Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-17

| had not ordered them all out and away
\ without benefit of clergy.
| And at this Jimmy, remembering that
there were other bells in town, had in
| stantly organized several rival bell l-ringing
| parties, and they started at full run, to get
| into the meeting houses the best way they
could, and make the belfries rock and drown
out St Pauls by all the superior metal OF
the bigger bells; and when one of the lads
heard the peal of the other sound out like
the boom of fire bells and answered it
with the peal from his own steeple tossing
out upon the dark, their hearts were al
most bursting with the delight in the clash
and clang and roar beating out the air
! about them.
| Il wisht their father was hearin' of
EN-" the mother said again, pressing her
face against the cold glass, while the snow
drove by something less furiously.
'Twould reely tickle him. tim mighty
pretty music. Jes' hear the echoes On,
Joe, where be ye!' And as the bells pealed
on she was walking up and down the little
house, stopping at every turn to peer
through the pane, to open the door and feel
the blast, more than once to cry out with
voice that the wind pressed back sound
less, making her feel her helplessness be-
fore the great forces of nature which be-
nuiHD anu ueStIOy, shutting lne uOOT ana
walking up and down again as she wrung
her hands, and pausing at every shudder
of sash and door to listen. "oh, what sort
OF Christmas eve is this?" she cried. "oh
Joe, Joe, joel"
But even while the bells were ringing 1t
seemed as if the wind were falling. Jimmy
said it was jest spit" she murmured
""'raps he's right. One O. them quick
squalls O. snow. But one O. them can
founder ship taken unawares. And, oh.
it must have took him unexpected or he'd
be home!"
What a long. interminable hour it was
before the great, glad uproar of the bells
was over! And then presently she was
sure it was time the boys and Sis were
at home, and without staying to imagine
they were plunging and slipping and snow
balling together on the way, the wind hav-
ing .abated as suddenly as it had arisen,
she felt that everything had come to an
end, and husband and children alike were
lost to her, and full of a wild, unreasonlng
panic she was crying like one possessed,
when the door burst open and a chorus
OF glad voices smote her-sweet oh,
sweeter, clearer than the peal of all the
bells. Meanwhile, out In the bay Joe had
found his travis much richer than he had
expected and as he was so busy in stripping
them and in batting and setting them again
that he gave little heed to the rising of
the storm till its fury was all about him.
"'Twon't last long like this. Them sud
dent ones go aus they come Jes' keep her
head to the wind" he said to himself
She'll ride it out" And then the snow
was wrapping him, blind and thick. and all
at once the dark had fallen. oval" he
muttered, "if one O. them concerned big
coal steamers don't come rippin' along I'll
weather it. It's a tussle. But we're good
for it-ef the stick hods-'Pleasant' and
me-"
1t was a tusse. 1t took all his will and
all his strength to keep the boat trimmed
to meet the squall and riding on the top
OF the great seas that came roaring ana
kissing on and only just fell short OF wash
ing over and filling the little Pleasant.
And when the furious hour was past he
would have given all his share of fish to
lie down in the bottom OF the boat and get
his breath.
The sea was still rolling, in long swell
succeeding swell, and the snow was falling
in thick sheet through which not a glim
mer of light penetrated-only a wide. faint
dmness seemed to swim up grayly from the
great tops and hollows about him. He felt
that the boat was drifting, but he could not
tell in what direction; he thought perhaps
the tide was running In, but as he looked
about him there was nothing by which he /
could make sure. The Ipswich light. he'l
said, ought 10 be Just out here; the revOly-
ing ruby and gold OF the light at the shoals
ought to be on the other hand. Plum island
light ought to be over his shoulder. II he !
could but see spark Of one of them he
would know how to shape his course. But