The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1889-04-05
ask me? Will you cast me OF, moth

"Wait a minute" exclaimed Mrs.
! Swing. "Fetch your boat close up.
/ want to speak to you, Dick"
The boat received the necessary
impetus, and touched the side of the
pier. Mrs. Swing had seated herself
on.the topmost layer oflogsforming
the warf, and leaned over as though
to speak confidentially to her son.
''Dick," said his mother, ''hold
fast! Pm coming" and into the
boat she dropped before either Cap
tain Rose on the dock or Captain
Richard in the boat had knowledge
of her intention.
What under the sun, mother"
cried the boy, 'do you mean?"
Ppm going with you, Dick, to keep
you from tumbling overheard when
you haul in," and she seated herself
in the stern, calling back as the tide
foated the boat out. "We depend on
you, Captain Rose, to send after us
if we-ifit gets too rough" she gasp
ed, with a dash of spray in her face.
SAY, ay!' cried the Captain, and
he took off his hat and swung it, he
scarcely knew why.
OF all the women in Dell Haven,
from the eldest to the Youngest, Mrs.
Swing most feared the sea. To live
beside it, to watch it's every mood
delighted her, but to venture on it
for pleasure she vas never known to
do.
A moments peace she never knew
when Richard, her only son was ex-
posed to the treachery of the waters,
but rather than mar his wild delight
in wind and waves this unselfish
mother concealed as much as posi-
bic her anxiety for him.
Richard was not selfish, and had
he imagined what his mother was at
that moment suffering would have
put the boat about and tied it for
ever at the stake rather than cause
her this agony.
Just as the boat got well into the
toll of the waves the SUI arose, she'd
ding such briliiance on the waters
that Mrs. Swing, who sat facing it,
was'dazzled and well nighiailed to see
in time gill net into which the
boat was running.
"See any boat ahead, MOTHER"
questioned Richard. "You must
keep a good lookout for me. I've
got my ranges right and can fetch
the lobster grounds every time"
''Is it far??" questioned his mother
s~hudderingly.
"Not very; just outside Dull Head.
| reckon we'll fetch it." said the lad,
dipping his oars for a full stroke and
then letting the boat slide up to the
summit Of a rolling wave, a trick he
had caught from Captain Hezekiah
Danforth, the master boatman of
Dell Haven.
The wind grew stronger and strong
er, and the waves every moment in
creasedin size. Even Richard glanced
sideways more than once with i'll
concealed anxiety as the long bill
lows came tumbling on, and just
then getting a glimpse of his moth
er's face beheld it so blanched with
terror of the sea that it seemed to
him bis mother was no longer in the
boat with him.
"'Dick," she gasped as his oar
missed stroke and sent the spray
over the boat, "Dick, I'm afraid to
go on"
Dich glanced backward. He had
pulled about a mile from shore and
was midway between the two head
lands familiarity spoken of as the
Horns. Dull Head "a surrounded
by an wen accumulating mass of
breakers, and Bright Head caught
the sea on it's precipitous sides, send
ing it backwardinfountains of foam,
and all the four miles that lay be-
tween the two points were rolling
miles of pillows.
Sitting with his face landward
Richard had not fully felt the dam
ger.
Now, the lad could not repress q
shudder as he said, II don't believe
l could find the buovs in
such a sea, and nobody could haul
in the pots. l believe I'll put about"
ooh. do! o Richard, there comes !
an awful one!' and Mrs. Swing slipped
down from her seat into the bottom
ofthe boat and hid her free from the
oncoming wave.
Richard gave a mighty pull at the
oars to keep the boat head on, and
it rode that wave in safety only to
meet new ones, into whose depths
the tiny shell rolled to be completely
hidden from the sight Of two men
who were standing on the Dell Ha-
ven pier.
One was Hezekiah Danforth, the
other was Captain Rose.
"If there was only a tug in sightto
help them,' groaned Captain Rose.
why d%idn'tyou dun a little COM
mon sense into the woman if she
didn't take any naturally" scolded
Captain Danforth, cor shut her and
the boy up somewhere"
Il told her, but | declare when |
young l could have brought
down them oars in half the time it
takes Jim to fetch 'em SAY, 'kiah
amt that boat trying to
put about?"
1T acts like it, John, BUTT will get
just as sure as guns if-no,
IT'S going on. There's nothing else
to do. 1 never in all my life saw al
time when there wasn'tasailin sight.
= The boats gone! No! There
IL comes I'm apaini'
Suddenly a cry for a helping hand
raised among the bystanders,
and willing hearts Wentforthfrom the
land.
Every second tells. It's a race