St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1893-09-09

yes, an ono Of the tidiest and prettiest
of the village, and often I was told o
II, and he was the smartest and braves
of all the fisher lads that went out x
the Banks; every one loved him, myself
most of all, tho was bit pert and
liked my own way; we'll, well, the day
of rest is nigh to me now. Hcarken
then. sir, an I'll tell We a tale of the
sad. sad sea; tale of its cruelty TO ons
] loved: a tale that's brimful with pain
an woes. an griefs; ah, God, that hs
should go. wild an awful the tempes,
ragged when he dared an perished!'
After few moments of weeping and
mu:tcring to herself she began her dis
jointed narrative anew:
softly the gray mists hung far o'e,
the smiling bay, an the sun sparkled
on the little ripples that were so weak
they hardly broke on the shore that
fair September morn we two were mar
ried. But as night came on. great darl
towc,n' storm clouds, lcadcn-hued
scurricd across the heavens. an the
6erce. rcd lightnings glowcred an
flashed on a roarin' sea. From the darl
south. mp came che gale, drivin' bcfcrt
it straight, unbroyen rows Of mountain
Gus pillows, crowned On top same a
with white yeast; then, like fiend
turned loose with shriekin' yclls ana
bcl!owin's, down swoopcd the storm
and whipped big clots of foam from of
the waves. an hurled the heavy swell
far mp the groaning shore. Truly tho
earth seemed frightened with the mad
ness Of the seas
''Eut in the house here VIC were hav
in a merry time. We had lot ot
women and children from town, and ,
couple of the young men who were
just in from trip and stopped over e
sec us married. Old Cap'n Thomas and
the minister had each just said = grace
and we were about to fall to and cat
when suddenly some one heard faint
signal gun. In a minute feast and cv
crything was forgotten; on rushed tho
whole company, men, women and
children, Malcolm and nc with them
TO the beach. What did we sec in the
darkcning evening light? A vessel way
ont scaward, pounding on the bar
Not a stick nor spar did she hav,
standing: shorn Of everything by the
force of tho shock when she struck. ana
the big waves dashin' and lashin' clean
over her.
mot a minute do we waste, but II
hands help drag the ife-boat down 'N
the edge of the surf, and then quick
call for volunteers. brave fellows who
count themselves nothing il they can
onl y save some one clsc's life. My Nal.
com felt no fear; he was the first tc
spring for ward, and, though I clung tc
him and besecched and sobbed, would
rot heed me. lie gave one last embrace
to me, his ncw-madc wife, and turned
to the boat.
"vainly begged Kim to remain with
me that first day of our welded lifs;
but no. he counted his duty before all
else. oh, that I had died then! Ny
heart was filled with dark terror;
twas torn and rent apart with anguish
that he would go; my head was swim
min and reelin', and crazed with the
cruel smart of his first refusal moclscd
and cursed him there. Aye. cursed him
for what was only right, for the boat
was Sat poorly manned. there were S
few men a. the beach, and of then
some were old and almost crippled; bu:
in my selfish rawlings felt no pity fos
the poor ship in distress, screaming
again and again that wished It would
break mp before they got started, and
that IL they went hoped never to sec
any of them again!
Slowly my Malcolm left his place at
tic bow of the boat; if live till I'm s.
hundred, which, God pity me. hope /
won't. never can I forget the look I
saw on his face in the wan light.
Nell, darling. kiss me good-by.
Won't? All, well, God bless you. and
hc was gone.
"Down on the sand fell in . dead
faint What thcn7 All, yes l lay
there but a moment; the wet sand on
my face brought me to. Is'ared about
me; none were left but little knot of
women and children huddlcd together,
crying and pccring through the gloom
at the struggling boat. and a couple of
old men still standing waist deep in
the water where they had helped shove
of.
"Now the surf is passed; they are
tossed on the great waves; down, down
they so far from sight in the mad sea;
then up they come again; up. up.
'gainst wind and tide, now toppling on
the point of some monster billow. only
to go plunging down to meet the next,
and pulling up with might and main to
reach the wreck that laborcd and
strained on the bar and threatened TO
60 to pieces every second.
''Now they work round under her
stern and are hidden from us by the
hulk. but soon we sec them again care
fnlly approaching from the lee side;
but even there il seems too rough to
try to board her. Then we know from
the motions that they have cast . line,
which must be caught, - now we sec
. dark shape suspended over the boat
for an instant; the next, . vast, noun.
tainous wall of foam overwhelms them,
the gale bursts out afresh and when
We can get our breaths and look again
they arc gone! Nothing IS left but .
raging line Of breakers black with
wreckagc! Ship and boat are no
morey"
Calmly she wiped her streaming eyes
and concluded:
''At daybreak eight bodies had
washed ashore; four our own men and
four strangers; the rest Of the ships
company, nobody knows how many.
and the fifth Of the boats crew-my
own Malcolm. were never recovered"
The heat which pulsated around Us
like . draught from a hot furnace, and
the dramatic intensitv Of the old danes