The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-05-13
"There came q loud Knocking at my

F, door.
who is there?' asked.
ItisI, came the voice of my father.
Open, beg Of you
II went to the door, raised the latch
and admitted him. My mother was with
him They were fully dressed.
'Boomr came through the white
mist from the vessel pounding upon the
beach
eyes, now could hear the vessel as
sho beat her brains out.
"Then the heavens were illumined by
second rocket
Ibid you hear? Did you see? asked
my father.
Yes, said I, 1T is vessel ashore.
"'We must go to that vessel, he said
resolutely They will need our help.
You will go2'
Yes, said
"'And 1. too, cried my mother
"N1y father tried to dissuade her.
This is no woman's work, he said
"But she would not be frightened.
1 will die with you, she said rcso-
lutely.
'Out into tho 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 go ont in the boat,
they said-it was death
AT least, said my father, you will
help me get tho boat into the surf2'
''But they would not even help get
the boat into tho surf
1t Is death you arc going to, Ayr
ault- We will not help to murder you,
they cried
Then stand aside, and together we
three pushed the bout into the surf,
through the rocks to the open sea, then
jumped into her and put off over the
fiercely rolling waves. My mother and
myself took the oars My father stood
at tho bow looking out ahead.
Come back, came a faint echo
from the shore
"a great wild wave came crashing
down upon us
Nearer and nearer!
''Tho boat cried out, almost, 10 seemed,
like human being In terror.
''The wavo struck the boat
1.-THE cold water rushed over my head.
II went downtown
81 struggled to the surface
For second I caught sight of my
father and mother as they struggled in
the embrace Of death
IT could see their eyes turned az the
last toward nsc.
Come, their eyes cried TO me-
Come.
Il tried to cry ont TO them. I tried 10
cry to them to wait for mex that VIC
wuld die together In each others ar1ns.
II struggled to get nearer to them. "
Then something seemed to snap in my
head, and once more stood on the
beach.
"You nre faint?'' she said
"01y father, l muttercd, where is
hep
Your f;ther!''
Yes, y.v, the old man, where is hep
SEQ, ho is stumbling along there"
Like one in q dream, he came slowly
toward us
Terror and pleasure stupefied me
His eyes rested ON the snow IN trout
of him. Then suddenly he raised them
to mine.
He threw up his arms; he started for
ward; he cried out CRY Of. peace, hap
pincss cry from a soul flowing over
with cXultation-
My fathers eyes looked deep into
mine. My fathers arms wero about my
neck.
cat last" ne cried, lat last, my sou,
back TO me, and now rest"
And with low moan the old man
Ayrault, my father-fell back upon the
SLOW and was dead
And now often my father and my
mother come to me when the moon
shines i'll upon my couch and we sit to-
gether i'll the moonlight, and he tolls 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 so that he might rest
| ask him every night if am to live
on forever, but he answers not
So we hold each others hands, and
the spirits in the moonlight sing to us