Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-10-24

The door opened as L 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 il fell full On me as ] stood there in my
sailors Jersey and cap. ! wonde ed if she
would know me. / 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 -
and she fell forward in dead faint on my
shoulder.
All my senses came back then. and l
threw her over my arm and ran for the
deck. A great fur-lined coax had been
dropped by the door of the ladies' cabin.
There was no light, but stumbled over it
as ran. | snatched it up and carried it
with me.
Up above all was in tie widest chaos
the boats overflled and pushing off the
ship settling rapidly; people shouting. cry
ing, swearing, One hears tales Of calinness
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 splen6idly. and 60 did
some Of the passengers. but the majority of
them and the crew were mad will terror
Gnd lost their heads altogether.
/ saw there was not chance for the over
crowded boats in that sea, and l sprang for
the rigging. l was net a second too soon
score OF Others followed my example and
with my precious burden ! should not have
had chance two minutes later. AS il
was, scrambled 10 the topmast and cot a
firm hold there. Winny was Just coming
to herself. had wrapped her round like
bsby III the fur cloak, and with my teeth
opened my knife TO cut q rope which hung
loose within reach. With this dashed her
TO me and fastened Us both to the ;opmast.
The ship sank gradually; she dil not keel
over, or ! should not be telling vou the
story now; she settled down. just her deck
above water, but the great seas washed over
II every second and swept it clean The
boats had gene
One or two of the crew, floating on loose
spars, were picked up afierward-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
not a coward like some of the others.
How long was the longest night you ever
knew? Multiply that by thousand and
you will have some idea of that nights
length. The cold was awful. The spray
troze on the sheets as il fell. The yards
were slippery with ice | STAMPED Oh
Winny's feet 10 keep them from freezing.
Did you notice that 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 q breath of wind, nothing
but the bitter, bitter fog. How long could
we hold out2 Where were weP How
long would the ship be before she broke
up2 Would it be by drowning or by freez-
ing2 We asked ourselves these questions
again and again. but there was no answer.
Death stared us i'll 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 II stood on level just be-
low herr, and her hand lay there with it
it was the hand that warmed me more than
the cloak-and her cheek rested against nv
own. Often thought it's GOODNESS v as the
GOODNESS 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 lis both,
and knew that life was there still, and hope
lived too.
Well, we'll 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
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 stiflened arms about her | knew
nothing then, nor for long after; and it is
wonderful that Winny was the first to re-
cover, and that il was she who nursed me
back to life and reason.
And how did ! ask her to marry me
Upon my word, now you ask, can't re-
member that l ever did. 1t seemed utterly
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 l was glad it was so; glad my
girl had taken me- in my cap and Jersey for
a common sailor, and yet loved the old
Dick 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. Lof-
tus, 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. We were married at Montreal
the Captain Of the Antarctic gave her away
and then l brought her home to Indian
Creek. To see her face when she saw the
rocking chair and the work basket and the
thimble Heaven bless her!
There she comes with her baby on her
shoulder. Come in to dinner, friend, and
you shall see the sweetest wife in the new
country OF the old the girl won amid the
oceans surges.-[ Bright Days