New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-08-20

bows until It rounded the point turned 10 the
Indian whom she had engaged to wash the
windows Of the little cottage she rented for the
summer. and said: That is your reservation isn't
ftp" pointing the rest of the peninsula. which
were a number Of gray cabins half hidden by the
thick foliage OF silver popars. And those sup
pose, your houses; but what are the white OBJ
jects the end of that lonely. Isolated point|
'Tombstones," answered the woman laconicaly
and then, after pause. during which she had
breathed a pane and then polished II with a
dry cloth, after the manner of her kind. she con-
tinued My husband lies buried there and twelve
others of folks-the best men of the revolu-
ton. all drowned together yonder In the
ocean awful night" And taking up her
pail she proceeded to the next window.
But Mrs BIS sympathy and curiosity were
aroused. and she followed her. Would you mind
telling about it?' she asked kindly cor Is it too
PAINFUL"
The half breed turned showing face tragic
with the of two oppressed nationalities add
ed TO her own troubles. If Mrs. B. would like to
hear about IT," she said. using the third person. as
her people are wont to do. Il will tell it, And
sitting down without waiting for an invitation,
she began: "In old days the reservation men used
be good sailors and the captains of the whalers
thought a heap OF 'em. Give Shnnocock
Indian every time said Captain White. Of Green
point; but they amt worth riuch that Is.
the younger men amt Seafarng Is about over as
a trade and our race never took to farming
often says kerosene has done us heap o harm.
for before coal oil came in whan' paid well.
Thirty years ago. as ] was saying. all the older
men on the reservation used to be sailors chat
is, the best of EN-. the poor didn't do much
of anything in those days) and when they
were ashore they would turn their hand to any
thing on the water. Oysterin, loading vessels on
the north side and such like. Well that week a
good many of our men were at home. and one
night in fog big steamer came aground hard
and fast on the beach at Southampton Nobody
hurt but there she stuck faster than
fly sticky paper, and there was nothin' for ~
better get tn, shnnecocks they told the cap
tain in the village. They are the men foI your
my husband among 'em. Wasn't / glad though,
that he should get the job-and | never saw him
and some of us a Went over to the beach to see
them OFF. The captain Of the Circassian chat
and said he would bring en- hack that night 10
sleep, and take EN- bach the next morning We
for never ore of our men alive again. that
toward eyenin' It Locked rainy and the captain
says. says he. YOp feleTs had better stay aboard
tonight to begin work early in the mornin' put
our folks objected Tv.asn,t In the contract they
gan to swear terrible. and said not man should
They didns come back TO supper but We didn't
feel no cause TO be frightened; we surmised how IT
had got the Children to sleep threw an apron over
my head. ard over to my next neighbors,
hard and We; from the sea and could not see a
star. When ] got to Sally's found her outside
her house, in the dark.
"T feel sortcr uneasy, she said, and am right
glad to see you Don't you think there's going 10
be a storm? and just then great gust OF rain and
wind took off feet Well, that was the be
ginning OF st. and goodness. what time we had
Cryin' and prayin' the whole night through. The
other Just as skeered as we were, and
of em over to tine us. sayin they
couldn't sleep.
The winds dead southeast. anyhow remem-
her one Of them said and that's a comfort They
can't blow TO sea, anyway: It's bound 10 bring
them in. And II did. for when the black sky
turned 10 gray we heard the gallopin OF horse
in the distance.
What's that we cried, and listened in fear
u came nearer and nearer. ] never hear a horse
gallop now without thinking Of that terrible dawn
the life saving station brought over the awful news
The big steamer had foundered in the storm. and
all hands lost,
when he left the tide had turned. and the dead
bodies were comm ashore on the beach. Every one
of our men drownded. Yes, those be their tomb
stones those white specks out there on that point"
1T was very long ago said Mrs. B. She
could actually think OF nothing more comforting to
say The tragedy was too appalling.
YES. Il a good while ago" repeated the
colored woman. going back to her work.
Nigh on to twenty-five years ago. guess. but
can remember 1t fresh as yesterday" and again
she fell to scrubbing.
That evening Mrs. B. sat on her veranda over
the bay, and the OF the ocean took sad
der meaning az she looked over at the white points
on the lonely sandy strip OF land and thought OF the
tragic story told her that morning