Missouri Valley times., 1901-11-21

uackeO antO the west Tor the second
time. There was not much wind stir
ring. but the most dangerous thing
about the weather sometimes Is its
| calm. The sea captains emeritus said
1t was weather BREEDER" and so 1t
| was.
| The night before Thanksgiving the
southwest wind had freshened up and
at dawn had reached that point which
entitieu le to being called n "Screamer.
| From the south shore life saving sta
ton the captain charge watched the
| waves and the hungry shoals. stretch
ing tive miles toward the main howl
| ing and lashing like hungry lions. At
sundown there was Il dsluge of cold
| rain, carried straight out, with wind
blowing sixty miles an hour. The sand
cut the oilskins of the surfmen like n
| Knife, but they faced it and walked
| their beats. for they We're heroes too.
IT was little after 10 O'clock that
night that the home comers saw an
ominous flash across the southern sky.
aud the trail of the rockets acted like u
cry OF fire on the men.
The dun silence in the Nantucket
lanes resounded with the frantic yell.
| Wreck on the south shore Every
ohie- bodied man was on foot III an in-
slant. Tim Henderson ana all of No. i
We're there, too. but not the old hand
engine.
1t is not over three miles to the
south shore from the village of Nan
tucket. When the men had reached the
scene. the life savers had sent a line
over the mast OF the brigantine Hen
rietta Rogers, less than half mile
| away. But the Vessel was acting ugly
and was loath to stand still She
pounded on the shoal and tUgeed at the
line over which ran the trolley OF the
hreecheS buoy.
Three We're already saved, hut every
moment II seemed as If the line would
break. AS the mountainous seas heaved
and broke over the cliffs the line and
It's burden were carried out of sight
Then the line. released from its tension.
| snapped into the air like a lash. and
yet somehow the breeches buoy held to
its trolley. and its human freight
stayed, too. slowly feeling it's Way to
the bank.
The captain of the vessel was the
them all rs they were picked up. half
drowned. and carried into the station
by willing hands. 1t was ready tc
cheer now as the last man was slowly
coming shorewartl.
But the words died on their lips, un-
uttered. The line had caught. When
released from the clutch of the waves,
u dark object was tossed into the air.
Each moment it seemed as if the cap-
tain would be thrown into the sea.
That moment would be his last. Cor
nothing, not even a lifeboat, could live
in that sea.
1t was not n time to stop and con-
slider. The life saving captain was
about TO speak to his men, to command
them to go to almost certain death.
when a form shot out of the darkness
and grabbed the life line. The men ON
shore swore, not SOFTLY but above
the roaring of the storm they We're
heard, and it seemed as If they called
him fool. No one knew Who it was.
for he was scarcely in view long
enough. even IL he could have been
recognized. Each time the line flew
into the air the men on shore held their
breath.
Once man and line parted and dis
appeared. a low groan mingled with
the storm. Then the line flew up again.
and the man was again slowly creep
ing toward the buoy.
There WAS no tiinekeeper for that
race With death. II seemed as if hours
had passed when the buoy again yield
ed to the pull from the shore. and the
two men were brought to safety.
When they picked up Tim Henderson.
already unconscious. they carried him
to the station as tenderly as q mother
gathers her child in her arms. They
had forgotten to cheer at first. That
I came later, when the waiting crowd
saw the fisherman stepping forth into
the open air.
They walked back to town. lie re-
sented any demonstrations. He went
home. Persis Hayward waited all day
for him, but she did not understand
him yet If she thought it was for her
that he risked his life, she was mis-
taken. She learned about that after
ward.
Thanksgiving night the wind had
changed to northeast, and the rain had
turned into sleet and snow. But the
weather did not count with Persis. She
had the street to herself as she half
walked and half blew down Newtown
way. Later she had Tim to herself.
too.
1t has never been really known what
Tim said: I'D done the same thing
The first thing I knew / was out on
/ was glad on it,
When Tim and Persis We're married
the next summer, there was a good deal
of fuss made. especially by the sum-
mer visitors. but Tim says their wat
Ell line is jest about right to take 'em
over the bar, an they wouldn't do for
/ deep water craft.
Perhaps the best thing about the
/ whole affair is that they understood
each other before the fatal tie was
bound, and ut least one woman ha
\ proved that matrimony and womans
| Independence are not necessarily in
compatible.