Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-02-08


ly, reached the block, swung leg
over one OF ths guys and pulled him
self up on top of the boom.
Then cry from Hortense arose.
Looking down, he saw the masts
the schooner sinking and the girl in
the water clinging to the buoy. She
had bravely refrained from screaming
till she saw Fred safe, although the
water had come up on deck almost as
soon as he had swung off from the
foremasthead.
Fred shouted encouragement to her,
but how could he lift her and her wet
clothes-a weight of 130 pounds at
least-up sheer height of 40 feet?
He tried to get the end of the rope
free to run through the block, but his
weight on it had so lammed the knots
into the sheave that he was unable to
loosen it. The appeals of poor Hor
tense were incessant. He resolved to
try to lift her hand over hand.
Stretching out upon the boom, he
braced himself as we'll as he could
with his shoulder under the topping
lift and one foot tucked up for frmer
hold, then began the hoist. Hortense
gave a cheer, the bowline held tight
abont her. and slowly, hand by hand,
he raised the girl.
But the strain was great. When he
had lifted her up about IL feet he be-
gan to despair of accomplishing the
task, but still he strove, for to drop
her would le fatal. Shutting his eyes,
he lifted hand over hand steadily, but
with ebbing strength. The perspira-
tion poured off him, his breath was
coming short, he felt that he could en-
dure no longer; but just then, open
ing his eyes, he saw Hortense reach
ing for the main part of the rope
hanging from the block, which he had
paid out in a blight as he lifted her.
If she could reach it che might be
able to hold her own weight while he
got fresh strength and breath. With
a desperate effort he raised himself on
the boom a little, and just when com
pletely exhausted felt, by the ease of
the strain, that Hortense had caught
the blight. She was two thirds up. and
the worst of the job was over, if their
combined strength was enough for the
rest of the lift
Now Hortense proved herself bet
ter sailor than Fred had supposed her
to be. for instead of hosting herself,
she made half-hitch of the blight
through the bowline she sat in, which
supported her weight from the end OF
the boom and left him free for rest
So she was safe, the rest of the lifting
was comparatively easy, and he soon
had her within reach But to get her
upon the boom was an altogether diff
ferent matter. for she became dizzy
and faint, and absolutely refused to
try and Chamber up beside him. The
only thing to do was to make her fast
where she was, then to cast off one Of
the guys and swing the boom ashore
by the other.
So Fred worked his way in along
the boom to the derrick mast, found
that the guys of the boom were easily
loosened from their eye bolts, and ac-
complished his object pretty speedily.
Hortense fell on her knees on the
rock in her still dripping garments as
soon as was free from the rope that
had saved her, and at once gave
thanks to Heaven; then she rose and
led the Boston boy back few hun
dred yards from the edge of the cliff
to little shanty almost full of brandy
casks that had been landed by that
same derrick. With little difficulty
she persuaded the deaf old Frenchman
who lived there that Fred was "all
right. So he took them both to
Bdrgeo next day, where Fred caught
his steamer, and left Hortense looking
for fisherman who would take her
back to st. Pierre. Youths Com
panion.