News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-09-03

| SCAOo ACi I'LL L lOuSCu W Gull luCln NOll
But there was a gentleness and pa
tience about her quite new to my idei
Of Miss Winny, and I only loved he
the more for it. After the second da,
out, the wind freshened, and l saw NJ
more of her.
We had an awful passage. It wa
late in November-an early winter, anC
the cold was intense 1t blew one con
tinuous gale, and some of our machin
cry was broken-the screw damaged
and we could not keep our course. Al
we drew near the other side of the At
lantic, we got more and more out of ou1
bearings, and at last the fogs told us we
| were somewhere off the banks of New
foundland, but where, no one was quite
sure. 1t seemed to me it had all hap
| pened before, or l had read it, OF
dreamed it. At all events, it was hardly
a surprise to me when, on the tenth
night, just after midnight, the awful
crash and shock took place-a sensation
which no one who has not felt it can
imagine in the least-and we knew that
the Antarctic had struck.
It's fearful thing, if you once came
to think of it, great steamer filled
with living souls in the full flow of life
and health, and in one moment the call
coming to each of them to die. Before
you could have struck match the
whole ship was in a panic-cries, terror,
confusion, agony-Oh, it was awful
trust never to see such scene again. I
made my way through it all as if 1 had
neither eyes nor ears, and got to the
stateroom had long ago found out was
the one which belonged to my girl. !
knocked at the door with heavy hand
even at that awful moment a thrill ran
through me at the thought of standing
face to face with her again.
''Winnym l cried, "come outl make
haste! there is not moment to loseln
The door opened as spoke, and she
stood just within, ready dressed, even to
her little black hat. The cabin light
had been left burning, by the doctors
orders, and it fell full upon me as !
stood there in my sailors jersey and
cap. l wondered if she would know
me. 1 forgot the danger we were in
forgot that death was waiting close at
hand-forgot that the world held any
one but just her and me-
''Dick' she cried-''Oh, Dick,
Dick!n and she fell forward in a dead
faint on my shoulder.
| All my senses came back then; and I
threw her over my arm and ran for the
deck A great fur lined cloak had been
dropped by the door of the ladies' cabin.
There was no light, but | stumbled over
it as l ran. l snatched it up and carried
it with me.
Up above, all was in the widest
choas; the boats over-filled, and push
ing off; the ship settling rapidly; people
shouting, crying, swearing. One hears
tales of calmness and courage often
enough at such times, which makes ones
heart glow as one reads them; but there
was not much heroism shown in the
wreck of the Antarctic. The captain
behaved splendidly, and so did some of
the passengers, but the majority of them
and the crew were mad with terror, and
lost their heads altogether.
l saw there was not chance for the
over-crowded boats in that sea, and 1
sprang for the rigging. l was not a
second too soon; q score of others fol-
lowed my example, and with my precious
burden l should not have had chance
two minutes later. As it was, scram-
bled to the topmast, and got firm hold
there. Winny was just coming to her.
self. had wrapped her round like a
baby in the fur cloak, and with my
teeth 1 opened my knife to cut rope
which hung loose within reach. With
this l lashed her to me, and fastened up
both to the topmast. The ship sank
gradually; she did not keel over or
l should not be telling you the story
now; she settled down, just her deck
above water, but the great seas washed
over it every second and swept it clean.
The boats had gone
One or two of the crew, floating on
loose spars, 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. 1 felt glad to think he
had been saved-he was not a coward
like some of the others.
How long was the longest night you
ever knew? Multiply that by a thou
sand, and you will have some idea of
that nights length. The cold was
awful. The spray froze on the sheets as
it fell, the yards were slippery with ice.
| stamped on Winny's feet to keep them
from freezing. Did you notice that l
limp little? | shall walk lame as long
as / live. Sometimes there was splash
in the black water below, as some poor
fellows stiffened hold relaxed, and he
fell from his place in the rigging. There
was not breath of wind, nothing but
the bitter, bitter fog. How long could
we hold out? Where were we2 How
ha oh l,o Il
up2 Would it be by drowning or by
freezing? We asked ourselves these
questions again and again, but there was
no answer. Death stared us in the face :;
we seemed to live ages of agony in every
minute-and yet, will you believe 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 Just
below herr, 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 coldness 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 know
that life was there still, and hope lived,
too.
Well, well! Why should 1 dwell on
such horrors, except to thank the 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 on 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 stiffened arms
about her. l knew nothing then, nor
for long after; and it is wonderful that
Winny was the first to recover, and that
it was she who nursed me back to life
and reason.
And how did ask her to marry me |?
Upon my word, now you ask, l can't re-
member that | ever did. That seemed
utterly unnecessary, somehow. Caste
distinctions look small enough when you
have been staring 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 it was so; glad my girl had taken
me, in my cap and jersey, for common
sailor, and yet loved the old Dick
throug Oh it all; glad she never dreamed I
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