Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-07-24

with the waves and he was powerless
to prevent,it.
The wind was blowing a stiff gale di-
rectly toward the Canadian shore, and
Harry saw the beach, where Bessie
still stood watching after him, fast re-
ceding from view.
Bessie saw that something serious had
happened, and that her lover was
powerless to return to the shore.
She bitterly repented her rash words
and stood there watching the fast re-
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 acct
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-
ton.
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 a 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 il
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 swapping.
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 tc
pieces. and he found himself struggling
, in the waves.
He was an expert swimmer, and by
, hard work he managed to keep atioal
and lash together two of the largest
pieces of the wrecked craft with the
ropes he had saved Clambering up OF
, this rude raft, he found to his reliel
that it would sustain his weight, and
, that it was much easier to cling to II
than he had supposed it would be.
} Life seemed doubly dear to him, nov
, that its continuance appeared so uncer
, tain, and he determined to struggle &c
, the last with the elements for an exist
, ence.
r The afternoon was half gone wher
his ewes were gladdened by the sigh
of a sail bearing directly toward hin
/: from the west.
: How slowly it seemed to him the
vessel approached, and his mind wa
[ filed with the fear that she might tacl
: off in some other direction before h'
/ was seen.
But she came steadily on till within
about a half mile, when they saw
him.
. The ship came as close to him as
/ could, and then lay to while boat wa
. lowered.
JOY and hope had taken the place o
l despair in Harry's heart when he saw
| that his rescue was certain.
r The men soon had him in the boa
with them, and then the reaction cam'
and he tainted
l Kind hands lifted him to the deck o
/ the vessel and carried him below, wher'
t he received every attention which thu
men could give him.
, The vessel was bound for Oswego
| only fifteen miles from where the
4 picked Harry up.
/ The next morning the ship droppeS