Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-11-23

backed into the west for the second
time. There was not much wind stir
ring, blu the most dangerous thing
about the weather sometimes is it's
calm The sea captains emeritus said
II was a weather breeder and so it
was.
The night before Thanksgiving the
southwest wind had freshened up ard
at dawn had reached that point which
entitled 1t to being called a "screamer."
From the south shore life saving sta
ton the captain charge watched the
wave and the hungry shoals. stretch
ing five miles toward the main. howl
ing and flashing like hungry lions. At
Sundown there was q deluge of cold
rain, carried straight out, with a wind
blowing sixty miles an hour. The sand
cut the oilskins OF the surfmen like a
knife, but they faced 1t and walked
their beats, for they were heroes, too.
1t was a little after 10 o'clock that
night that the home corners saw an
ominous flash across the southern sky,
and the trail OF the rockets acted like q
cry of fire on the men.
The dull silence in the Nantucket
lanes resounded with the frantic YELL
Wreck on the south shore!" Every
able-bodied mar was on foot in an In
slant. Tim Henderson and all of No. 4
were 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 a mile
away. But the vessel vas acting ugly
and was loath to stand still. she
pounded on the shoal and tugged at the
line over which ran the trolley or the
breeches buoy.
Three were already saved, but every
moment 1t seemed as II the line would
break. As the mountainous seas heaVed
and broke over the cliffs the n ana
It's burden were carried out or sight.
Then the line, released from its tension,
mapped into the air like a lash, and
yet somehow the breeches buoy held to
its trolley, and it's human freight
stayed, too, slowly feeling its way to
the bank.
The captain of the vessel was the
last to come. The men had cheered
them all as they were picked up, half
drowned, and carried into the station
by willing hands. 1t was ready to
cheer now as the last man was slowly
coming Shoreward.
But the words died on their lips, IN
uttered. The line had caught! When
released from the clutch OF the waves,
a dark object was tossed into the air.
Each m it seemed rs IL the cap
tain would be thrown into the sea.
That m would be his last, for
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 arkness
and grabbed the life line. The men on
shore swore, not softly" but above
the roaring Of the storm they were
heard. and II seemed as if they called
him q fool. No one knew who 1t was,
for he was scarcely in view long
enough, even If he could have been
recognized. Each time the line new
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 timekeeper for that
race with death. 1t 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 a mother
gathers her child in her arms. They
had forgotten to cheer at first. That
Cdfle later MllCh NV WHINING NhD'@
saw the fisherman stepping forth into
the open air.
They walked back to town. lie re-
sented any demonstration. He went
home. Persis Hayward waited all day
for him, but she did not understand
him yet. If she thought 1T was for her
that he risked his life, she was mis-
taken. She learned about that after
ward.
Thanksgiying night the wind had
changed to northeast, and the rain
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
happened, but it has leaked out that
Tim said: I'D done the same thing
any time If / hadn't stopped to think.
The first thing l knew / was out on
was glad on it,"
When Tim and Persis were married
the next summer, there was q good deal
Of fuss made, especially by the sum-
mer visitors, but Tin says their wat
err 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
Zach other before the fatal tie was
bound, and at least n woman ha
proved that matrimony and a woman's
independence are not necessarily in
compatible.