, 1886-07-18
"THE RIBS OF DEATH"

Three months before l was born my
fathers boat went down in a sudden
squat, within sight of home and of my
mother, who, with the rest of the fisher
mems wives, awaited the landing of the
little fleet. Perhaps this was the reason
/ had such an instructive horror and
dread of the sea, even while it fascinated
and drew me TO it in its stormiest o
1t was a queer feeling that possessed me.
When away from the sight and sound oil
the breakers l was restless and unquiet,
near them l was awed and melancholy,
but some craving of my nature was salts
fed, md l was comparatively calm. L
believe many of our people, who are in
tensely superstitious, looked upon me as
doomed in consequence of this. THE
sea always swallows what it gets a hold
Of they said amongst themselves with
sorrowful fatalism. We can hardly help
being superstitious and gloomy-we who
are born and reared in Callermouth.
Nature Is so stern in her moods, and 80
cruel in her way of expressing them.
Callermouth is only a cluster of cot
tages around a little harbor, with n pier
and life-boat house below. About a mile
to the north is the ugly sharp ridge OF
rocks which bears the significant nam
of the Ribs O. Death Many a fine
vessel has struck, and ground her tim
beers to matchwood, many a poor cling
ing life has been washed off those fatal
ribs. They do say that In the old times
many a ship was lured there to its de-
struction too; but l can scarce believe
the grandfathers of our brave fellows.
who lived by and on the waters just as
now, could be inhuman enough TO trade
upon the danger and the deaths of fell
low-mariners. Only / must say that
even yet, while any one of our men
twice about it to save another, he
wouldn't have any very definite ideas
on the laws of salvage.
Spite Of my a of beauty. I had two
lads came counting me, and Willie Lisle
was the one l favored. Edam (Adaml
Carr was too much OF my own temper
for me, too gloomy; 1 was afraid of him,
had the same sort of mistrust of him that
1 Ind of the sea, and perhaps a little Of
the saps idea Of his possible power over
me.
But Willie, with his bonnie yellow
curls and his blue eyes, and his sonny
smile, what girl could have resisted
himY He brought his brightness into my
life, and il seemed to go out like the sun
beneath a cloud on the day he sailed in
the "Rowena,r bound for China and the
East Indies, from the Tyne.
All our most energetic and enterprising
young men become sailors, If they do not
feel satisfied to be fishermen ms their
fathers before them. 1t never seems to
enter into any of their heads that there
are other means of livelihood than these
two callings. They cannot tear them
selves away from the sea altogether, how
ever they may abuse it. They inhale its
salt breeze with their earliest breaths, its
foam and spray beat on them, until it be-
comes part OF them as it were, and they
are as much creatures of the waves as the
fishes that swim beneath or the gulls that
float above. SO it was that when Willie
grew Discontinued with his earnings as a
fisherman, he went to sea to make more
money, in the hope of wedding me the
sooner.
Il was not strong enough for a fisher
mans wife" he said, "and he hoped to
be able to keep me like a ladyi" Just as
if l cared!
One afternoon l was wandering rather
disconsolately on the beach, feeling low
and hopeless, wishing for Willie and bet
ter days, VIXEN Edam, who was busy in
his boat, called 70 me as l past by.
1Zisie, come here and tell me what
you think o my beatf' he cried in n more
CHEEKY voice than usual. and glad to be
good-natured when l could, l stopped
and admired the fine new boat he had
just bought with the money an uncle had
left him.
But you've got no name for her." l
said at last; what are you going to call
herr
That depends on you" he replied,
looking up quickly; "if yc don't object, /
would name her The Bonnie Elsie.'p
That would never do. | thought in n
minute, it would be all over the place at
once that Edam Carr had called his boat
after Elsie Wilson, and that she was -of
with the old love and on with the new"
you mustn't do that" ! demurred as
gently as | could; there's prettier names
and lasses too, for that matter, in the
placer
His face changed for the worse in
n moment, and an angry light blazed in
his eyes.
I'm not to hev yer name then, forbye
yerselff"
1T wouldn't do, Edam; folks would
talk, and-and Willie might be vexed,"
l went on hesitatingly. What a coward
xvao %. ha anrat II una with tha nraat
est difficulty in the world l managed to
bring Il my real objection. And yet |
was SO pround OF being Willie's sweet
heart.
Hes not yer man yet that he should
mind" Edam replied sulkily; and then
under his breath, Maybe he never will
be ither."
l heard the end of the sentence, low
as it was muttered.
AN what's to hinder, il we're both Of
one mind about ity- | said sharply,
losing my temper a bit at his obstinacy.
Who knows? He might get a wife
where he's gone, and he might never
come back at all"
Dye want to quarrel wi me, EdamiT
sNo, no, Elsie. we Wilma quarrel" he
said at once I'm a bit queer in the
temper, but / wouldn't like to vex you.
I'm goin' to try tn new boat, will ye
venture out wi me, lassie?" he went on
quietly after a moment.
Il did not know what to say. 1t would
not be wise to offend him more than l
had been unlucky enough to do already.
There was no harm in sailing out a mile