The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-08-14
" THE RIBS OF DEATH"
Elsie's Narrow Escape from Them
and a Mad Lover.

Three months before l was born my
fathers boat went down in a squat within
sight of home and of my mother, who, with
the rest of the fishermen's wives, awaited
the landing of the little fleet.
Perhaps this was the reason why I had
such an instructive horror and dread of
the sea, even while it fascinated and drew
me to it in its stormiest moods. 1t was a
queer feeling that possessed me. When
away from the sight and the sound of
the breakers l was restless and unquiet;
near them l was awed and melancholy,
but some craving of my nature was salts
fled, and | was comparatively calm.
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 off,
they said among themselves with sorrow
full 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 SO cruel in her way
of expressing them.
Miss Ashford, our wears daughter, is
very cross with me for saying things like
this, but | can not help thinking that even
she feels them to be true sometimes during
the long and stormy winters on this north
east coast of ours. She is very kind and
good, and as 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 write it. 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 after-but that must bide until | come
to it.
Callermouth is only cluster of cottages
around little harbor, with pier and life
boat house below. About a mile to the
north is the ugly sharp ridge of rocks which
bears the significant name of the cribs o.
Death" Many fine vessel has struck and
ground her timbers to match-wood, and
many poor, clinging life has been washed
off those fatal ribs They do say that in
the old times many ship was lured there
to its destruction, too; but / can scarce be-
lieve the grandfathers of our brave fellows,
who lived by and on the waters just asnow,
could be inhuman enough to trade upon
the danger and deaths of fellowmariners.
Only must say that even yet, while any
one of our men would risk his life without
thinking twice about it to save another, he
wouldn't have any very definite ideas on
the laws of salvage.
/ was not a comedy lass in the estimation
of the village critics. In fact, when | saw
my little white face, with its big dark eyes,
in the dim old looking-glass which hung
over Jne uduJelpleCe III our ITOnJ room,
and compared it with that of Bell Carr, our
highest and best-looking girl, used to feel
very small and Insignificant She was a
true fisher lass tall and strongly made,
with u swinging walk and saucy smile, and
ready word for every one, gentle or sim
pie, The artists who came here sometimes
TO paint us in our characteristic blue fan
nels always selected her and passed me
over. was not type" and she was, they
said Well, | was glad of it, for Willie
wouldn't have liked me to act as model.
Spite of my want Of beauty had two lads