The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1882-06-09

the steamer Tidal wave tor that place, after
having remained at st. Cloud nearly year.
! The voyage was never completed however,
| for when Tower Grove, Mo-, was reached, Il
| fire broke out on the Inflated steamer, and
In very short time she was burned to the
waters edge. The loss Of life was consid-
cradle, and among the missing ones were
the two Myron children.
! For the second time Robert Myron was
homeless and pennilcss, with his sutferings
intensified by the loss OF his children. Per-
haps it was fortunate for him that he was
obliged to work very hard simply to keep the
wolf from the door, for it prevented him from
brooding over his misfortunes rs even II
stronger man might have done.
During the two years that elapsed after
the burning of the Tidal Wave Robert
Myron labored industriously but without
success, so far as the accumulation of worldly
goods was concerned; he had been able to
pay the rent of rude cabin three miles from
the village of Tower Hill, and to furnish it
scantily. But the expense attendant upon
the birth of two children, and his own severe
illness, during which he was confined to his
bed two months, had exhausted the small
fund he had succeeded in saving to enable
him to remove to Cape Girardeau.
Then came time when he could no long
er find employment near his wretched home
and he sought it some miles up the river, 60
ing and returning each day in small boat
Even then it appeared that misfortune was
not wearled with pursuing him, for one night
when returning from his work storm came
up, which overturned his frall skff, and, near
ly exhausted, he was thrown upon narrow
bar of sand that made out from the bank of
the river at the spot where the Tidal Wave
was burned. On this frail and treacherous
foot-hold he managed to remain during the
night, in full sight of the town, but unable to
attract attention to his desperate condition
The dawn of the day revealed still more
horrors, for close beside him, having evident
ly been unearthed by the waves, was the
skeleton of human being At first Myron
felt that fear which seems to be natural in
man when he sees the deserted tenement of
one of his kind but the resting place which
the waves gave to the living and the dead
was so small that he was obliged to remain
almost in actual contact with the yellow
homes AS he sat by the skeleton waiting for
help from the shore, which seemed 50 tardy in
coming, he saw about the ribs of the fleshless
frame II leather belt. Curiosity overcame his
horror, and unfastening the belt, he found
gold coin to the amount of five thousand dol
lars.
That Robert Myron was in II fever of ex.
element hardly need to be told. He had
struggled to the full strength of man many
years, and was hardly more than pauper
when he should have had at least n spot of
Gods tootstool he could call his own. The
dead had brought him what the living re-
fused To take the gold for his own purpose,
seemed n theft, and yet he who had fastened
it about his body could no longer useit. The
struggle between his conscience and his
necessity was long one; but when those
who came to rescue him arrived ut the sand
bar they found him with skeleton on which
nothing could be seen, and no one could have
tancied that the alfdrowned man had found
treasure That the homes were those of
one of the passengers of the Tidal Wave, no
one doubted and they were given n resting
place among the namcless graves of those
who had lost their lives in the disaster. No
one save Robert Myron and his wife knew
of the money-belt, or that on the inside of it
cut deep in the thick leather, was the name
"Henry Parks"
But Myron, having this money, did not
dare to use it openly lest people should qucs-
ton how he got it, He had agreed with his
wife that they should use the gold for their
own benefit, but do it with the view of re-
turning it if they should ever find the dead
mans heirs. This he hoped to do by making
such investments as could be readily realized
upon, so that they might show themselves
to be good, even if selEelecled, stewards.
The cabin they lived in, and the five acres
of land surrounding it, was for sale at price
below its real value. Myron represented to
the owner that, despite appearance, he had
succeeded in saving small amount of money
about half the price asked-and offered to
buy it if his note would be accepted for the
balance The bargain was made, and Myron
still continued to work by the day for any
one who would hire him, tiling his own farm
when he could find no other work Then
he invested in very small way in stock, buy
ing when he could get decided bargains only
Year by year he added to his possessions, and
his neighbors called him n thrifty" man.
All his Investments were good ones, since
none were made save with the view of con-
verting everything into cash at moments
notice if necessary, and Robert Myron be-
came Il wealthy man. As is usual, with
wealth came the respect of his neighbors,
who, to show their appreciation Of money,
elected him to the office of County Judge.
During the year 1870 the inhabitants of
Tower Hill witnessed the destruction of
another steamer by fire at almost the exact
place where the Tidal Wave went down.
Among all those men who labored to save
lIlC IlpIt WIS lnOlt ttllNt tiIilu VI
ron, and his house was converted into hos
pital for the reception of those who were in
iured but saved from death.
Mrs. Myren was as earnest in her efforts
to comfort the distressed people as was her
husband, and her labor was signally reward
ed by finding among the unfortunate ones
whom she was nursing her father, whom she
had not heard from since the day she left his
home to found another with the man she loved
above all Others The daughters heart was
made still more glad when the old gentleman
told her and her husband that he had been
searching for them several months in the
hope of inducing them to return to his lonely
home or allow him to remain with them.
Then he told strange story, and one
which lifted load that had grown heavier
each succeeding year, from his soninlaw's
heart.
In 1861 Mrs. Myrons aunt had died, be-
uueathing to her niece the sum of five thou
sand dollars Judge Berry, half relenting
that he had not looked with favor upon his
daughters marriage, had sent his clerk to
carry to her this legacy. The messenger had
written from st. Cloud in 1869. stating that
he had traced Mr.. and Mrs. Myron to that
place, but from there they had gone, he had
reason to believe, to Cape Girardeau, which
place he was about to start for in the steamer
Tidal Wave. From that time Mr.. Berry had
never heard from his clerk, and he believed
he had lost his life when the steamer was
burned.
AS the old gentleman finished his story,
the husband and wife gazed at each other
with an almost desparing hope in their eyes,
and it was only with the greatest difficulty
Judge Myron could ask the question
"What was the mans Nance"
"Hcnry Parks"
The load was lifted forevermorc The
money which they believed was another's
belonged rightfully to them. The invest.
ments made with view to being able to re-
store the principal at any time, insured their
own prosperity, and by puroining their own
from the dead they had honestly relieved
themselves from the thralldom Of poverty