The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-06-08

y coward the GWIuI ScSney lCf LAloS hhoW G1al
rescue Yves hopeless.
One solitary figure remained on the deck
| Of the i'll fabea vessel. The rest, as was
afterward learRe had entered one Of the
| small beats, hours before, taking with them
| provisions, and had LETT this man to his
tate, because he was sick and helpless in
bis berth below.
Crawling to the upper deck of the sink
ing vessel he had discovered land, and saw
that line of ugly breakers tossed between
! himself and safety.
| These hardy, storm beaten fishermen
realized in an instant the mans desperate
! situation. There seemed TO be no possible
| hope for hin. Who among them would
| court almost certain death for the uncer-
| tain chance of saving a strangers life?
The most they could do was to stand on
| the shore and give him their sympathy I'M
| til the ship went down.
How tail and straight he stood, distinctly
! outlined against the heaYing waters and
! the angry sky beyond.
Seeming to realize the utter hopelessness
OF his situation he folded his fever ema-
| ciated arms across his breast and waited for
death
Suddenly q cry from the brides white
lips rang out over the turbulent waters.
She had recognized the man, and her
sleeping memory awCke, u1roiliI.g the pic
ture Of the past before Ter startled vision.
Reaching Ter white imPloEaRg hands
| across the waters, needless OF al else save
the one doomed man, she cried out:
Henry, Henry, come TO me. Oh, my
| darling, ! cannot let you Gle"
In that moment Jack LatArop knew that
he, TOO, was doomed; that her awakened
memory could never sleep again. He had
read his hearts death seIzOance in her
white, agonized face; he saw 1t in her wide,
appealing eyes.
elsie" he said in low, Intense voice,
while his heart lay gasping in its death
agonies, what IS that man to yUu?"
Forgive me, Jack, ," she sob5ad, II did
not know. I had forgotten. Ny past was
sure to come back some time, and when it
did-oh, Jack, be IS all the world to me-.
Do not let him die"
She was kneeling on the beach. lifting
her cIasped hands to him supphcatiEgiy.
Stepping lower upon the beach Jack
Lathrop put his hand to his mouth and
shouted across the waters:
Courage, I viii save you yett'
Then turning he lifted Elsie from her
lowIy position, his white, stern face soften
ing as he did SO, and said in tremulous
tones Of entreaty:
In another hour you would have been
my wife, Elsie. Give me one kiss. It is to
be the last He will not care when he
knows"
She put her white arms about his neck,
sobbirg:
"Oh, Jack, my more than brother, for
give me, that l did not remember before"
With her kiss-it Was only q sisters kiss,
as he knew-on his lips, he went to his
DEATH the brave, strong fellow, more pow
erful than any two of those stalWart fisher
men about him.
His white faced bride never knew how
he reached the vessels side, she saw only
the tall form on its deck; her thoughts, her
prayers, were all for him who held her
heart in his keeping.
Presently shout from those about her
proclaimed the fact that Jack had reached
the vessels side in safety, bearing with
him the stout rope which was to assist in
the return.
Having secured the rope about his rivals
waist the two men began the difficult re-
turn, Jack breasting the pillows manfully
and supporting the nearly fainting man at
his side in his streng arms.
The men upon the shore drew in the
rope, breathing long, deep brea6as, and
every breath vas prayer (for those fisher
men were not insensible TO religious senti-
ments) for the safety Of those two men.
Nearer and nearer they come, and now
the pretty bride is on her knees again and
the pillows dash their spray over her. She
is supplcating wildly, but the name on her
lips and in her heart is Henry, not Jack
Now they have reached the beach and the
men wade out to meet them. 4 dozen
hands draw the exhausted stranger secured
to the rope out Of the waters and dozen
more reach for Jack. But where is he the
brave, noble fisherman, who, treading on
his own heart, went out to save his rival?
They turn to congratulate him and-lo,
he is gone!
He had seen his rival in safety, and then
was it design or accident? They never
knew. The waves with which he had bat
tied for his sweet brides happiness bore
him out on their strong breast to the great,
boundless expanse of waters, and they
never looked upon his face again.-Detroi5
Free Press.