Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-09-06
SOME HOT BALLS.
BY Cstharine B. Foot, Contributor
to Youths Companion"
ktr.


that season and in that loug age
time when 1t was a quiet rural
town, with its lanes and qaiet roads
full of wild luxuriance of the leaf
and blossom of the early summer.
A lot of boys were playing on
! the green about the old stone mill
when suddenly one stopped in the
very acf of throwing a ball to one of
the others, and said, whats that?n
and he turned his head quickly to-
ward the beach road and lifted his
hand with gesture for silence.
Every boy stopped yelling and a
dead silence reigued for two seconds,
when John Shaw, the boy who had
first spoken, said:
"There! There! Hear it? There's a
ships gun. Come on, boys" and
every one of them tore down the
beach road. as fast as their legs
could carry them and that was very
fast.
AS they ran Others ran also-men
and wonderland presently mali
on horseback galloped by them, and
the men and boys shouted, "It's
the Commodore-it's Perry! There's
"a fightp and they gave wild hur-
rah as well as they could, when
they were using all the breath they
had and kept on running until they
reached the turn where the beach
and harbor lay before them. Com
modore Perry checked his horse ii
moment and then turned and gal
loped back the way he had come,
shouting to someone, "I'm coming
| back"
! There were two vessels in sight,
one was evidently in distress, and
the other as evidently pursuing.
ats British vessel-it's brig
she's trying To capture the other one!
What's her name? Where's she
from? Is the one she's after one OF
our vessels? Hang the old red
coatsw were a few of the exclama-
tions.
A dignified old gentlemen just
then drove up in a sulky and took
up spyglass and got out that he
might use it TO better advantage.
"It's-it's-let me SEE" he NUT
tered, as the others crowded about;
IL can't see the name quite distinct
ly, but she's foreigner. Ha! she's .
gone ashore! That's British brig
beyond, l know by her leoks-con-
found her. they're lowering boats!'
Everyone ran to the beach, and it
was then PLAIN that the foreign
vessel was ashore, and the boats from
the other ship were pulling towards
her. The vessel flew signals of dis
tress and the people on shore fairly
howled with rage, to see, as they
thought, the vessel taken by the
enemy before their very eyes, while
they were helpless.
But presently great shout came
and Perry, followed by a party of
seamen-from the flotilla anchored
on the other side of the island-and
dragging 6-pounder, came hurrying
down to the beach. The wheels
sank deep into the sand, but scores
of hands grasped at the ropes, and
strong and willing arms pushed and
pulled aud presently the gun was
In position and Commodore Perry r
sighted and fired it. u
"Ha" he exclaimed, "that was u
near" as the smoke cleared, for the L
.wo boats sent off from the British G
'rig were evidently alarmed and Il
lad stopped rowing. p
"We'll stop them yet, my boys" p
ried Perry, IN his clear ringing =
'oice. 81 can always trust my IT
Newport boys And the crowd q
heered anu cried, "Yes, yes, you III
an trust your Newport boys" u
a few more shsts were fired, and III
nally the boats turned and went VI
ack to their ship. By that time Sc
eyeral Of the officers of the fiotilla -
ad reached the beach and John ca
baw. who was standing near Conn ;"
lodore Perry, heard him say to one 10
+ them, This isn't the last of it, ~
'r the poor brig is stranded-we o'
rant to try to get her off"
"What is the British brig?" ar
~ think it's the Nimrnd," sald -
he Commodore; "she has been so
ruising in these waters, / learned ~
esterday, on the lookout for any Ia
essel trying to getinto the harbor.b sie
"She is standing off," said the ch
ficer, and John looked and saw ih'
lat she was. He did not hear the ma
answer, and present. we
he galloped away, after giving hr
'me directions to his men. gu
After two hours the British shin wa
ad sailed out Of sight, and many TO
en- in boats rowed out to try to ma
lip get the brig off. But it was Of On
use-the tide was falling fast and ant
ey knew they must wait for the AM
'od tide before there was any posi- J
|ity of getting her off. She proved Dal
be a Swedish brig with some ,ri'
me that no Yankee tongue could we
mage, probably as no record was era
pt Of II. lit
Men watched on the beach all day yer
help IL needed, and men from the for
tilla were sent OH board, but food PEI
e came and the vessel did not iik'
dna tnnh "A