The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-17

was not a ray over all the wide welter of
water, through all the dim veil of the
snow. He felt as if he had gone blind.
He listened for the dull blare of the whist
ling buoy, but the snow muffled every
sound and one wave tossed him still to
another.
now like sleet. Rope and sail were stiff
with ice. BY George It'll be my wind
ing-sheet" he exclaimed. And ne fell
back into the boat, and the thought of his
wife's terror and grief struck him TO
the heart like knife. 1t was Christ
mas eve; and the children would be
caperinS and carrying on. opening cys-
tiers on top of the stove, roasting
chestnuts and apples. and looking over
their shoulders for him TO be coming in
the door. And he would never be COM
ing in the door again. What would be-
come of themi o. God, what would be-
come of them. He gave a great sob, a
sob of pity for them and for himself.
and In the next moment he caught his
breath in an irrepressible alarm. For
here was music. Certainly then he would
soon be dying. dying of the cold and
Here it came again-belIs, All what a
great wide surge of sound. one moment
resonant on the black air. then repeating
itself in whisper. d sigh. Again il came
a shower of tones. skimmiring over the
water like a flight of gray and silver
Sulls; and now one strong clash and ring
and roll rose above them aif-the Old
South hell. And with that came the stee.y
flash of the North church BELL the hum
OF the old town bell. the quaver of st.
Pauls. And then the wind sung IN blow
ing the sweet alarm all back to shore and
closing the lanes of the mist and snow
through which they had sifted. And only
a faint exquisite echo sighed and died
away.
But what matter? Now he knew where
he was-Salisbury Sands TO the left of
him old Newbury TO The right. About
ship. and up sail, up sail for the channel
across the bar, Slowly he brought the
boat round: here was old Newbury now
on the left; here was the North Breaker
singing like a nest of eagles, off Plum
screams of the great South Breaker,
sucking down the Salisbury shore: here
was the roar OF the waves tumbling en-
the bar. A spark CLEANS with a wide.
hay halo through the snow Plum
island light. Another-the Bug light. the
harbor lights. He knows every inch of
the way now. The channel grows clearer
the Pleasant is good for it. He steers
through foam and fury, he sweeps by the
Humpsands and Black rocks. into stiller
water. ne PUSHES straight TO the mooring.
= The children were just knocking the
snow of their feet at the door. as he
IAN up from the wharf. Good was the
any strain of music in his ears was mis-
wife's shrek of JOY. Didn't | say [
alus come homef" he cried joyously
catching her in his arms.
20. JoeN she Sobbed. If we live a
hundred years. we shan't ever have such
a Christmas eve. as this -agin, Come
children. come right in out OF the snow,
l guess you've had -frolic enough to-
night: | s'pose it was you rung the
winding his comforter
Wal. said Joe. siamming the door
behind them, faint Otter .work am play
does the same thing. But your fro.ic aid
a lot of work tonight. Fer IF | hadn't
heard them bells. thered Il hen no father
an no Chris mus in this house, Got a
bowl of coffee. wife? George. / could eat
the hUll.bean-pot"