Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-10-19
MIRIAM'S DREAM.

"You won't really go at this time of
the year?" Rather! I'd go in Deem
Der if Dick were at the end of the
Journey"
"Well, would not cross the Atlantic
In the middle of November for dozen
sweethearts."
Miriam laughed gleefully. She and
Dick had been separated for three
years, and now he had fallen into
good berth in Toronto, and had written
to her to decide whether they should
both spend their winter in loneliness
or whether she would go to him and
settle down at once as his wife.
Miriam did not hesitate q moment,
she set aside the shortest time possible
for winding up her affairs in England
and arranged to sail in the Slovenian"
from Liverpool to Halifax.
"But you'll have a dreadful overland
Journey after that; it must be long
way to Toronto" said her friend Nora.
81 don't know how you'll get through,
all by yourself"
"Ah! but I'm not going to. Dick has
been sent by his firm to New York on
some business and he intends to take
a berth in the "Meldrum," coasting
steamer which will bring him to Hall
fax about the same time that l get
there
Miriam was In fever of joy, and
was altogether oblivIous Of such small
matters as intense cold, a pitching, roll
inc shin and bottopad doxyp botobac
The good ship fought gaily through
stormy ce-threatened sea, and at last
a morning broke, when the sun shone
fair, and the waves sank into a COM
parative calm. Passengers swarmed
on deck, congratulating each other on
their escape from prison, and the anxi-
Gus captain sighed with relief to think
that the worst was over. He was upon
his bridge, stamping up and down to
keep the blood circulating in his feet,
when ahead of them he saw a strange
speck dancing on the waves.
AS 1t drew nearer he found ii to be
an apparently empty boat; and he sent
off one of his boats to tow the stray to
the steamer. When it reached the side.
however, the limp form of sailor was
lifted from it. Under care and good
treatment the blood began to run again
through his stiff veins, and he was able
to tell what had befallen him. But be-
fore that happened his boat had been
hauled on deck, and the name upon it,
''Meldrum," made known.
How funny" cried Miriam, "a
steamer sailing from New York to
Halifax is named 'Meldrum.'
"Ay! Missie," said sailor, ominous-
ly, "and this is one of her boats"
"But how can it be? How could ii
have got loose out here?"
"If that poor chap lives he can tell
us that, and no one else perhaps"
After some time the sailors words
began to beat into Miriam's stupefied
brain; she tried to speak to some one
standing Lear, but her tongue would
not move, only her knees shook so
much that she nearly fell. Her neigh
Dor drew her to seat
rs the Medium wreckedw Miriam
asked with tragic eyes.
II do not know; but hope not; that
poor fellow will tell us IL he lives"
That evening 1t was known that the
Medium" had collided with another
vessel in the storm, and that though all
boats had been lowered they had one
after another, been swamped. The res
cued sailor had just jumped into one
when its ropes snapped and he was
therefore, the only person saved.
The stewardess took the sidings, with
cup Of tea, to Miriam, as she lay in
ert and despairing on her sofa, and she
let the woman gossip out ner news
without uttering a sound. At last, the
stewardess went away, and Miriam lay
still, not thinking, only suffering.
Later she crawled into her bed,
where through the night, visions of
Dick, as boy, as youth, as a man,
rushed through her mind. Sometimes
she saw his face shining through the.
darkness, but when she clasped him
round the neck he was cold as ice and
wet with salt water.