The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1895-10-03

all my skill; / knew that captains
first duty is to his ship; but, there,
ahead OF me, steadily nearing the end
of the boom, steadily progressing on
the road which leads down to the dark
valley, was this girl, and no one but
myself to save her, and could reach
her in time?
al tried TO call her name aloud, to
shout, TO scream even, but the strong
agony of the moment had deprived me
of my voice and no sound came from
my straining throat Perhaps it was
Just as we'll, for il had succeeded in
waking her she would inevitably have
fallen in the terror of finding herself
in such position; she had not q
steady head when awake. But / was
desperate and as she leaped far out
above the water, after a ghastly awful
second in which her form was clearly
shown against the dark sky by flash
of lightning go vivid that j saw even
her long eyelashes laying back against
her white check and was SO impressed
with the pattern of the lace on her
robe, that could draw its leaves and
flowers now, leaped too
81 landed, thanks to the Providence
which guards such foolhardy actions,
on the very end OF the boom, and rs
she flew past me | caught n hold of
her gown. The impetus of her fall
upset my balance and we both fell,
but in falling | managed TO grasp the
boom and there we swung, | holding
on to life with one hand, she claspod
in my other arm.
"rhe shock wakened her, and, be-
side herself with terror at her un-
known position, she struggled mGdly
and strovc to free herself from my
embrace, while scream after scream
scared tho men on deck until all
thought OF duty was forgotten and the
ship was practically unnamed.
"Sailors are invariably supersti.
tious and not few of them really
thought that the white torn was a
ghost and that the screams were mine,
as / was carried Off TO the region which
is supposed to await those who med.
die with the spirits from another
world.
"At last, after perhaps n minute
which seemed TO me an eternity, /
grew desperate, and finding that | was
still voiceless and could not reassure
her drew her closely to me, squeezed
her frail form until she ceased to
struggle, then, pressing my chin to the
the hollow Of her throat, / completed
the work of siencing her. She grew
rigid, her arms fell Imply down, one
of them striking my face II gentle blow
in its sudden descent, and the next
lightning flash showed me that she had
tainted.
''With great sigh OF thankfulness,
mingled with curse that | had been
forced to thus hurt her in order to
save her, began to work my way
toward the ship. God only knows
how, with my one free hand, stii with
fatigue, and growing useless with the
long strain, until / was just giving up
in despair and thinking bitterly that
| should be compelled to let go and
drop back into the seething water. l
felt rope. seized il and somehow by
the aid Of that Power which watches
over us and which we all neglect save
in times of distress, drew myself mp
onto the boom and clung there breath
less, exhausted, but saved.
"Once my breath had returned
was fully conscious of the disorder on
the deck, and with n mighty effort /
struggled to my knees, made my way
along the boom, bruised and beaten
by it's wild swayIng, and finally faced
the demoralized crew with shaking
limbs and heart beating TO suhoca.
tion but with stern face.
AT sight Of me appearing before
them suddenly in the weird light of
the storm they shrunk back, and one
dashed down to his bunk, but here
my voice came back to me, and i think
the strong objurgation l yelled after
him did more to reassure the rest than
anything else which | could have done.
Turning to the mate, who stood
by speechless with mingled shame and
fear, delivered the fainting girl to
ultl, ltllllR MIN W thl btlON :
rouse her mother and return as quick
ly rs possible, and then, barefooted
and half clothed as | was, ! forgot all
else for the time being in thinking OF
the ship, which was running madly be,
fore the wind and taking in more
water than she could carry safely for
long.
"lhe storm which was upon us was
one of the worst | ever saw-and
have been in many wild storm-and
it was two days and night later be-
fore ! could find time to go below and
ask after Alice, yet through all my
anxiety and the exhausting labor ]
never forgot her and the recollection
of her white still face. after / had
choked her into unconsciousness,
haunted me the whole time.
"When Mt last the storm abated and
| felt free to leave the ship to the care
of the mate, who had been completely
I I, -