The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-11-16
4 Girls Daring.

Until she was nineteen wears old Do
rothy lived a very uneventful life, for
one week was much the same rs anoth-
er in the placid existence of the village
On Sunday mornings, when the church
bells began to ring, would meet her
walking over the moor with a springy
step. Her shawl was gray, and her
dress was of the most pronounced color
that could be bought in the market
town. Her brown hair was gathered in
a net, and her calm eyes looked from
under an old-fashioned bonnet of straw
Her feet were always bare, but she car
ried her shoes and stocking slung over
her shoulder. When she GOT near the
church she sat down in the shade of a
hedge and put them on; then she walked
the rest of the distance with a cramped
and civilized gait.
Every boat in the village went away
north one evening, and not a man re-
manned in the Row excepting three very
old fellows, who were long past work of
any kind. When a fisherman grows
helpless with age he is kept by his own
people, and his days are passed in quiet
" smoking on q kitchen settle, or in
looking dimly out over the sea from the
bench at the door. A southerly gale,
with southerly sea, came away in the
night, and the boats could not beat
down from the northward. BY day
light they were all safe in a harbor
about eighteen miles north of the vii
. lage. The sea grew worse and worse,
and the usual clouds of foam flew
against the houses or skinned away
into the fields beyond. When the wind
reached its height the sounds it made
in the hollows were like distant firing
of small arms, and the waves in the hol-
low rocks seemed to shake the ground
over the cliffs.
A little schooner came round the
point, running before the sea. She
might have got clear away, because it
was easy enough for her, had she
clawed short way out, risking the
beam sea, to have made the harbor
where the fishers were. But the skip
per kept her close in, and presently she
struck on long tongue of rocks that
treaded far out eastward. The tops of
her masts seemed nearly to meet, so it
appeared as if she had broken her back
The seas flew sheer over her, and the
men had to climb into the rigging.
All the women were watching and
waiting to see her 90 to pieces. There
was no chance OF getting boat out, SO
the helpless villagers waited to see the
men drown; and the women cried in
their shrill, piteous manner. Dorothy
said, ''Will she break up in an hour? If
| thowt she could hing there, would
be away for the lifeboat" But the old
man said, ''You can never cross the
burn"
Four miles south, behind the point,
there was a village where lifeboat was
kept; but just half way stream ran in
to the sea, and across this stream there
was only plank bridge. Half q mile
below the bridge the water spread far
over the broad sand and became very
shallow and wide. Dorothy spoke no
more, except to say 'Tn away" She
ran across for q mile, and then scram-
bled down to the sand so that the tear
ing wind mightnot impede her 1t was
dangerous work for the next mile Ev-
cry yard of the way she had to splash
through the foam, because the great
waves were rolling up very nearly to
the foot of the cliffs. An extra strong
sea might have caught her off her feet,
but she did not think of that; she only
thought of saving her breath by escap-
ing the direct onslaught of the wind.
When she came to the mouth of the
burn her heart failed her for little
There was three-quarters of mile of
water covered with creamy foam. and
she did not know but what she might
be taken out of her depth. Yet she de-
termined to risk, and plunged in at
run. The sand was hard under foot,
but, as she said, when the piled foam
came softly up to her waist, she ''felt
gey funny" Halfway across she
stumbled into hole caused by swirl
ing eddy, and she thought all was over;
but her nerve never failed her, and she
struggled till she got n footing again.
When she reached the hard ground she
was wet to the neck, and her hair was
sodden with her one plunge overhead"
Her clothes troubled her with their
weight in crossing the moor; 80 she put
off all she did not need, and pressed for
ward again. Presently she reached the
house where the coxswain of the life
boat lived. She gasped out, The
schooner! On the Letch! Norrad."
The coXswain who had seea the eschoon-
er 90 past, knew what was the matter.
He said, Here, wife, look after the lass"
and ran out. The ''lass'' needed look
ing after, she had tainted. But her
work was well done; the lifeboat went
round the point, ran and took six men
ashore from the schooner. The cap
tain had been washed overheard. but
the others were saved by Dorothy's
daring and endurance. The girl is as
simple as ever, and she knows nothing
whatever of Grace Darling. If she
were offered any reward She would
probably wonder why she should re-