Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-08-31

/
phere, and the air seemed filled with
human forms lowering over the
drowning. The air was filled with
them, and close beside me recog-
nized my father, brother, and other
friends who had died many years be-
fore. They called me by name. They
pressed closely around me, telling me
to struggle on and they would aid me
that my work was not done-that
could not be spared yet.
A little strength came back to me.
l remembered that I must be more
than halfway TO the shore. The wa
ter could not be over five feet deep.
let myself down and felt the sand
under me. Becoming weak, with my
heavy head constantly falling back
ward, sank to the bottom, and drew
my body with my arms nearer and
ll-aearer to the shore, rising to the sur
face as often as was necessary. 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 reach
ing out his hands, tried to aid me. l
slowly crept up a little way out of
the water; but he was so weak that,
falling backward, I would lose my
hold and sink again.
At last was lying on the dry sand.
How good it seemed to lie there, if
only l need never move again. My
companion spoke roughly yet kindly
to me, telling me that it was sure
death to remain there. | refused to
move; but, being much stronger, he
compelled me to get up, and half sup
porting 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, containing two
beds, / was at last permitted to lie
down. The long, black neck of a
bottle was inserted between my lips,
and / drank and drank until it was
gently removed. The draught warm
ed me.
/ alternated between consciousness
and unconsciousness, and remember
ed much that passed about me. A
large man, with tall hat, black sat
in vest, and heavy gold chain came
in and lay down on the other bed. He
certainly had not been IN the water,
and wondered if he had been saved
in boat. A man in the next room
was exclaiming mournfully:-
Mine Got! Mine Got Mine mon
ish is all gone! Mine monish is all
gone Mine wife is gone, mine son
is gone! Oh, mine monish is all
lgonep
Again and again that mournful
wall went up. Then l heard the tall
man call out wrathfuIly:-
sWont some one kill that Dutch
man?'
Then I dozed off again. When l
awoke more people were coming in,
bearing woman, and they were say
ing she was the only woman saved.
/ heard them say that eight men
swan ashore, and twenty were saved
in boat. Only twenty-eight saved
out of four hundred Toward evening
they put us all In 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 unbearable,
and l remembered nothing more.
Days after / awoke from what
seemed long sleep. l found my
self lying on a bed in strange room
alone. The sound of voices came in
through the window and from the
halls, where people were constantly
passing to and fro. They were talk
ing of great disaster, of dead bod
les laying in heaps upon the sand,
waiting to be claimed, and Others
being buried in a trench. There was
something about county lines, of cor
oners quarrelling over fees, of thieves
in boats at night stripping the drown
ed bodies, tearing rings from fingers
and ears. Those monotonous voices
were forever talking about that one
thing.
Well, what if they are dead? the
dead are at rest. What had to do
with that shipwre ok? Why did not
some one come to me? What was /
doing here in this strange room? Why
was / so stiff and sore, SO full of pain,
so weak / could not move p? fell
asleep again, and when / awoke still
the same voices were talking about
poor drowned bodies, thieves, coro-
ners, and boats; and then came dim
recollection that l had known some
thing about that shipwreck. 1t all
came back to me clear and distinct.
Soon afterwards man came with
broth and nourishing foods, of which
/ ate with relish while he answered
my questions. This was Saturday,
and I had left Buffalo on the Sunday
preceding. Lloyd's Tavern was fif-
teen miles from the city of Cleveland.
l must 60 up. How could I lie here
/ must 60 into the air. | must GO
home. Home? Why, at home doubt
less they mourned me as dead.
had been dead for days to them.
| horovod .~on hrinn mo c0np