River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-07-20

scurried across the heavens. an the
fierce. red lightnings glcwered on
flashed on roarin' sea. From. the dark
south. up came the gale, orivin' before
1t straight, unbTolSen rows of mountain
Gus pillows, crowned on top same as
with white yeast: then. like tiend
turned loose with shriekin' yelis and
bellOwin's. down swooped the storm
and whipped big clots of foam from off
the waves. an hurled the heavy swell
far mp the grooming shore. Truly the
earth seemed frightened with the mad
ness of the seas.
''But in the house here VIC were hav-
in a merry time. We had lot of
women and children from town, and a
couple of the young men who were
just in from trip and stopped over to
see US married. Old Cap'n Thomas and
the minister had each just said grace,
and we were about TO fall to and eat,
when suddenly some one heard a faint
signal gun. In a minute feast and ev-
erything was forgotten; off rushed the
whole company. men, women and
children, Malcolm and me with them,
to the beach. What did we see in the
darl1ening evening light? A vessel way
out seaward, pounding on the bari
Not a stick nor spar did she have
standing. shorn of everything by the
force of the shock when she struck. and
the big waves dashin' and lashin' clean
over her.
Not a minute do we waste, but all
hands help drag the life-boat down TO
the edge of the surf. and then quick
call for volunteers, brave fellows who
count themselves nothing if they can
onl Y save some one else's life. My NAL
com felt no fear; he was the first 70
/ spring for ward, and. though chung 70
/ aim and beseeched and sobbed, would
not heed me lie gave one last embrace
/ TO me. his new-made wife, and turned
to the boat
''Vainly I begged Kim to remain with
me that first day Of our welded life;
but no, he counted his duty before all
else. Oh, that ] tad died then! Ny
heart was filed with a 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 Ais first refusal | Knocked
I and cursed him there. Aye, cursed him
/ for what was only right, for the boat
/ was but poorly manned, there were Sc
/ few men at the beach. and of them
some were old and almost crippled; but
/ in my selfish rawlings | felt no pity for
the poor ship in distress, screaming
/ again and again that ] wished it would
break up before they got started, and
that If they went hoped never 20 see
any of Them again.
Slowly my Malcolm left his place al
the bow Of the boat; if live till I'm a
hundred. which. God pity me. hope
won't. never can forget the look
saw on his face in the wan light.
= Nell, darling. kiss me good-by.
Won't? All. well, God bless you.' and
/ he was gone.
Down on the sand fell in a dead
faint. What then? An. yes. l lay
/ there but a moment; the wet sand on
my face brought me to. / s-ared about
me; none We're left but little knot Of
women and children huddled together,
crying and peering through the gloom
at the struggling boat. and couple al
/ old men still standing waist deep ia
the water where they had helped shove
| OF
Now the surf is passed; they are
tossed on the great waves; down, down
they go far from sight in the mad sea;
then up they come again; mp. up,
| 'gainst wind and tide, now topping on
/ the point of some monster billow, only
/ to go plunging down to meet the next,
/ and pulling up with might and main 70
reach the wreck that labored and
strained on the bar and threatened to
/ 90 to pieces every second.
Now they work round under her
stern and are hidden from us by the
/ hulk. but soon we see them again care
/ fully 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 a line,
which must be caught, as now we see
/ a dark shape suspended over the boat
| for an instant; the next, a vast, noun
famous wall of foam Overvhelms them,
the gale bursts out afresh and when
we can get our breaths and look again
they are gone. Nothing is left but a
raging line of breakers black with
wreckage. Ship and boat are nc
more
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,
I and the fifth of the boats crew-my
own Malcolm, were never recovered
The heat, which pulsated around us
/ like draught from hot furnace, and
the dramatic intensity of the old dame S
recital had so worked upon me that
was in a sort of added comatose condi.
/ ton. The few sounds of life from the
| village were unnoticed; even the warn
| ing whistle had blown some minutes
before entirely unheeded; so ! had Il
take the Cape train back TO town, but
/ somehow I didn't feel like complaining
/ II. Hamilton, in Boston Budget.