The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-03-20

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my feet, and with hooking cries fed with
! Widespread pinions TO meet the oncomng
tide, but everything else proceeded with
| merciiess monot0ny that seemed to double
! the agony of my situation The tapping of
the water as il circulated through the dikes
and the murmuring plash Of that ever-en-
larging mirror which lay between me and
| the Cop went on increasingly, aud | could
| hear the dull intermittent roar of the Ches-
ter train as it rushed from station to station
| on its way 20 Holyhead. As / turned my
gaZ1 in that d recti0n, could see the numer-
Gus furnaces glowing. like the fiery horrors
OF Dante, cut OF the GuSky cloudline of
coast.
There could be no escape for me without
! external aid, and again aud again | shouted,
! in the fatal hope that my distant cries
might he heard above the screaming and
! chattering of the wild fowl, which in in-
creasing numbers were gathering about the
! portion OF the marsh where was penned.
| Unless L should chance to be heard by
! some belated member OF the Richie or the
| Denhall households, or by some chance
| passer-by on the highroad between Burton
! and Ness, | must inevitably perish.
Forty years before Abraham's father had
been in somen hat similar plight. lie had
| been surprised by the tide when ont at mid
night with his gun, and, failing 10 climb one
OF the beacons placed to warn mariners of
! the vicinity Of dangerous sandbanks, he
| thrust the muZZle OF Isis long gun firmly in
the sands and, resting the but against the
|
! shouting meanwhile for help. The tide rose
! until ii reached his armpits, but il rose no
! higher, and when morning broke he was
| rescued IN an exhausted state 10y COnnah's
Quay boat This was on higher ground
| than that where | am now imprisoned, anu
] knew that in short time not less than
| fifteen feet Of water would he rolling over
the spot The story required to my mind
| and other and more CHASTITY rec0llections
| came thr0nglng after IL.
! I boh a+ Darl-O 20 fat.
| years before, ana one night, after the dark
ness had closed in and the waves were beat
| ing on the ancient quay, screams were
heard far out in the river stranger
walking over from Holywen to Parkgate
had suddenly found the waves rolling in his
| path. and. rushing frantically backward
| and forward, saw that death had in very
| truth suddenly overtaken him. l remem-
bered wildly the fitting lights in the upper
| chambers or the houses on the parade as
the alarm spread. and the flashing lanterns
on the quay as the c0aStGuardsmen and fish,
ermen put of in the direction of the pierre
ing cries which came without intermission
! for fully a quarter of an hour and
were suddenly stepped in grim ST.
lence that was unspeakaby suggest
i've. l remembered how some of the
older fishermen, who were well ac-
quainted with the curreats of the estua ~
tished for the body next day with their nets
and recovered il. | could even recall the
words on the funeral card that was sent to
those who had to do with the matter; and
more than once during this fearful night
they flashed upon my mind as If spoken
aloud: THE waves OF the sea are mighty
and rage horribly; but yet the Lord who
dweilgth on high is mighter."
The tide flows over the marshes in more
deliberate fashion than where the poor
| stranger was overwhelmed, but Ii is none
the less sure. aud in my despair | even
wished il was more rapid In its action. 1t
seemed That death was approaching in a
fawning, assembling manner, and that its
approach would have been less terrible If it
had come in the more warike guIse Of leap
ing, st0rm-lashed waves
! returned again and again before the ed-
vance OF the tide until at last | could dis
| tnctly hear the wash of the main body OF
water that was approaching from the Welsh
| side. | faneIed / could make out the white
tips of the waves as they broke on the
marsh and took up pool alter pool OF water.
| Numbers Of gutls moved over my head
| within easy range, or aliRhted in the brim-
ming dikes with contempt OF my presence
that seemed TO augur III. IL was as II they
already knew was doomed. and Of no fur
Their account in the world for good or i'll,
and that they had nothing to fear from me.
| Suddenly, out Of the gloom of the marsh
| behind me there uprOse a new sound: and
as ] strained my ears 10 listen, distinctly
heard the sound of paddles that struck the
water in regular and quick succession.
rushed toward the sound with glad cry,
W
was within n short dista' "e Of the tide,
which now spread around he in an irregu-
lar circle, when a white canoe shot out from
under the bank OF one Of the dikes and
rushed quiyering and dancing out On the
river. The occupant padded with might
and main, hut when | reached the waters
edge. breathless with the exert.on and ex-
element combined, he paused. and the canoe
rose and fell on the waves with clock work
| regularity. | could dimiy make out figure
sitting In the stern and holding the paddles
clear of the water. Judging it 10 be Abra-
ham. who had crossed the marsh in some
myste Ticus manner TO my rescue. | eagerly
! called his name aloud. had grown hosrse
with shouting, but my cry was at once re-
sponded TO with surely: How 60, mester!
How go! Lookn' fur ould Yethert?"
had vague idea all along that Yethert
had taken care Of himself in some way, and
/ now jumped TO the conclusion that he had
by some means found the canoe and came to
save me. In my frantic delight at my ar
preaching deliyerance / felt that / could
embrace this strange, silent man-ill- fitting
yelveteens and stubby beard included. He
and would be fast friends. and he should
long have cause to bless the night when he
took me of that lonely marsh. Thoughts
such as these flashed through my brain as /
called ont to him: Come on, Yetbert, my
COED fellow; l have nearly had enough of
this. l thought it was all over with me-"
There was a prompt answer from the
canoe. well, I'm aS good as thew make
| um, MeSter Graham; but yer not comm of
theer to-neet" The paddles dipped in the
wafer as he spoke.
Something in the mans tones thrilled me
with the conviction that he was in earnest
and the Precipitation broke out on my fore
head as l exclaimed: But, Yethert, man,
you promised TO bring me safely across the
river. and you can leave me here. 1t would
! be mutderp'
The canoe had drifted little nearer 10
NE, and he lulled of yard or two farther
away as he made answer: "Mester We NAV
call it what We lolke; but I'm goin' Do ye
think I'd fotch ye all the way back fra Flint
and lie up 10 the neck in muck here all this
time for nOut? Nay, me mon I'll fotch ye
Tomorrow! lie Gamma swim, they tell me,
and L reckon yen come quiet enough to-
morrow"
Thad stopped at the waters edge, and
while this conversation had been taking
place the tide had already risen over my
| knees; but waded nearer, with q mad idea
OF making a frantic rush for the canoe,
though L knew that it was floating in deep
water, and that in all likelihood several
submerged bikes lay between u.s. He
noticed the movement, and pulled still
farther away from me, adding: I" i fetched
dead IN from off here afore, and got .
shiliin' fur him. Little enough, too, luggin'
and draggin' in the mud"
My heart sank within me as he drawled
out the last words; but the offer of my
purse and all my belongings for passage
to the Cop only evoked the answer: 90 Nav
me mon; car tax what want tomorrow.
1t iSna the money Pm after, but can tell
thee this-Gm goin' to stop thee from Aba
Riches wench. Size Wilma tax me- know
but she shallna have thee. Comm sneakin'
across here meet after meet like a powcher ~
There was no mistakng the intense
haired with which he uttered these Ia az