Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-02-10
VOL. 50.
TRUE STORY OF FlUCK.
BY f. ALBERT.

|
cru Ontario, some fifty miles nOrtl
OF the lake of that name, lies Lake
SimcOe, about fifty miles long bS
thirty miles in width. Near tn,
centIe of this lake is berry
Island, popular summer resort
Among. the visitors at the Straw
berry Island Hotel IL the summer
oil 1896, were the GIlbraths and
the PaterSOns, the families of two
business men of Toronto, whC
themselves Oame to the lSlanc
every week TO speud Sunday.
Mrs Paterson had thOn an in
fant daughter d little over year
OH; and Mrs. q ilbralth a boy,
Alan, then nine years old.
About half past four o'clock OF
the afternoon of Thursday, July
24th, Alan was paying on the
/ beach. when along came George
McDuh, a good.natured young
lriShman employed at the hotel.
and offered to take Alan out IN a
boat for a short row. The BOY ac-
ceptcd eagerly, and minute later
NcDnn had run a small Skitf down
10 tue water and was putting the
lad latO IT, when the little thirteen
year.old nurse girl employed by
/ Mrs. Paterson came 20 the boa
! landlug,wiih the baby in her arms,
ami asked If she might go toe. Hel
name Is Ethel Smith.
McDuff readily consented, anG
the party start, d for an island two
miles of.
Now Lake Simcoe lies high, aud
storms on 1t come up suddenly
which are sometimes very severe
McDuff had not pulled a mile be
fore the wind which had beer
bOwlug mildly from the southwest
vveled round to the northwest an(
quickly became a gale. McDuh
wishing to take no risks with three
children IN the boat, put about I'M
mediately to return to Stra wberry
Island, aud pulled hard. But as be
pulled the fury of the gale increas
ed, aud at last it became clear tC
him that despite his utmost efforts
the boat was beng blown out into
opeu water, aud toward the shore
Of the mainland, seventeen ID llei
diStAut.
Though wind and water 6ea
fariOusly agaist the port quarter o.
the irAif little craft, and there wa
J danger every moment that th'
boat wOnld b. swamped. Ethel sa
quiet, with the baby IN her arms
Alan, hardly realizing the danger
was also quiet, confident in Nc
Duh's ability to get them safely
home.
At last McDuti's strength wa
almost spent, aud he saw ii wa
useless to drive any longer agains
the wind. To run with it seemed
the best chance of escape, and =
McDaff turned The bow toward th
maitland, aud thereafter used the
'oarS only to keep her stern 20 th'
wind. The gale, seizlng OH th
boat aud its passengers, blew then
p aIoug faster than the followin
SEA, aud Alan, with bailing til
was at first able to throw out sue
J water as bubbling cresrs occasion
. ally poured over the side.
Darkness came on soon, and th
the little party was in a NOR
melancholy plight than ever
When they got completely out
the lee OF Strawberry Island, waye
. threatened to come over the sterI
e Of the boat; often they washed int
it over tue sides, aud only by tai
ing the balIing tiu, himself, va
Med lft able to keep it ahjat. \
had long since been wet to th
skin, except The baby, whom th
little nurse girl with assiduor
{ raitbfulness kept fairly dry an
comfortable.
McDhfl had no precise ldt
ehrle the boat was drifting, bu
j. hoped to be driven to the suthel
, hore of the lake. At last, am
the darkness he saw gIimmer {
= hght; Judging hy the force Of I'll
Is wind, This must have been befoi
midnight. As far ds he dare
y interfere with The course OF Il
boat. he strOve to direct 1t to u
light, and as they neared the Shot
which he could dimly see, th'
drlfted toward wharf, which NJ
Duff knew 20 thai OF the smi
; town of Beaverton, seventeen mil
from where they had started.
S, Utterly tired out, he could ma
out a desperate AMI fruitless ebC
ID to keep the boat of the war;, oV
IL l:ol .., zoo ,uora Uas sIiun al