The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-04-17


found that was turning round and
round in tho water, now catching
glimpses of the burning ship, to which
even yet a few human beings were cling
ing, and now on the beach. Could L
ever reach it? Was il worth while to
struggle any longer? Every movement
caused intense pain in my chest and
lungs. 1t seemed so easy to die now.
Il ceased all efforts, and raised my
eyes for last look Mt the sky. / was
struck by a peculiar golden haze to the
atmosphere, and the air seemed filled
with human forms lowering over the
drowning. The air was filed with
them, and close beside me / recognized
my father, brother, and other friends
who had died many years before.
They called me by name. They pressed
closely around me, telling me to strug-
gle on and they would aid me-that my
work was not done-that 1 could not be
spared yet.
"A little strength came back to me.
/ remembered that must be more than
halfway to the shore. The water could
not be over Ave feet deep. let myself
down, and felt the sand under me.
Aided by my spirit friends, whose hands
and presence were as real to me as any
human touch, crept on my hands and
knees on the sand for some distance,
rising often to breathe. Becoming too
weak for this, with my heavy head con-
stantly falling backward, L sank to the
bottom, and drew my body with my
arms nearer and nearer to the shore,
rising to the surface as often as neces-
sary. A man was lying on the beach,
one of the few who ever reached it.
When he saw me feebly struggling, he
crept down to the waters edge, and,
reaching out his hands, tried to AID me.
/ slowly crept up little way out of
the water, but he was so weak that,
falling backward, L would lose my hold
and sink again.
AT last / was lying on the dry sand.
How good it seemed to lie there if only
need never move again. My compan-
ion spoke roughly yet kindly to me,
telling me it was sure death to remain
there. / refused to move, but, being
much stronger. he compelled me to get
up, and, halfsupporting me in his arms,
dragged me unwillingly along. A
farmer met us and almost carried me
across the fields to low two-roomed
log cabin. In the smaller room, con-
tanning two beds, was at last permit
ted to lie down. The long, black neck
of bottle was inserted between my lips
and l drank and drank until it was
gently removed. The draught warmed
me.
Il alternated between consciousness
and Inconsistencies, but remembered
much that passed about me. A large
man with tall hat, black satin vest,
aud heavy gold chain came in and lay
down on the other bed. He certainly
had not been in the water, and L won
dered if he had been saved in boat.
A man in the next room was exclaiming
"'NIine Colt! Mine Colt! My monish
is all gone. Mine monish is all gone.
Mine wife is gone, mine son is gone.
Oh, mine Colt, mine monish is all
gomez
Again and again that mournful wall
went up. Then L heard the tall man
call out wrathfully:
won't some one kill that id
Dutchman ?"
Then l dozed off again. When /
awoke more people were coming in,
bearing a woman, and they We're saying
she was the only woman saved. 1 heard
them say that eight men swan ashore,
and twenty were saved in a boat. Only
twenty eight saved out of over four
hundred Toward evening they put lis
all in a heavy lumber wagon, on beds
of straw, to take us, they said, to
Lloyd's Tavern, three miles away
Jolting along over a rough road, the
pain in my chest and limbs became I'M
bearable, and L remembered nothing
more.
Days afterward / awoke from what
seemed a long sleep. l found myself
lying on bed in a strange room alone.
The sound of voices came in through
the open window and from the halls,
where people were constantly passing
to and fro. They were talking of
great disaster, of dead bodies lying in
heaps on the sand wasting to be claimed,
and others being buried in a trench.
l. ntlt WIS opouo NVuhoy
lines, of coroners quaIreling over fees,
of thieves in boats at night stripping
the drowned bodies and tearing rings
from fingers and ears. Those monoto-
nous voices were forever talking about
that one thing.
well, what if they are dead? The
dead were at rest. What had / to do
with that shipwreck? Why did not
some one come to me? What was L
doing here in this strange room? Why
was / so stiff and sore. so full of pain,
so weak / could not move? L fell
asleep again, and when l awoke still
the same voices were talking about
poor drowned bodies, thieves, coron-
ers, and boats and then came dim
that I had known some
thing about that shlpwreck. 1t all
came back TO me clear and distinct.
Soon afterward man came with broth
and nourishing food, of which / ate
with relish while he answered my
questions. This was Saturday, and |
had left Buffalo on the Sunday pre-
ceding. Lloyd's Tavern was fifteen
miles from the city of Cleveland. L
must get up. How could / lie here?
must get into the air. / must go
home. Home? Why, at home doubt
less they mourned me rs dead. / had
been dead for days to them / begged