The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1894-05-18

HoW IOilllH tdCu H1OUieHU more uciNl-
ly, the water had risen so high in the
hold that the deck was but a little
above the surface. Only few mo-
ments more remained and she would
be carried down, down into the
depths, drowned in the little room in
which she had passed so many happy
hours. -
She gave up the struggle. Death
was coming fast. Nothing she could
do would retard his march by even
one moment.
For long hours lit seemed to her)
she sat while the roll of the vessel be-
came more and more sluggish, the
water rose higher and higher across
the windows. 1t began to trickle in
the closed port. She won
dered stupidity whether it would reach
the cabin in sufficient quantity to
drown her or whether she would live
for hours while the water came in
slowly but surely through the close
shut door and the locked portfolio.
Then the present faded away and
she was again the merry school girl
playing about with the boy who had
even at that early day been more to
her than any other of her playmates.
Little they thought in those early
days of this terrible thing which had
come upon her.
Then she remembered the happy
days when she knew Of his love, knew
that sooner or later he and she might
be together at sea far away from the
rest of the world, but not once had
they thought of being separated IN
the hour of death. Death. Could be
that death stood, cold and dread, by
her side? That she was here, shut in
to drown, while he, her lover, her hus
band, was in safety without?
Again she sprang up and strove
with all her puny might to tear open
the cruel door, but it moved not.
Shew threw herself face downward
upon the floor and in dumb despair
waited for the end. She thought that
night must be at hand, for surely it
had been many hours since she hdt
entered the little cabin.
Suddenly she heard strange sount
above the rush and rustic of the en-
tering water. Was the end at hand
That crash on deck must be the fal
of a mast or the sound of adisastrou.
accident which would end all in ;
short moment more.
But life and strength came back tt
her with rush, for above the rattle
and crash she heard her husbands
voice calling her name in accents o.
terror.
Shrek after shrek broke from hei
stiffened lips and then came rush o.
feet to the door. Blow after blow fcl
on its strong surface and as it fell ii
she was caught in her husbands arms
and borne fainting to the deck, where
she found several of the crew. 90
Quickly she was lowered into a boa
lying by the side of the ship ant
strong arms pulled frantically at the
oars to force the boat beyoud th'
reach of the suction which must come
with irresistible power when the ship
now trembling for its last plunge
should be drawn down into the blu,
depths. Before the boat had crossed
half the short distance between tn,
laundering ship and the waiting
steamer there came low cry from TIN
sailors, and looking back she saw tn,
craft, which had been her home, sinh
slowly down, down beneath the waves
That was the last she knew fol
days. When reason returned, Sh(
had been taken to hotel, and hat
been lying in stupor for days. Ii
was more than a week since the wreck
of the Fox. When able to talk and
to listen, she learned that when she
left the side of the mate he had sup
posed she had decided to wait for the
captain, and had therefore left the
ship with his boat. The captain sup
posed she was safe in the first boat,
and had not learned his mistake until
both men had stood upon the deck OF
the steamer. Then rush had been
made for the sinking ship, and she
had been rescued just in time. Five
minutes more and not only she, but
those who had hurried to her res
cue would have Been carried down
the doomed ship.
At longest, she had been alone nc
more than half an hour, and probably
not that length of time. She could
scarcely believe it when she remem.
bered the weary hours she had passed
alone there, butthey finally convinced
her Of'the truth.
When she left her cabin that fateful
morning her hair was dark, glossy
brown. when she rose from her bed
a week later it was thickly streaked
with white, and in Il little more than
month she wore crown of snow. II
did not change In night, but fright
surely did change Its hue. One month
had changed her thick hair from darl
to snow white. For time she wa,
annoyed by the curiosity she excited
but in time she had become used t(
fthe stares Of surprise which follow.
fhcr and now she hardly notices tht
interes she attracts.
She has got over the nervous effect.
Of her terrible experience, but In,
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