The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1881-08-11

He looked at his watch; it was then past
four and they were nearly opposite Fort
Point. So far as they could see there was
not 4 single sail in the offing. They looked
back at the city; there were no outcomlng
tugs or steamers, or schooners even. Then
they looked out through the gate, and
wondered.
Tnere. is All untranslatable poetic sou3e-
thing about our Golden Gate that the SYM
pathetic beholder, incoming or out going,
or gazing upon it from any standpoint,
never fails to realize. Something which,
perhaps, he acknowledges, yet may never
nut into lifting phrases. Perhaps it Is
because ii seems to hold the keys of our
California life, that we may not dissociate
t iG from either our history Or our future.
Perhaps it is because.ill looking at it one
can never quite discern its big beyond, OF
veal or of woe, Of sunshine or OF tempest.
''We should never have had this sunset
anywhere else, LAURA and Tom pointed
70 the declining sun, hanging without a
cloud above the wilderness Of waves. They
looked back at the city, and all the west
|ern windows were atlame.
stI did net think before there was SO
much gold III Frisco, = said Tom.
''Oh, Tom, [ don t want TO die and leave
| It ALL said Laura, tremblingly.
The dalIying breeze bad shaken OF the
Ispel. The air had grown suddenly chill.
Ear ahead they could see the OMNIBUS
white Of the careening swell, and along
the shore they heard the dull boom of the
surf Lower and lower sank the white
electric dazzle; buff, and pink, and orange
toning into the narrow belts OF opal.
Right ahead rose the black Fara,Iones, aud,
as the sun sank still lower, they stood out
| Ia nnbroken outline against its disk.
With bis soft hat Tom made slow prog
ress in bailing. Until then the water had
oozcd in SO slowly that danger from leek-
age had not alarmed them until then; the
current, too, had carried them along SO
gently that the danger OF upsettiug bad
not presented itself. But after they pass
ed the fortthe motion Of the waves changed
not suddenly but gradually, until at last
the boat was rocking like a cedar chip in
the edtlics of mill-raee. And still the
tide had not turned.
Ceasing his bailing for an instant, Tom
thought he heard the sound Of water
trickling into the boat. Perhaps it was
!. lais instinct Of tangel and not his ears that
warned him, for the waves we're splashing
against the outside, and the motion caused
a constant tapping Of the water within
the boat Tom made q careful examina-
tio,i, and at last found little hole through
which the water poured in Il fitf,ll stream
as the bnat rocked from side to side
/ Il must stop that Leak he said. sCan
you bai:n
/ The sun had set, and the flush was fad
ing out Of the western sky. laura took
one long look around. In All the waste Of
waters there was no moving object. Il
there had been Il ship III sight she could
have seen it, she thought, almost despair
ingly.
She began to bail as well as she could
wit!l the felt hat, and in her cramped po-
IsitioD a long line OF gray was coming
up from the south.
cit is fog, said Tom, in !; whisper.
Until he said cit is fog she did not
realize the almost utter hopelessness OF
their position. Even if the tide should
turn before they reached the bar, it Woul6
be impossible to protect themselves in 8
fog. For a moment she thought she
should quite break dawn, the fate before
them seemed 50 terrible. Tom had sue
ceeded in stopping the leak, and had re.
sumed bailing. 70 make that task easier
he had cut the bri1n from his nat. Tht
fog was now all around them, and it Wa
I quite dark They thought they heard ttt
surf more distinctly.
s'The tide has turned" said Tom.
And SO it had, but just how they wouit
: be affected by the change they could no
= tell. Tom kept on bailing, until th'
; amount of water in the boat had material
= Ily decreased. They had not spoken t
each other for some moments. At las
:. Laura leaned forward. Her hand touchet
Toms. aud he took it III his own. Tha
!. hand-cIasp meant to them things unspeak
able. Her hand was very cold, almost q
cold as bis own. Til his pocket was a 81 Il
>, handkerchief; he handed it to her, AM
babe her tie it about her neck, for b
Z dared DOT rise to fasten it there himself
! Then he took both bel. hands between hi
own, striving 70 keep them warm.
: Laura was the first to speak, and he
: voice was quite firm, scarcely even sol
= = rowfal::
J "Ton1, dear, / do not want to die; an
Z yet death cannot take from us the boon {
y having died together
:. ..But we shall not die now, Laura;
! know Wen not. = There was the ring {
= conviction in his tones. The profonn
resignation underlying her words l1a
struck the right key in his own nature
$ and the thought Of his first despairin
y mood. made him almost angry. SsBut It
awfully hungry we are, my dear, = Wel
= his next words.
= 81 u ashamed Of yon, said Laura, an
:, :, she actually laughed.
= Tom laughed also.
= yEYI,a., Yf.1 1,n,.s5,,a ~ st,nf1 !, ,,acif;o