Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1908-10-15
When the Tide Turned
By George Harvey
Copyright. by shortstory Pub. Coz

Copyright. by 81
The following story is true in all
its details, real names alone being
omitted for obvious reasons.
Henry Bradford left his Old Colony
home on n bright summer day to seek
his fortune in New York.
He had the best wishes of every
body, for he was a decent boy, and all
who knew him liked his manly ways.
But he found the metropolis a tough
proposition. The fierce, pushing, fight
for.life workseekers jostled and
crowded him beyond all his previous
conceptions. and he, not having the
faculty OF retallating IN kind, found
himself pushed to the wall.
He got employment. II is true. but
he could not hold II for any length OF
time, owing largely to his lack OF
knowledge OF urban conditions. and
also to much bad luck.
So. after four years struggle, he
gave 4 up and acknowledged himself
beaten. The struggle had been con
tinuous and altogether onesided, and
as he sat upon the strlngpiece of an
East river pier, II was borne in upon
him that he had made as good a fight
as he knew how. And lost!
And now, when Failure had com.
pletely enveloped him In her somber
cloak. he felt there was nothing else
to do but to return TO the old town.
There. at least. he could live, and he
among those who knew him and would
sympathize with him. OF the two dol.
lars which he possessed. one dollar
would pay his fare to Providence. and
II would be a small matter for him to
walk the intervening miles to his old
home.
This plan he carried into effect. and
the evening OF an early October day
found him In Plymouth. which adioined
his home town. He was tired, footsore
and discouraged. Plymouth always
held fascination for him. and he be.
took himself to the Burial hill and
there. on n lonely bench. he looked
down upon the lights OF Market
square, TO the riding.llghts OF n few
craft lying at anchor in the harbor
and further, to that great light on
the Gurnet whose effulgent rays
guided and warned local and coast
wise mariners. Long he sat and
brooded. One by one the lights were
extinguished, and as the town went
TO sleep he felt the necessity of doing
likewise. He stumbled down the mar.
row path to Market square, across the
main street and. as though drawn by
some magnet, to the waters edge
There the gray canopy with it's iron
gate. which shields Plymouth Rock
from the vandal and the relic hunter,
reared its head. Everything was IA.
miliar to Henry, yet his eye dwelt
longinGly on each object. Here was a
short strip Of pebbly beach. and drawn
high up on II was fisherman's dory.
The boat contained a pair OF oars, a
spritsail and mast, a coiled seine, and.
in the stern, n small breaker OF fresh
water. Without hesitation he stepped
aboard, and, adjusting the thwarts and
oars and arranging the sail so that II
would act as a cover for him. he lay
down and in two minutes was sound
asleep.
Henry Bradford was a sound sleep.
err a very sound sleeper, else this
stroy might never have been written.
He knew naught OF the steaIthy rise OF
the tide nor OF the lift of the dory as
she became water borne. nor did he
know that in his earlier arrangements
he had loosened the noosed painter
from the bowlder over which Il had
been slippedf. He did not feel the
impact OF the gentle southwest wind
which waited the dory slowly but sure.
ly to the point OF the beach.
The outgoing tide In Plymouth har.
Dor is much like a mlll-race as Il hur.
ries 10 the greater waters OF Barn.
stable bay.
Henry Bradford awoke, with chat.
tering teeth and staring eyes. to find
his boat being lifted again by the
mighty hand OF his dream. His rudely
aroused senses appraised him OF the
situation. He knew himself to be In
the dory, and he also realized that the
doTy was aaoat and contending with
q phase OF ocean disturbance with
which he was not familiar. The next
upllft was OF much less volume than
its predecessor. and after three or
four minor fluctuations he felt that
his boat was rising and falling to the
normal Atlantic swell. The afr was
heavy. damp and clammy. and vas
filled with many odors difficult OF de.
scription, but all OF the briny sea. He
raised himself to a stand.
ing position and surveyed the horizon.
The arc Of sea and sky before him
was utterly blink. As he slowly swung
his body 20 complete his view OF the
horizon. he saw on his staTboard quar-.
ter, and well astern OF him. the we'll.
known CLEAN OF Race point light. At
the same moment there burst on his
ear a thunderous. reverberating roar.
such a sound as might be caused