Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1896-06-27

tain died. kate's parents crossed the
dark river and the young woman was
left alone
Kate's parents left an estate valued
at several thousand dollars, and she was
the only heir, but she refused to touch
penny of it until Willie came back to
enjoy it with her.
1t was thought that the girls mental
condition might improve if she was
treated at sanitarium, and she was
shut up in one for three months, but she
begged SO hard to be allowed to con-
tinue her vigil that she was finally al
lowed to return to her humble home on
the beach.
Kate supported herself by fishing and
accepting favors from the sympathetic
fishermen, who looked after her with
care that was almost affectionate in its
nature, and she became an expert oars
woman, and could manage sailboat
equal to the best of them.
Seven Mile Beach is wild place in
the time of storm. 1t is open to the
ocean, and good many times the ocean
at that point gets exceedingly nasty. A
good many vessels have foundered there,
and the fishermen along the shore have
organized sort of Independent life saw
ing crew, and they have saved good
many lives in the last ten years.
Two weeks ago, during blizzard that
swept up the coast, three masted
schooner struck the bar off Seven Mile
Beach. The wind was blowing strong
from the southeast. She struck about Q
O'Clock in the afternoon, and Dafty
Kate was the first to discover her.
She gave the alarm, and the fishermen
made ready to go to the assistance Of
the crew, who were helpless in the rig
ging.
Kate took her place, as usual, in the
boat that was launched, and the start
was made for the vessel. It was hard
fight, for the waves were running like
small mountains, and the boat in which
the plucky fishermen were was a large
yawl, which is good sea boat, but not
as safe as lifeboat.
The vessel was rapidly sinking in the
sand and had careened SO that her deck
was completely submerged. 1t was evil
dent that she would soon go to pieces,
and the men in the boat worked like
beavers to reach her.
There were five men in the rigging,
and their shouts for help could be heard
above the roar of the water. 1t was a
desperate battle, but finally the yawl
got near enough the foundered craft to
enable the occupants to make themselves
heard.
You'll have to jump and take
chances on our picking you upl" shout
ed one of the boats crew.
"All right" came the reply.
One after another of the men jumped
into the seething waves and was picked
up. The last man was not as easily
caught as the others. He was carried
shoreward by a strong roller, but he
managed to keep his head above water
until the boat got near enough to him to
AS he was being hauled over the side
wave threw the boat against his head
and rendered him senseless.
The rescued sailors were landed safe
ly, and the injured man was taken to
Dafty Kate's hut and physician sum-
moned as soon as possible. 1t was
found that the mans skull had been
fractured by coming in contact with the
boat, and the doctor was doubtful to
what extent he was injured
Three days the sailor lay unconscious,
and all the time Kate was giving him
all the attention possible. On the morn
ing of the fourth day he opened his eyes,
and one of the sailors who was sitting
near him said:
"Do you know me, Jack?'
The wounded man looked at him in a
dazed way and finally answered: "My
name isn't Jack. Who are you?"
''He amt straight yet," said the
sailor to one of the other men who was
standing near.
"Who are you?" asked the sick man
in as strong voice as he could muster.
Kate. who was engaged at preparing
some food, stepped quickly over to the
cot where the man lay, and taking his
face between her hands, looked intently
into his eyes for a few seconds, then
said, "Willie, Willie, it's you at last"
and then she fell to the floor in faint
The astonished sailors got the woman
and again she stepped to the cot.
eyes, it's Willie," she repeated to
herself, and the man eyed her sharply
as if he was struggling to remember
something. Finally he said:
eyes, that's my name 1t amt
Jack. -
"Don't you know Kate?" asked the
woman eagerly.
The sick man attempted to raise him
self on his elbow, but the effort was too
much for him, and he fell back sense
less.
The man proved to be Dafty Kate's
long lost absent lover, William King.
He was shipwrecked on the voyage to
China 10 years ago, and remembers
nothing of the time between then and
the day that Kate recognized him. His
sailor companions say they only knew
him as John Kane. The physicians
think that when the man was ship
wrecked he received nervous shock
that wiped out from his memory all the
events of the past, and that the wound
in his head brought him back to where
he was o years ago.
Now Willie and Kate are to be mar
ried just as soon as the man is we'll
enough, and Kate has taken the light in
from in front of the door of her humble
home on the beach. st. Louis Globe
Democrat.