The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1886-12-19


Swiftly the temptation seized and over
mastered Sabr' Ellen She unfastened the
strings from the bonnet and tied them
around her long braids. But the sight of
the handbook might make some one sus-
pect She took short cut back to the
boat and left it there, securely tucked
away in the stern. 1t was safe to leave
things in that way at Barnet's Cove.
She was a little late at singing school,
but that only caused her hair ribbons to
be the more observed. The girls all
looked at them and exchanged admiring
chances and whispers with one another
and Sabr' Ellen's cheeks flushed with
pleasure and pride. She almost forgot
that the ribbons were not her own. There
seemed 10 be little danger of discovery,
for no one from the island, save herself,
was at singing school. 1t was, as Mis-
Cap'n Hez expressed it, $50 mumpy on
Turtle"
led her to the landing.
There's gong to be storm before a
great WHILE" said Shach Herrick, as he
pushed the boat off; "but you'll be across
10 jiffy."
The moon was partially obscured by
clouds, but the revolving light of the
lighthouse flashed out at every moment
and showed Sabr' Ellen the way.
She rowed off and waited until her
| friends voices had died away in the dis
lance. Then she laid down the oars and
| took the bonnet box out from under the
stern seat aud prepared to replace the
strings.
| She drew one of her long braids around,
| and as she did so the Iibbon. which she
had tied loosely lest she should spoil it,
| slipped off into the water. She tried to
reach it, as it danced off on the crest OF
| little wave, but in vain Panic stricken,
she seized an oar, and tried to reach it
with that She made the boat careen so
that il almost overturned, and in her
fright she lost her grasp of the oar, and it
went sailing off after the ribbon. Sne
could paddle with one car, hut where was
the other oar? Poor Sabr Ellen uttered
cry Of dismay as she saw that when the
boat righted it had slipped out and was
already floating off, far, far beyond her
reach.
In the midst of her dismay the first
thing that Sabr' Ellen did was to take off
the other ribbon from her hair, smooth
out the creases and pin it to the bonnet
Then she looked about her to see what
was to be done.
The storm that 'Schach Herrick had
foreseen would not be long in coming.
The ripples on the water were turning into
waves. and the small waves into large
enes Out towards the open sea there
were whitecaps to be seen. The boat had
swung round and the current was carry
ing it straight out to sea.
1t was OF no use to cry for help. Both
the main land and the island were too far
away for her voice to reach them, and the
fishing boats were all safely in the harbor
for the night. The friendly. cheerful
flash from the lighthouse grew farther and
farther away. The sky was wholly COW
cred with dark clouds now, and it had
begun to rain There was no sound but
the booming of the surf upon the rocks.
There were dangerous rocks all about
Turtle Island; if tie boat should drift |
upon them il would be ground TO pieces,
But the noise of the surf grew fainter
and fainter; the boat bad drifted beyond
the rocks ard was out in the open sea-
1t was raining heavily now. Sabr' Ell
len took off her shawl and wrapped it |
carefully around the box. She strained |
her ewes to catch the fish of the light |
house lamp. When it was gone, and the |
unbroken darkness closed around her, she |
felt as if she were alone in the universe |
with Suly Ketcbum's wedding bonnet. |
which had but one string.
She drifted on, it seemed to her, for |
DAYS and days. One night coul not be
SO longl Darkness must have settled upon |
the earth for all time!
But at last she become conscious that |
the mist around her was growing gray. 1t |
must be morning, but there was thick |
fog. Turtle Island was often wrapped in
such fog, so that the world seemed to
end at its steep cliffs. There Sabr Ellen
Ii I'd always thought it made things sem
coy and homslike; here, on the wide, I'M
known sea. it was awful.
She was drenched, and chilled, and ex-
hausted, and she crouched in the bottom
of the boat in kind of stupor of despair.
The shrll blast OF fog horn made her
spring to her feet SIC thought she was
in the lighthouse, and must ring the fog.
bell in answer. Then she came TO herself
and raised wild cry for help. If they
would only stop blowing the horn long
enough to hear her!
A huge, black shape loomed through
the fog directly before her. Her little
boat was most under the bow of large
vessel.
Sabr' Ellen uttered one despairing cry
and waited for the crash. Suddenly every
thug grew dark around her and all her
terror faded into oblivion.
She came to herself with friendly voices
in her ears.
That was close shave for the little
'unF' said one. Don't try to take the box
away from her. She clings to it like a
drowuin man to a plank"
Sabr Ellen became aware that she was
on the deck of vessel and that she was
tightly clutching the bonnet box. Bending
over her was the honest, kindly face of
Captain Tom Biuut-C Captain t m, who
was master of the Wing and Wing, who
lived on Turtle Island, aud who was going
home to marry Suy Ketcaum
"This is SuIy's wedding bonnet" gasped
Sabr' Ellen. And ! think it's safe, be-