into the binding waves.
All saved but ono, and !, his wife,
watching the end On, Heaven help him
The waves are carrying him from my sight
| For one second see his wild Departing
face sweeping towards me he has reached
the shore! All, no!
Through the crowd flies one, woman,
hwilc, and with her weak strength faces
the yawuing waves.
"'Humphrey, am ComingW
The surf sways and Surges to my knees.
With arms outstrctched stand, and he Is
battling for his life, Strong arms drag me
back and hold me fast.
"Saye hm' | gasp, looking up wildly
into Give Delacourt's face; and even in
the awful agony OF the moment can sec
how strange he looks.
And then | see him, with a rope tied
round him, dashins into the waves that
are sweeping something dark along with
them, The great cruel waves bear him
along, aud lay my husband, body at my
feet.
''llc is dead" Chris Delacourt bursts
out, sobbing; and cry goes up from tho
assembled crowd,
The sea, the faces, and that still silent
figure grow dim and dark, and Heaven
sends death TO me too, for my heart is
broken.