Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-12-17

-. on necl auC-walKed away.
That was the last time Tim spoke to
her for over n year. That period of his
life was an Gterlude of blank agony. As
for being a hero, he feltjnstead the
meanest of men.
II he had loved Persis Henderson. he
worshiEed her now, and ii may seem
strange TO some that the few but incisiye
words she had spoken increased his pas
sion tenfold.
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-Sveather vaneS backed into the
southwest for 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 it was 4 weather breeder" and
so it was.
The night before Christmas the south
west wind had freshened up and at
dawn had reached that point which en-
titled it to being called Il ''screamer."
From the south shore life saving sta
tion the captain in charge watched the
waves and the hungry shoals, stretch
ing FIVE miles toward the main, bowling
and flashing like hungry lions. At sun
down there was Il deluge of cold rain,
carried straight out, with Il 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 Il little after 10 o'clock that
II -l,n,, h., rl,.
churches had been unladen, that the
home Corners saw an ominous fash across
the southern sky. and the trail of the
rockets acted like u 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 nos 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 shoal
and tugged at the line over which ran
the trolley of the brecches buoy
Three were already saved. but every
it seemed as if the line would
break. As the mountainous seas heaved
and broke over the cliffs the line and
its burden were buried out of sight
Then the line, released from its tension,
snapped into the air like q lash, and
yet somehow the brooches buoy held to
it's 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 cheercd them all
as they We're picked up, half drowned,
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, I'M
uttered. The line had caught. When re-
leased from the clutch of the waves, Il
lark object was tossed into the air. Each
it seemed as if the captain would