Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-02-11

HtsNNNh NiiS NliOlC SUPP HdS III u DtiltC
cries, terror, confusion, agony-oh,
1T was awful TRUST never to see such
scene again. Imadem my waythrough
1t all as ii | had neither eyes nor ears,
and got to the stateroom / had long
ago found out was the one which be-
longed to my girl. ] Knocked at the
door with a heavy hand. Even at
that awful moment athrill ran through
me at the thought of standing face to
face with her again.
"Winnyrn / cried, ''come out!
make haste! there is not a moment to
losel"
The door opened as Ispoke, and
she stood just within, ready-dressed,
ever to her little black cap. The cabin
light had been left burning, by the
doctors orders, Ind it fell full on me
as stood there If my sailors Jersey
and cap. l wondered if she would
know me. forgot the danger we were
n-forgot that Geath was waiting close
at hard-forgot that the world held
any one but just her and me.
'Djrki'' she Crled-"Oh, Pick, Dickl''
and she fell forward in a dead faint on
ICY shoulder.
All my senses came batG then; and ]
threw her overmy arm aniran for the
deck. 4 great fur~lined cloak had been
4 'nYped by the door of the ladies
cabin. Therew a no light, but Istum-
bled over it as ] ran. Isnatched itup
and carried it with ME.
Up above, all was in the widest
chaos; the boats overfIled, and pushing
off; the ship settling rapidly; people
shouting, crying, swearing. One hears
tales of calmness ard courage often
enough at such times, which makes
ones heart glow as one reads TIL N uut
there was not much kerulsm shown in
the wreck of the Antarctic. The Cap
tain behaH ed splendidly, aud SO did
some OF the passengers, I'm tnemajor,
ity 2fthsm and the crew We're mad with
terror, End lost their heads altogether.
/ saw there was not a chance for the
over-crowded boats in the sea, and
sprang for the rigging. l IA not a
second too soon; a score OF Others
followed my example, and with my
precious burden should not havehad
a chance two minutes later. AtiUwas,
! scrambled to the topmast, and got a
firm hold there. Winny was Just
coming to herself. had wrapped her
round like a baby in the fur cloak,
and with my teeth | opened my knife
to cut a rope which hung loose within
reach. With this | dashed her to me.
and fastened us both to the topmast.
The ship sank gradually; she did not
lant AN-.R. ON Ghr,,ll MT ha tailInp
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 vas pretty
full, at least in the upper part; down
below the sea was too strong. The
Captain was near me. / felt glad to
think hehad been saved-he was not
acoward like some of the others.
How long vas 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 where it fell; the yards were
slippery with ice. / stamped on Win
ny's feet to keep them FROM freezing.
Did you notice that | limp a little? |
shall walk lame as long as | live.
Sometimes there was n splash in the
black water below, as some poor fell
lows stiffened 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 out? Where were We?
How long would the ship be before she
broke up? 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 ell seemed
little in comparison to the thought
that after all the struggles and the
sorrows afterall these ten long weary
years, l held my girl in my arms at
last.
She had pulled cne corner OF the
cloak around my neck i stood on a
level just below herl, and her handla lay
there with tit was the hand that
warmed me more than the cloak-and
her cheek rested against my own. OF
ten | thought its GOODNESS "a the
GOODNESS OF death, and almost eXulted
III the thought that We should die to-
gether. And then | would catch the
murnlur of the prayers she vas utter
ing for us both, and know that life
was there still, and hope livedtoo.
Well, well! Why should | dwell on
such horrors, except to thank the mer-
cy that brought us through them all?
Day dawned at last; and there wasthe
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 save on shore.
They had 20 take Winny and me
together just Is we were, and
even then they had work to
undo the clasp of my stiffened
arms about her. / knew nothing
then, nor for long alter; and it is won
derful that Winnie was the first to re-
cover, and that it vas she who nursed
back to life and reason.
And how did ] ask her to marry me?
Uron my word, now you ask, | can't
remember that Ieverd did. That seemed
utterly unnecessary, somehow. Caste
di- motions look small enough when
YOU have been staring death in the
face for a few hours; and words were
not much needed after we mad been
together in the rigging that night.
Somehow | was glad j. was so; glad
my girl had taken me, in my cap and
Jersey, for ii common sailor, and yet
loved the old Dick through it all;
glad she nnv@r dreamed | was owner
of Indian Ct.>k farm, and the richest
man in b. y end of Ontario, ard had
wealth Gnd position higher than Mr..
Loft IS. the young squire at home.
The people she was with had all gone
down on that awful night; she had no
one in che world but me. We were
married at Montreal-the Captain of
the her away-andth then
| brought her home to Indian Creek.
To see her face when she saw the rock
ing-chair, and the work-basket and
the thimblel Heaven bless her.
There she comes, with her baby on
her shoulder. Come into dinner,
friend, and you shall see the sweetest
wife in the new country or the old;
the girl / won amid the surges.
Bright Days.
Christopher Did Not Discover