The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-09-03
"TIIE RIBS OF DEATH"

Three months before was born nv
ather's boat went down in q 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 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 u 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 |
was comparatively calm | 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 iorsaying things
like this, but | cannot help thinking
that even 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
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 aft
er-but that must bide until | come
to it.
Callermouth is only cluster of cot
tages around a little harbor, with a
pier and sifeboat house below About
a mile to the north is the ugly sharp
ridge OF rocks which bears the signiti-
cant name OF cribs o. Death" Many
fine vessel has struck and ground
her timbers to matchwooR, many a
poor clingng life has been washed off
those fatal RIBS. They do say that in
the old times many a ship was lured
there to it's 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-
man enough to trade upon the danger
nrd deaths OF w-mariners. Only
] must say that even yet, while any OF
our men would risk his life without
thinking twice about it to save anoth-
er, he woulden't have any very def
nite ideas on the laws OF salvage.
was not comely lass in the es-
timation of the village critics. Intact
when saw my little white face, with
it's big dark eyes, in the dim old look
ing glass which hung over the mantel-
piece in our front room, and compar-
ed 1T with that OF Bell Carr, our biggest
and best looking girl, used to feel
very small and insignificant. She was
true fisher lass, tall and strongly
made, with a swim sing walk and saucy
smile, and a ready word for every one
gentle or simple. The artists who
came here sometimes to pain us in our
characteristic blue fanneis always
selected her, and passed me over. 1
was not "type" and she was, they
said!
Well, 1 was glad OF it, for Willie
wouldn't have liked me to act as q
model!
Spite OF my want OF beauty, ! had
two lads came counting me, and Willie
Lisle was the one l favored. Edam
(Adam) Carr WAS too much of my
own temper for me, too gloomy; was
afraid OF him, had the same sort OF
mistrust of him that had OF the sea,
and perhaps a little OF the same idea
of his possible power over me.
But Willie, with his bonnie yellow
curls and his blue eyes, and his sunny
smile, what girl could have resisted
him? He brought his brightness into
my life, and it seemed to go out like
the sun beneath cloud on the day
he sailed in the Rowena, bound for
China and the East Indies, from the
Tyne.
All our most energetican enterpris-
ing Young men become sailors, if they do
not feel satisfied to become fishermen
as their fathers before them. 1t never
seems to enter into any of their heads
that there are other means OF liveli-
hood than these two callings. They
cannot tear themselves Away from