Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-07-30

have recapsruixtsd did pAs through my
brsiu. even as have detailed theni
..But a. nov became cain 10 Thought
sz,nrnoss-d up again Some resolution Of arfaon
Il viii begin at that corner said u, and
sxiru around the whole iuciossirc VII Swim
siosiy and again feel the sides OF TIE tAnx
with nv feet IL die must let me perish at
least from well directed though exhaustins
effort NOT sink from mere boetle-s wezriness
IN sustaining ny.f till the morning sfah
bring relief
-sThs sides Of the place seemed 70 grow
higher a. now kept my wsf@ry course neiiealn
than 1t was not altogether a dead pun
bal some variety Of er-S.----- III uaaxihs my
circuit When | swan IN the shallow,
boxed to t.le more cheerful beyond IN 'tle
moonlight When | swain In the NOON
light I bad the hope Of making s'nie
discovery when I should again reach TIE
shadow | turned several times on my oaek
TO ress t,sz where those wasy lines wooia
meet The stars Ieoked vfciously n2nt 70 ms
from the bottom Of that well; there was soen
= company Of them. they were 50 glad IN theif
isstrous revelry: and they had s'ich space 10
move in. | aas alone, sal to DESPAIR ID
strange eIesnent. prtsoned. and soiiLaf!
gazer upon their chorus. And yet tnere WIS
no.hina else with which | could hold com
mpnioni
II turned upon my breast and struck out
almost fran;icaly once more. Inc .lArs
were forgotten, the moon, the very world or
which as yet formed a part, my poor Mary
herself, were forgotten ! thought only OF
the strong man there perishing' OF me III my
lusty manhood, in the sharp vigor Of my
faef lftts
with senses all alert, battling there with
,hysical obstacles which men like myself had
brought together for my undoing The Eter-
naI could never have willed this thing
could not and would not perish thus And
grew strong in insolence Of self trust, and
laughed aloud as | dashed the sluggish water
aside
Then came an emotion Of pity for myself
of wild. wild regret Of sorrow, oh, iiiinite.
for a fate so desolate, doom 50 dreary, 80
teart sickeningl You may laugh at the con.
tradiction IL you will, sir. but ! felt that
couid sacrifice my own life on the instant, to
redeem another fellow creature from such a
place of horror, from end 50 pteous- My
.oul and nv vital spirit seemed in that des
perate moment TO be separating while one
in parting grieved over the deplorable tate
Of the other
And then | prayed prayed, why or
wherefore know not 1t was not from fear
II could not have been in hope The days OF
miracles are passed, and there was no natural
law by whose interposition could be saved
did not pray it prayed OF itself. my SOU
within me.
WAS the calmneSs that | now felt, tor
pilityf the torpidity that precedes dissoiu
ton TO the strong swimmer who, sinking
from exhaustion must at last add a bubble TO
the waves US he sufocates beneath the ele
ment which now denied his nlasteryt III II
were so how fortunate was II that my toat
ing rod at that moment attracted my atten-
ton as IL dashed throus h the water by me- !
sav on the instant that fish had entanSled
himself In the wire moose The rod quivered.
nlunged came again to the surface, and RIP
plesi the water Us il shot in arrowy light from
side to side OF the tank. At last driven
toward the southeast corner Of the reservoir,
the small end seemed to have got foul some
where The brazen butt, which, every time
the fish sounded, was thrown up to the moon,
now sank by its own weight, showing that
the other end must be fast But the cornered
fish, evidently anchored somewhere by that
short wire hOundered several times to thu
surface before thought Of striking out to the
spot.
THE water is low now, and tolerably clear
You may see the very ledge there, sir, In
wonder corner, on which the small end Of my
rod rested when secured that pike with my
hands | did not take him from the slip
uoose however, but, standing upon the ledge,
handled the rod in workmanlike manner as
| flung that pound pickerel over the iron
railing upon the top Of the parapet. The
rod, as have told you, barely reached from
the rail- < to the water 1t was heavy,
strone %,ass rod and when | discovered that
the fish at the end of the wire made strong
enough knot to prevent me from drawing
my tackle away from the railing around
which it twined itself as | threw, why, Al
you can Mt once see, | had but little difficulty
in making my way up the face of the wal
with such assistance
The ladder you dashed to the iron rail
ing is in the identical spot where thus made
my escape; and, for fear of similar accidents
they have placed another one in the CORE
spoI.ding corner Of the other compartment OF
the tank ever since my remarkable niShtt
adventure in the lonesome waters OF The
reservoir Charles Fenno Hoffman in Swim
TONS Story Teller