Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1897-06-24

1t is a scene of vast subiimity AMI
deep solitude. 1t Is midnight on mid
ocean. Above expands the eternal sky.
Below the boundless sea. A single
black speck breaks the infinite monot-
oly NJ the luminous dark-blue waters.
Yet even as our earth rolls. "A popii-
lous sphere through the immensely OF
space, so that creek sai.s, "A peopled
world, over the loDlins IS OF tie mid
night sea.
1t is the emigrant ship Star of the
West, and her first, second and third
cabins are all crowded with passen-
gers. Here upon the same decks. I'M
der the shelter of the same sails,
steered by the same hand and for the
same bourne, are gathered the ex-
tremes of human character and condi-
ton. Of wealth and poverty. of youth
and age, of beauty and ~ugliness, Of in-
nocence and crime, OF virtue and vice,
of prosperity and adversely, of health
and sickness, Of enjoyment and suffer
ing, yes, and even Of life and death. of
heaven and hell! And the purposes
and objects of the mixed crowd of hui
man creatures are as various and OPP
posite as their characters and eondi-
lions.
But In the crowd OF travellers, the
deepest interest seems to gather around
one boy; for all the other emigrants
are united In family groups, and this
n boy is alone; all the others are des
tined to certain tracts OF country IN
the West, or to certain ~einploymients
In the East; but this boy has .all the
world before him where to choose"
the others are all known to each 9TH
er, but this boy is known to none.
Where he came from, why he is here,
and where he Is going, are rs yet I'M
apparent.
And yet there is no willing mystery
about the poor lad-everybody is a
welcome to know all about him as he
knows about himself, which is, in
deed, little enough
1t Is now midnight. and the lights
are all out and the passengers all re-
tired to their berths-all except one or
two whom excitement keeps up. one
of these Is the solitary boy of the
steerage passage. He has walked
about in the confined quarters of the
lower deck, unable TO look far out at
sea except at a segment OF the dark
sky, and he Is weary of his portion OF
what TO him is q moving prison. and
he longs with a Doyish longing TO get
upon the grand upper deck. with moth
ing but the midnight sea and air
around him. True. he has seen pla-
cards all over the ship TO these effects:
"Steerage passengers not allowed
abaft this" s'Steerage passengers not
allowed on the main deck" .Steerage
passengers not allowed on the upper
deck" And he had wondered wherh-
er, in the case OF total shipwreck, the
steerage passengers would be allowed
TO drown In the same sea with their
honors, the arlstoeracy above. or
whether they would not be allowed to
swim off some miles TO ieeward, and
die of exhaustion at a respectful dis
lance.
Three weeks of close confinement in
the steerage passengers quarters of
the lower deck had made the boy das-
perdte. and this night, notwithstaud-
iEg all placards, he resolved to tres
pass on forbidden ground. and go on
deck TO see the open sea and sky, and
breathe the fresh air, let the after pen
atty be what it might. 1t was very
dark, still and lonely. He passed With
out challenge up the starboard stair
case to the main deck, upon which the
saloons Of the first and second cabin
stood. He passed these and went up
q second flight of stairs, and reached
the upper deck, which extended the
whole length of the ship from stem to
stern. And oh. the ineffable relief Of
inhaling the pure, fresh air into hot,
dry lungs! 1t was like cold water to
the thirsty stomach.
The brisk breeze met him and well
coined him on deck with a sort Of con-
scious, intentional beneyolence. II took
hold OF him and turned him around,
and shook his clothes and famed his
face. and lifted the heavy masses of
his black hair. threading their tresses
with light fingers. and cooling his fe-
vered head, like q mothers hand, the
poor boy ~thought-an imaginary moth
er's, for he had never known u real
one, though his favorite hidden entl'u-
siasm was his ideal mother. But this
breeze! how strange that 1t should
ever be thought TO change It's mood,
and become the furious and destroy
ing hurricane! how wonderful that any
should believe the same spirit to i've
In the caressing breeze that brings us
new life, and the raging wind that
threatens us with death!
So thought the boy as he gave him.
self up to the subdued delight of being
loved by Nature-of being fondled
and pettcd by her hands in the breeze.
Ard thus far he was right; it vas Il
mothers hand that caressed the lone
ly orphan boy, for Nature is the uni
versal mother.
The bonndless ocean was around
him, the infinite heavens above him:
what IL il was all dark? 1t was not
with the blackness Of a closed room,
but with the luminous. lovely dark
ness Of the open sea and sky.
The deck was very lonely. In all its
length and breadth there We're but
three p~ersons-the man at the wheel,
the officer of the watch. and 4 passen-
ger leaning v the bulwar for
ward. and gazing out into the night
westward. The boy also walked for
ward. and stood looking toward that
unseen land Of promise in which he
was about to seek his fortune.
swell my lad" said the gentleman
passenger, approaching the new Com
er. as II DESTROYS OF Willing away a