Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1899-12-21

worshiped her now, and it may seem
strange tn some that the few but incisive
woris she had spoken increased his pas
sion tenfod.
Those who profess to understand hui
man nature have not yet given us salts
factory definition of the qualities that
make hero. Perhaps, after all, it is only
the lack OF opportunity that keeps all Of
us from being heroes. When that time
comes, it is generally the hero himself
that is most surprised.
That is the way it WAS with Tim. Two
days before Christmas, the following
year, the weather vanes backed into the
southwest for n second time. There was
not much wind stirring, but the most
dangerous thing about the weather some
times is its calm. The sea captains emer-
titus said 1t was Il weather bree, ,r," and
SO ii was.
The night before Christmas tn 'outh-
west wind had freshened up at
dawn had reached that point whit en-
titled it to being called a scream :"
From the south shore life saving :
ton the captain in charge watched /,
waves and the hungry shoals, stretch
ing five miles toward the main, bowling
and lashing like hungry lions. At sun
uo"h tuclt was u utiuSc VI COlu Iulu,
carried straight out, with wind blow
ing 60 miles an hour. The sand cut the
oilskins OF the surfmen like knife, but
they faced it and walked their beats, for
they were heroes too.
1t was little after 10 o'clock that
night, when the Christmas trees in the
churches had been unladcn, that the
home comers saw an ominous fash across
the southern sky, and the trail of the
rockets acted like a cry of fire on the
men.
The dull silence in the Nantucket lanes
resounded with the frantic yell, Wreck
on the south shore" Every ablebodied
man was on foot in an instant. Tim
Henderson and all of No. were there.
too, but not the old hand engine.
1t is not over three miles to the south
shore from the village of Nantucket.
When the men had reached the scene,
the life savers had sent line over the
mast of the brigantine Henrietta Rog-
ers, less than half mile away. But
the vessel was acting ugly and was loath
to stand still. She pounded on the shosl
and tugged at the line over which ran
the trolley Of the breeches buoy.
Three were already saved. but every
moment it seemed as IL the line would
break. As the mountainous seas heayed
and broke over the cliffs the line and
its burden were buried out of sight.
Then the line, released from it's tension,
snapped into the air like a lash, and
yet somehow the breeches buoy held to
its trolley, and its human freight staid,
too, slowly feeling its way to the bank.
The captain Of the vessel was the last
to come. The men had cheered them all
thA,, ,N;nl ,nI hale 1pnx nnI
and carried into the station by willing
hands. 1t was ready to cheer now as
the last man was slowly coming shore
ward.
But the words died on their lips, un-
uttered. The line had caught! When re-
leased from the clutch of the waves, n
dark object was tossed into the air. Each
moment it seemed as il the captain would
be thrown into the sea. That moment
would be his last for nothing, not even
q iifeboat, could live in that sea.
1t was not a time to stop and consider.
The life saving captain was about to
speak to his men, to command them to so
to almost certain death, when form
shot out of the darkness and grabbed the
life line. The men on shore swore, not
"softly," but above the roaring of the
storm they were heard, and it seemed as
if they called him a fool. No one knew
who it was, for he was scarcely in view
long enough, even if he could have been
recognized Each time the line flew into
the air the men on shore held their
breath.
Once man and line parted and disap-
peared. A low groan mingled with the
storm. Then the line flew up again, and
the man was again slowly creeping to-
ward the buoy.
There was no timekeeper for that race
with death 1t seemed as if hours had
passed when the buoy again yielded to
the pull from the shore, and the two men
were brought to safety.
When they picked up Tim Henderson,
already unconscious, they carried him to
the station as tenderly as n mother gath
ers her child to her arms. They had for
gotten to cheer at first. That came later,
when the waiting crowd saw the fisher
man stepping forth into the open air.
Tim walked back to town. He resent
ed any demonstration. He went home.
Persis Hayward waited all day for him,
but she did not understand him yet. If
she thought it was for her that he risked
his life, she was mistaken. She learned
about that afterward.
Christmas night the wind had changed
to northeast. and the rain had turned in
to sleet and snow. But the weather did
not count with Persis. She had the
street to herself as she half walked and
half blew down Newtown way. Later
she had Tim to herself too.
1t has never been really known what
happened, but it has leaked out that Tim
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