Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-09-22

TO find il shut fast and an excited and threat
ening crowd surging to and fro before the
doors. Men with haggard faces were talk
ing and gesticulating wildly. Women we're
weeping and wringing their hands. A sud
den faintness came over him. What could
it all mean? Mastering courage to put the
question to bystander, he was told to look
and read for himself Two omnous words,
Bank closed, were posted on the front of
the building.
For moment the poor fellow could not
seem to take in the full meaning Of the ca
lamity that had fallen like a thunderbolt from
clear sky but as it dawned upon him that
his little fortune was swept away forever
aud with it the hopes that had opened to his
delighted fancy, the blood rushed to his
brain, and his face grew purple. Then he
fell back in a fit, deprived of sense or mo-
tion.
The first word he articulated when he came
to himself was, Home" Some kind souls
paid his passage to San Francisco, where the
sight of blue water, and of the big ships gal
lantly riding at their anchors, seemed to re-
vve him little. Wholly possessed by his
one idea of getting home, he shipped on
board the next home. bound steamer, going
about his duty like a man half stunned and
who sees, without comprehending, what is
passing around him.
ship was one of the events of those days To
say that the whole city turned out to witness,
or rather to assist at, her departure, would
hardly be an exaggeraton. On board all
was hustle and hilarity On shore, jests and
good.byes popped like champagne corks
Those who were going were the secret envy
of those who we're left behind in whom this
scene aroused that passionate that uncon-
trolabe yearning for the old home beyond
the mountain-pesks, beyond the seas.
My own knowledge of the chief actor in
this history began at four o'clock in the
morning of the third day out from port.
The Cdlit0rnid'S engines were suddenly stop
ped. There was a hurried trampling of feet,
a rattling of blocks on the deck, succeeded
by dead silence-a silence that could be
felt. jumped out of my berth and ran on
deck How well eau recall that scene
The morning, cold, damp, and foggy, was
an utterly dismal one A pale light struggled
through the heavy mist, but it was too thick
to see a cables length from the ship, al
though we distinctly heard the rattle of oars
at some distance, with now and then a quick
shout that sent our hearts up into our
mouths. We listened intently. No one spoke.
No one needed to be told what those shouts
meant.
The huge black hulk lay silent and motion
less Although the gloom hid it from us, the
near vicinity of tho coast was announced by
the roaring of the surf, distinctly audible in
| that death-like stiffness. We could not even
make out the mast-heads for the fog in which
they seemed dissolving. But in the vessels
wake there stretched a half luminous streak
of phosphorescent foam, until it mingled
with and was lost in the colorless vapor over
hanging the black and torpid tropc sea.
| Down this luminous track and into the gloom
| beyond, our eyes were strained to discover
the secret of the hour.
How long it was l cannot tell, for minutes
seemed hours then; but at last we heard the
dip of oars and the boat shot out of the fog
within a biscuits toss Of the ship. I remem-
Der that, as they came alongside, the upturn-
ed faces Of the men were ghastly and pinch
ed. One glance showed that the search had
| been in vain.
The boat was secured, the huge paddles
| struck the water like clods. The heavy float
ing mass swung slowly round to her helm.
| But at the instant when we were turning
away awed by the mystery of this death
| scene, a cry came out of the darkness-a yell
of agony and deepest horror-that nailed us
to the deck. May never hear the like again
Save me! for Gods sake save mel" pierced
through and through the silence till a hun
| dred frantic voices seemed repeating it. The
| cry was so near that every eye instinctively
turned to the spot whence it proceeded-so
near that it held all who heard it in breath
less, in sickening suspense. Had the sea
really given up its dead?
Before one might count ten, the boat was
again manned and clear of the ship. rec
| ollect the figure of the first officer as he stood
erect in the stern Sheets with the tiller ropes
iu his hand, peering into the fog. l can see
the men springing like tigers to their work,
and the cutter tossing on the seething brine
IL nl,f rIa., Nka Co. ,rl,.
! from view again. But never more was that
voice heard on land or sea. 1t was the last
| agonized shrek of returning consciousness,
no doubt, as the Pacific closed over Yankee
| Jim's head
At eight bells we assembled around the
capstan at our captains call, when the few
poor effects of the lost man were produced.
| His kit contained one or two soiled letters, a
daguerreotype of two blooming children hand
in hand, a piece of crumpled paper, and a
| few articles of clothing noticed that while
smoothing out the creases in this scrap of
| paper the captain became deeply attentive,
then thoughtful, then very red. Clearing
his throat, he began as follows:
tits an old sea custom to sell by auction
| the kit of shipmate who dies on blue water.
| You all know it's a custom of the land to
search for the last will of a deceased friend
as soon as the funeral is over. The man we
lost this morning shipped by his fo'castle or
sea name-a very common thing among sail
ors but I've just found out his true one
since | stood on this spot; aud what's more,
I've found out that be had been in trouble.
An idea strikes me right here that he found
| it too heavy for him. God knows But it's
more to the point that he left a wife and two
children, whose sole dependence he was
| Gentlemen and mates, take off your hats
while read you this letter"
The letter, which bore evidence of having
been read and read again, ran as follows:
"Oh, James! and are you really coming
home and with such a lot of money too
| Oh / can't believe it all How happy we
shall be once more! 1t makes me feel just
like young girl again, when you and used
to roam in the berry pastures hand in hand,
and never coveted anything in the wide
world but to be together. You haven't for
gotten that, my lad, have your or the old
cedar on the cliff where you asked me for
your own wife and the heaven over us and
| the sea at our feot all so beautiful and we so
happy Do come quick. Surely God has
helped me to wait all this long, weary time,
but now it seems as if / couldn't bear it
another day And the little boy, James, Just
your image it's all he can say, Papa, come
home How can you have the heart to stay
in that wicked placer"
When he had finished, some of the lady
passengers were crying softly. He then read
the fatal certificate of deposit, holding it up
so that all might see.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen" he went on,
you've heard the story and can put this and
that together When we get to Panama, I'm
going to write a letter to the widow. It's for
you to say what kind of a letter it shall be.
That's why I've asked you here. Now, purs-
er, put up the certificate of deposit"
IL I hrv,r ,.,ahg
said the purser.
Ten, twenty, forty fifty dollars were quick
ly bid. Then a womans voice said seventy,
aud then the bidding ran up to a hundred
and fifty. 1t was knocked down to a red
shirled miner, who laid three ffty-dollar
pieces on the oapstRn, saying, as he did so
"'Tain't half enough, cap. Sell her agn-