The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-08-02

she settled down, Just her deck above water,
but the great seas washed over IL every
second aud swept IL clean. The boats had
gone
Ond or two of the crew, floating on loose
spafs, were picked up afterward--no more.
The rigging was pretty full, at least In the
upper part down below the sea was too
strong. The captain was near me. felt
glad TO think he had been saved--he was
moi a coward like some Of the others.
How long was the longest night you ever
knew Multiply that by a thousand, and
You will have some idea of that nights
length. The cold was awful. The spray
froze on the sheets as II fell, the yards were
slippery with ice. I stamped on Winny's
feet to keep them from freezing. Did You
notice that | limp littleY I shall walk
lame rs long as live. Sometimes there was
splash In the black water below, as some
poor fellow q stifened hold relaxed and he fell
from his place In the rigging. There was not a
breath of wind, nothing but the bitter, bitter
fog. How long could we hold outf Where
were We How long would the ship be be-
fore she broke upY Would II be by drown
ing or by freezing We asked ourselves
these questions again and again, but there
was no answer. Death stared us in the
face we seemed 10 live ages of agony In
cNOty yet, Will yOt UtiItVe me,
that all seemed little in comparison TO the
thought that after all the struggles and the
SORROWS, after all those ten long weary years,
held my girl In my arms at last
She had pulled one corner Of the cloak
around my neck, q stood on a level lust be.
low her, and her hand lay there with tit
was the hand that warmed me more than the
cloak-and her cheek rested against my own.
Often thought Its GOODNESS was the cold
ness of death, and almost exulted in the
thought that we should die together. And
then | would catch the murmur of the
prayers she was uttering for us both, and
knew that life was there still, and hope lived
too.
Well, well Why should dwell OH such
horrors, except TO thank Mercy that brought
us through them all Day dawned at last
and there was the shore near by, and soon
rockets were fired, and ropes secured, and
one by one the half-dead living were drawn
from their awful suspension between sky
and sea, and landed safe OH shore. They
had to take Winny and me together, just as
we were, and even then they had hard work
to undo the clasp of my stifrened arms
about her. l knew nothing then, nor for
long after and II Ia wonderful tina. Winny
was the first to recover, and that 1t was she
who nursed me back to life and reason.
ANA now dld ask her to marry me
Upon my word, now You ask, can remem
Der that ever did. That seemed utterly
unnecessary, somehow. Caste distinctions
look small enough when you have been star.
Ing death in the face for few hours and
words were not much needed after We had
been together in the rigging that night.
Somehow was glad il was so; glad my girl
had taken me, in my cap and jersey, for n
common sailor, and yet loved the old Dicl,
through it all glad she never dreamed
was owner of Indian Creek farm, and the
richest man in that end of Ontario, and had
wealth and position higher than Mr..
LOTUS, the young squire at home. The
people she was with had all gone down on
that awful night; she had no one in the
world but me. Wa were married at Mon
treal-the captain of the Antarctic gave her
away--and then brought her home to In
dian Creek. To see her face when she saw
the rocking chair and the work basket and
the thlmble Heaven bless her!
There she comes, with her baby on her
shoulder. Come in to dinner, friend, and
you shall seq the sweetest wife in the new
country or the old the girl won amid the
oceans snrges.- Pri0h, Doys.