The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1883-03-10
BRAVE DoR,.fRl.


er in the placid existence Of the villa5c
On Sunday mornings, when the church
bells began to ring, you would NEE: her
walking over the moor with sprin "
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
carried her shoes and stockings 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 4
cramred and civilized gait.
Every boat went away north one even
ing. and not q man remained in the
Row. excepting three very old fellows.
who were long past work of any kind.
When fisherman grows helpless with
aye. he is kept by his own people, and
his days are passed in quietly smok ng
on Kitchen settle or in looking dimly
out over Il c sea from the bench at the
door. A sou,herly gale with a south
erly sea came away in the night, and
the boats could not beat down from the
northward. BY daylight they were all
81 G in a harbor about eighteen miles
north of tho village. Tie sea grew
worse and worse, and the usual clouds
0, 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 hollow 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 sc',
to have made the harbor where the fish
ers were. But the skipper kept her close
in. and presently she struck on long
tongue of rocks that tresded far Out
eastward. The tops of her mass seemed
nearly to meet, 80 it appeared as il sh,
had broken her back. The seas few
sheer over her, and the men had to climl
into the rigging. All the women wer'
watching and waiting to see her 60 t,
pieces. There was no chance of get
ting boat out. SO the helpless villacer
waited to see the men 60 down, and thu
women cried out in their rhrill, pitc0u
manner. Dorothy said: Twill she braa'
up in an hour? II I thowt she wOul,
hing there l would be away for tn
life-toxt." But the old men said
"You can never cross the burn Fou
miles south. behind the point, there wa
. village where life-boat was kept; bu
just half way stream ran into the sea
and across this stream there was only
plank bridge. Half a mile below tn
bridge the water spread far over tn
broad sand ard be anne very shallo'
and wide. Dorothy spoke no more. G,
cept to say: "Tll away" She "a
across the moor for a mile, and the
scrambled down 10 the sand, so that ii
tearing wind might not impede her:
, was dangerous work for the next mil
, Every yard of the way she had to splas
through the foam. because the gre
, waves were rolling up very near to Il
: foot o. the cliffs. An extra strong S,
might have caught her off her feet, b
? she did not think of that; she on
thought of saving her breath BY escapil
the di ect onslaught of the wind. VIII,
9 she came to the mouth of the burn h
heart failed her for little. There "
u threc-quarers of a mile of water, co
o cred with creamy foam, and she d
not know but what she might be TAX
p out of her depth. Yet she determine
It to risk it, and plunged in at a run. T.
d sand was hard under foot but she sal
2 when the piled foam came softly up
); her waist, she ''felt gey funny Ha
It way across she stumbled into a ho
d caused by a whirling eddy. and s
. thought all was over: but her ner
4. never failed her. and she struggled
o. she got a footing again. When s
reached the hard ground she was wet
the neck, and her hair was sodden VI
her one plunge ''over, head" H
clothes troubled her With their weil
"a in crossing the moor; so|she put of
~ ~ she did not need: and pressed forw,
- again. Presently she reached the no,
~ :. where the coxswain OF the life-b'
~ lived. She gasped out 1.-The schoon
~ On the Letch! Norrad."
III The coxswain, who had seen
';s schooner 90 past, knew what was
~ matter. He said: Here, wife, look al
Z. the lass" and ran out. The 'Ia;
=, needed looking after, for she
ii tainted. But her work was we'll do
"J the life.boat went round the point,
~ north. and took six men ashore from
~ ~ schooner. The Captain had been wasl
4 overheard, but the Others were saved
~ Dorothy's daring and endurance.
~. girl is as simple As ever. and she kn'
,Io nothing whatever about Grace Darli
, ,'e If she were offered any reward
~, ~. would probably wonder why she she
:. receive any.-SL James Gazette.
or,
ali A Little Girls Story.
Nv i" One day. it just rained and raj
' 'S and roined at Our house, and we ha
I IsI stay in.
e., and every time we went to play
~. thing, Aunt Ne ia said: ''Oh, stop
wy ~l:ll.~.V1