Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-02-06

as / stood there in my sailors jersey
and cap. / wondered if she would
know me. forgot the danger we
were in, forgot That death was wait
ing close at hand, forgot that the
world held anyone but just her and
me.
"Dick!" she cried, sob, Dick, Dickp
and she fell forward in a 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 cloak had
been dropped by the door of the la
dies cabin. There was no light, but
stumbled over it as ran. Isnatched
it up and carried it with me.
Up above all was in the widest
chaos the boats over-filled and push
ing off; the shipsettlingrapidly peo-
pie 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 such hero
ism shown in the wreck of the An
tarctic. The captain behaved splen-
didly, and so did some of the passen-
gers, but the majority of them and
the crew were mad with Lterror and
lost their heads altogether.
saw there was not a chancellor the
over-crowded boats in that sea and |
sprang for the rigging. / was not a
second too soon; a score of others fol-
lowed my example and with my
precious burden | should not have
had chance two minutes later. AS
it was, l scrambled to the topmast
and got a firm hold there. Winny
was just coming to herself. / had
wrapped her reund like baby in the
fur cloak and with my teeth Iopened
my knife to cut rope which hung
loose within reach. With this lash
ed her to me and fastened us both to
the topmast. The ship sank gradu-
ally; she did not keelover or should
not be telling you the story; she set
tied 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 after
ward, 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 a
thousand 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 slip
perry with ice. Istamped on Winny's
feet to keep them from freezing. Did
younotice that | limp little? shall
walk lame as long as | live. Some
times there was splash in the black
water below, and 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 we?
How long would the ship be before
she broke up? Wouldit beby drown,
ing or by freezing? We asked our.
selves thesequestionsagain andagain
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 these ten long, weary
years, held my girl in my arms al
last!
She had pulled one corner of the
cloak around my neck Il stood on {
level just below herr, and her hanC
| lay there with tit was the hand
that warmed me more than the cloak
) and her cheek rested against my
own. Often l thought its coldness
was the GOODNESS of death, and almos
exultant in the thought that we shoulC
t die together. And then 1 would catcl
the murmur of the prayers she wa
uttering for us both, and knew tina
D life was there still, and hope liveC
| too.
f Well, well! Why should | dwell
on such horrors, except to thank tn,
}. Mercy that brought us through then
h all? Day dawned at last; and Their