The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-07-12
ABAzLAD OF BRAVE WOMEN.

With hiss and thunder and inner boom
While through the darkness the great waves
loom
And charge the rocks with the shock Of doom.
A second sea is the hurricanes blast;
Its viewless pillows are o and vast,
By-their strength great trees are uptorn and
downcast-
Tonight falls many a goodly'tree,
As many a ship, through the raging sea
At times through the hurry of clouds the moon
Looks out aghast; but her face right soon
Is hidden again, and she seems to swoon.
o, the wind waves, and oh, the sea waves,
The CULTS of wind and the seargulfs for graves
Fast through the air how she flies and raves;
Raves with a magical, mad delight.
The viewless spirit of storm and night.
Heart of the wind, and soul OF his might.
Hark to the voices which shouts from the sea.
The voice of a dreadful revelryi ~ ~ 81 !!
The'unseen hunters are out, and nee
Over the crests of the roaring deep, TX
Or right through the heart Of their light they
leap. -
Roar of the wind and roar of the waves,
And song and clamor of sea-flled caves.
What ship tonight sue a tempest brayesa -
Yet see, ali, see, how a snake Of light 4
Goes kissing and writhing up all the night.
While the cry, !" Going dosonF" through the
winds mad might
Through the roar of the winds and the waves
Is sent this way by the shrieking weather.
But to help on such night were a vain endeavor.
Men and women confusedly mingle-
You can hear the rush of their feet down the
single.
o, salt and keen is the spray In their faces;
From the strength of the wind they req IN
Catch hands to steady them there In their
places.
How would a boatin such seas behave?
But the lfe-boatl Quick! The hfe-boat will
sheismanned, mithhererew of tronsfe1lows,
and brave.
seel They ride on the heights,I in the deep
Until, with a cry which, the winds outstrip,
Their beatis hurledronthe sinking ship.
Its side is gosed, for the sea TO have way
1T is ossrfsf they cried .swe have done all
Yet there's @se @a Z III Chance ieftr' i themselves
they threw
Right into the wrath Of the sea andthe windi
1t RACES all aroun them, before and behind.
Their ears are deafened; their eyes are blind.
Thenin the middlemost he'll or the night,
Yea, in the innermost hearted the11ght, iaod
They strain and struggle with all their might
with never q pause while Gods mercy they
,Theirteeth are set andthetr muscles are IRON
wave sgprns them to wave They may do It'll
ForsRoreward the great tide towering goes.
And shoreward the great wind laundering
DfPioWs.A9eEE . II % e1tsa3 ~ u
But, mol See that wave, like a Fate bearing onl
1t. breaks them and passes. Two swimmers
Are seen in the wave. and their strength is
nigh gone. -
Quote three soldiers OF shore; ''They must
Neither WINNIE nor boat with such surges
could cope.
Nor could one stand steady to cast a rope
ssFor he who would cast it must stand hip-high
In the trough ofthe sea-and be thrown thereby
On his face, never more to behold the sky"
But a woman slept out from those gathered
there,
And she said; my life for their lives will I
Ipray for strength. God will hear my prayer"
And the light of her soul her eyes shone
Can a woma do what Ne dare not doa"
spake another woman-"I, tool We twain
Will do our best, strive with might and main,
Audit what we do shall be done in vain,
And the great sea have us to hold and hide,
Than to live as these others. Haste! Hastef'
she cried.
They seized a rope and with no word more,
Fearless of death, down the steep of the shore
They dashed, right into the light and the roar
OF the giant waves, which sprang on them
there,
As a beast of pray might spring from his lair
While the roar of his triumph made deaf the
air.
o, loud is the Death they hurry to meet
The stones slip shrieking from under theii
feet
They stagger, but fall not. Beat. mad pillows
Theyraise their arms, with their souls strength
They useIaSwflitreachy'+Th they shout
anu ssraightas a stone driven forth by a sling
Driven far aheld by a master hand
Therope whizzes out from the seething strand
A shoutE."!t is caught For land, now, fol
Acrash like thnnderl They drop to their knees
They rise. They pull Nor falter, nor cease
The strength of ten men have these women to
o-
And they shout with the rapturous sense o.
their might
Shout, as men shout, when they reyel in fight
They reel, but they fall not. The rope wind
in fast,
Hark, bark! what a shout answers their shout
at last
'sThat VIII do! We touch bottomI The danger
is past"
Then the women turn from the raging waite
With the two they have snatched from its lus
for slaughter,
But their feet flag now, and their breath come
shorter.
Hardly they hear in their sea-dimmed ears
The sound Of sobs, or the sound of cheers
Their eyes are drowned, but with spray, no
tears.
When deeds of valor, Coast over Coast
As to which proved bravest, and which di
most, Ff5
Two Swansea women shall be my toast.
[PhQfp Bonfte Mdrston, In Youths Companion
TN narrn ri NV