The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-05-22
"'Thers came d loud knocking al my

door.
Who is theres' / asked.
Tits !, came the voice of my father
Open, I beg Of You
II went % the door, raised the latch
and admitted him. My mother was with
him. They were fully dressed.
sBoom!' cam through the white
mist from the vessel pounding upon the
beach.
"Yes, now l could hear the vessel as
she beat her brains out.
Then the heavens were illumined by
o second rocket
Did You hear? Did you see9' asked
my father.
Eyes, said l, it is a vessel ashore. ;
1--WE must go to that vessel, ; he said
resolutely. They will need our help.
You will go?'
Yes, / said.
".And ], too, cried my mother.
my father tried to dissuade her.
This is no woman's work., he said.
"But she would not be frightened.
"'I will die with you, she said reso.
lutely.
"Out into the storm we rushed, down
to the beach, where the frightened vii
layers stood looking vainly out toward
the doomed vessel.
They ran toward us as we approach
ed They would not 60 out in the boat,
they said-it was death.
"tAt least, said my father, you will
help me get the boat into the surf?'
But they would not even help get
the boat into the surf.
"'It is death You are going to, Ayr
ault We will not help to murder you,
they cried.
"'Then stand aside, > and together we
three pushed the boat into the surf,
through the rocks to the open sea, then
jumped into her and put of over the
iercely rolling waves. My mother and
myself took the oars. My father stood
at the bow looking out ahead.
Come back, came a faint echo
from the shore.
"A great wild wave came crashing
down upon rs.
Nearer and nearerl
"The boat cried ont, almost, it seemed.
like a human being in terror.
''The wave struck the boat.
''The cold water rushed over my head.
II went downtown.
81 struggled to the surface.
For a second / caught sight of my
father and mother as they struggled in
the embrace of death.
IT could see their eyes turned at the
last toward me.
"'Come, their eyes cried to me.
Come
II tried to cry out to them. / tried to
cry to them to wait for me; that we
would die together in each others arms.
ST struggled to get nearer to Them"
y y u
Then something seemed to snap in my
head, and once more / stood on the
beach.
"You are faint?'' she said.
"My father, " / muttered, where is
hep
Your fatherr'
Eyes, yes, the old man, where is hep
"See, he is stumbling along there"
Like one in a dream, he came slowly
toward us.
Terror and pleasure stupetied me.
His eyes rested ON the snow in front
of him. Then suddenly he raised them
to mine.
He threw up his arms; he started for
ward; he cried out, a cry Of. peace, hap
piness, a cry from a soul flowing over
with exultation.
My fathers eyes looked deep into
mine. My father arms were about my
neck.
SAT last, " he cried, ''at last, my son
back to me, and now rest"
And with a low moan the old man
Ayrault, my father-fell back upon the
snow and was dead.
v y n y y y
And now often my father and my
mother come to me when the moon
shines in upon my couch, and we sit to-
gether in the moonlight, and he tells me
the old story; how during his lifetime
my mother and ! had come to him to
minister to him; how / had promised to
come back to him 70 that he might rest.
] ask him every night il am to live
ON forever, but he answers not.
So we hold each others hands, and
the spirits IN the moonlight sing to Us,
and we are happy.
1 ven l. am happy, though they do
keep me locked up here in a cell night
and day. York Sun.
Fifty Feet Of Rainfall Annually.