The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-08-27
THE RIBS OF DEATH"

THE RIBS UF DEATH.
Three months before | was born my
fathers boat went down in a sudden
squall, within sight OF home and OF my
mother who, with the rest Of the fish
ermen's wives, awaited the landing OF
the little fleet.
Perhaps this was the reason | j had
such an instructive horror and dread
of the sea, even while it fascinated
and drew me to it in its stormlest
moods. 1t was a queer feeling that
possessed me. When away from the
sight and sound OF the breakers | was
restless and unquiet, near them | was
awed and melancholy, but some cray
ing OF my nature was satisfied, and |
vas comparatively calm. l believe
many of our people, who areintensely
superstitious, looked upon me as
doomed in consequence of this. "The
sea always swallows what it gets a
hold Of" they said among themselves
with sorrowful fatallsm. We can
hardly help beng superstitious and
~gloomy-we who are born and reared
in Callermouth. Nature is so stern in
her moods and so cruel in her way of
expressing them.
Miss Ashford, our Wears daughter,
is very cross with me for saying things
like this, but / cannot help thinking
that sven she feels them to be true
sometimes during the long and stormy
Winters on this northeast coast of
ours. She is very kind and good, and
ais she is always busy working among
us perhaps that helps her through.
1t was she who taught me how to
write and put sentences together so
as to make this story ineligible, and
it was she who wished me to writoit
Why, | do not know. When / told it
to her first ! hardly expected her to
believe it, but she did and helped me
through the bad time which | had aft
er-but that must bide until | come
to it.
Callermouth is only a cluster OF cot
tages around a little harbor, with a
pier and lifeboat house below. About
a mile to the north is the ugly sharp
ridge Of rocks which bears the signif-
cant am of cribs o. Death" Many
q fine vessel has struck and ground
her timbers to matchwood many a
poor ~cllnging life has been washed off
those fatal RIBS. They do say that in
the old times many a ship was lured
there to its destruction too; but | can
scarce believe the grandfathers of our
brave fellows, who lived by and on
the waters just as now, could be inhu-
mar enough to trade upon the danger
ard deaths OF fellow-mariners. Only
must say that eve yet, while any Of
y men would risk his life without
thinking twice about it to save anoth-
er, he ~woniden't have any very def
mite IDEAS on the laws OF salvage.
was not a comely lass in the es-
tImatlon of the village critics. Intact
when saw my little white face, with
its big dark eyes, in the dim old look
ing glass which hung over the mantel-
piece in our front room, and
cd IT with that of Bell Carr, our biggest
and best looking girl, I used TO feel
very small and insignificant. She was
q true fisher lass, tall and strongly
made, with a swinging walk and saucy
smile, and a ready word for every one
gentle or simple. The artists who
came here sometimesto pain us incur
characteristic blue nannels always
selected her, and passed me over. ]
was not q type and she was, they
said!
Well, | was glad Of it, for Willie
wouldn't have liked me to act as a
model
Spite Of my waEt Of beauty, I had
two lads came counting me, and Willie
Lisle was the one I favored. Edam
lAdam) Carr was too much of my
own temper for me. too gloomy; Twas
afraid Of him, had the same sort b
mistrust Of him that I had Of the sea
and perhaps a little Of the same idea
o. MS possible power over me.
But Willie, with his bonnie yellow
eurls and his blue eyes, and his sunny
smile, what girl could have resisted
hlm2 He brought his brightness into
nv hfe. and it seemed TO 60 out Xix,
tne spn beneath d cloud on the daz
N4 sailed IA the kowena, bound fol