Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1890-07-24

| ceding boat, all the time her terror in
creasing. Finally, when it disappeared
from her view in the distance, she ran
shrieking to the cottage where she was
stopping, declaring to her astonished
friends that Harry was dead, and she
was his murderer.
When her friends heard of the acci-
dent which had befallen Harry, they
had but little hopes of ever seeing him
alive again; still for Bessie's sake they
tried to make matters appear as favor
| able as possible.
As for Bessie, she was half crazed
and sick with grief and remorse, and
the hastily summoned physician ex-
pressed grave doubts of her retaining
her wits should the young man be lost.
In the meanwhile Harry was steadily
driven out on the bosom of the deep.
He fully realized the peril of his posi-
tion.
His boat was frail one, and, besides,
somewhat old, so that it was Liable to
| founder any moment and leave him at
the mercy of the waves.
In anticipation of such an event he
removed his coat, vest and boots, so as
to be encountered as little as possible.
There were several pieces of rope in
the boat and he fastened them to his
body so that he could use them to bind
pieces of the boat together in case it
should founder, and thus make rude
raft, which would assist him greatly to
keep ahoat. He was kept quite busy
bailing out the frail craft with an old
tin pail, which happened to be in the
boat.
1t was about three o'clock in the
afternoon when he commenced his
perilous voyage, and it was with no little
anxiety he saw the sun go down, and
wondered if he should ever see it rise
again.
1t seemed to him that the long weary
hours of darkness would never pass,
but at last it began to grow light in the
east.
He had eagerly hoped that daylight
would show vessel near him but he
vainly scanned the horizon in search of
one.
The wind veered suddenly after day
light and blew him and his little boat
westward up the lake.
He was wet to the skin, with the fly
ing spray, and the heat of the sun AS it
rose, proved very welcome to him.
All day he drove before the wind
without seeing any ship, and night found
his little ship apparently as sound as
when he embarked in it.
The second night was one of weary
watching and laboring to keep the boat
from swamping.
The wind shifted again in the night
and blew from the west, driving him
back toward the east
Daylight came at last, but found no
ship in sight.
The wind began to blow hard and
soon had raised to perfect gale.
He was almost worn out with fatigue
exposure and hunger and he felt that
he would be unable to hold out much
longer.
Suddenly the little boat, which had
weathered the storm so long, went to
pieces, and he found himself struggling
in the waves.
He was an expert swimmer, and by
hard work he managed to keep afloat
and lash together two of the largest
pieces of the wrecked craft with the
ropes he had saved. Clambering up on
this rude raft, he found to his relief
! that it would sustain his weight, and
that it was much easier to cling to il
than he had supposed it would be.
Life seemed doubly dear to him, now
that its continuance appeared so uncer
tain, and he determined to struggle tx
the last with the elements for an exist
ence.
The afternoon was half gone wher
his eyes were gladdened by the sigh
of sail bearing directly toward hin
from the west.
How slowly it seemed to him TIN
vessel approached, and his mind wa
filled with the fear that she might tacl
off in some other direction before h,
was seen.
But she came steadily on till within
about half mile, when they saw
him.
The ship came as close to him as il
could, and then lay to while boat was
! lowered.
Joy and hope had taken the place OF
despair in Harry's heart when he saw
that his rescue was certain.
The men soon had him in the boat
with them, and then the reaction came
and he tainted
Kind hands lifted him to the deck OF
the vessel and carried him below, where
he received every attention which the
men could give him.
The vessel was bound for Oswego,
only fifteen miles from where they
picked Harry up.
The next morning the ship dropped
anchor close to the shore, and
Harry, after bidding his kind rescuer4
good-by, went ashore.
They had fitted him out with clothes
on the vessel, not so good or so nice a
fit as those he was accustomed to wear
ing, but still very acceptable.
He lost no time in Fastening to the
depot and taking the first train to the
village near which they were camped,
nearly sixty miles away. He reached
there that evening, after an absence Of
three days.
His father who had been telegraphed
to and had come down, had given his
son up for lost, and was about to return
to the city to break the news as gently
as possible to his wife.
When Harry came back alive and
well, he was welcomed as one returned
from the dead.
He had thought he would treat Bes-
sic little cool for her language of a
few days before, but when he learned
that she was sick in bed and half
crazed with grief over his sup
posed loss. love overcame his anger
and he hastened at once TO her sida