Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1886-04-01

Gdmma, IN Rugby Nentkls.

plying a peninsula hemmed in on three
sides BY the Chesapeake bay and the
Potomac and Pstuxent rivers, lies the
good old county Of St. Mary's, the
settlement Of Lord Baltimors's first
colony. In the old var days the good
people Of this section were strongly
Southern in their sympathies. So it
came about that their young men-as
young men are wont 10 do in such
emergencies salistedon The populsrsids
and fought bravely aud With distinction
through the long Virginia campaigns.
As a consequence when the blockade
Of the South became general, these
dashing young soldiers were driven to
the hard alternative either of giving
up their well-earned furloughs alto
gether, or stalking life and liberty on
the chance Of successfully running the
gauntlet of the argus-eyed blockadsrs
on the river. The latter course, how
ever. was the one usually adopted as
it afforded kind of danger, which,
while it had flavor of exhileration
about it for the young soldier himself,
at the same time surrounded him with
brighter halo of heroism in the bright
eyes of the pretty Maryland girls.
The river, at this point. ranges from
three to FIVE miles in breadth, so that
it was indeed hazardous undsrtak.
ing to venture upon its angry bosom
for it was possible to escape the visi.
lance of the feet only on stormy nights
in the small dugouts or canoes
which alone were accessible. Still, in
most cases, the trip was made without
mishap by the daring young fellows,
who were, as a rule, expert in all the
mysteries of the boat.craft.
1t is in regard to one of these adj
ventures that the present story relates.
A young officer whom we call Charles
Crowell, had frequently taken advan-
tage of his furloughs to visit his friends
on the northern shore, and it was an
open secret in camp that q pair Of
pretty dimples were such q strong
magnet to him that he would have
gone boldly through FIRE and water
for the rapture of being the recipient
Of their smiles. On one of his visits
these same dimples proved so irresis-
tibly bewitching to the young fellow
that he put off his departure from
night to night until. at length, his
furlough was all but exhausted. At
length he was compelled to depart !;
nor would his limited quantity of time
permit him to wait for a suitable
night. Fortune. however, seemed half
inclined to become the patroness of
love BY lending her aid to the young
lover. The sun set into a dense bank
Of clouds, tipping them with a dull
orange glow; and entirely neglecting
to set FIRE to the few shreds of GIRO
stratus that lowered above the north.
ern horizon. As the night settled,
the breeze from the bay freshened
almost into a gale, and heavy clouds
began to rush low over the leaping
white-caps in the stream. When at
length. about midnight. Charlie reach.
ed the shore, the sky was 50 overcast
that despite the fact that the moon
was nearly full, the river was wrapt
in obscurity; so bidding his friends
good.by, he started on his enterprise
buoyantly and with no misgivings.
The faithful canoe which had safely
brought him through so many dangers,
awaited him at the end of short pier.
The waves were running high, but the
thoroughness of Charlie boatcraft had
never been questioned. So it was
with easy minds that his friends
watched him disappear in the shad'
ows of the river. Family the light
dip of his oars was born back to them
from the obscurity: but soon the
sounds were lost in the splashing Of
the waves On the shore.
With a long Sigh, waited to th'
shrine of the Venus Of dimples, thu
young man bent to the oar; and hal
an hour later was tossing in the mid
die Of the mighty river. Not far uE
the stream rose and fell the sigma
lights Of Q huge msn.of.war, spread
ing broken rays Of colored light owe
the angry waves in it, immediate
vicinity. At the sight, . spirit o
pure brsvsdo entered the young man
head, tempting him to dare the lio'
in his den. So turning his prov. b
prepared to glide a. quietly - posi-
bic beneath the very bowspris Of IL
enemy. Swiftly the little craft crsp
towards the huge ship. Silently pad
ding. to avoid the possibility Of
sse.kisg car l0sk. Charlie aessselish
q "a tssesesus essk snA stut 4