Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-11-05

count OF red headed Httle toueny
from the back alleys Of New York. AID
a girl that amt mono OF your relations
You deserve what's coming TO you
And yet. even while | was thinking
It, was glad | was making the try.
Glad for Redny's sake; particular glad
on account CT what It might mean 70
Martin and Agnes; and glad, too, just
out Of general cussodness. You soc,
twas like fight, and there's a heap
OF satisfaction once IN n while In a
real old.fashioned. lnock-down and
drag.out. rough-and.tumble f1ght-that
Ia. when you're lghting for anything
worth the row.
The storm KEEP, on seemed as II
'twould never let up. And we kept on,
too. three reefs In by this time ard
the lib down And with every tack
callatod we was making better head
way towards the bottom than any.
where's elso. | couldn't see nothing TO
get my bearings from and hadn't no
idea where we was, except the general
one that. up TO now, and by Gods
mercy, we wae efioat.
Then. at last. the gale begun to 60
down A landsman wouldn't have no
ticed the change, but I did 1t stopped
raining, ard the wind was easing up.
BY and by the haze broke and caught
glimpse CT Middle Ground light, al
most abreast CT us. l unbuttoned my
ileskin jacket and looked at my watch
Half.past two. and only three-quarters
Of the way to Napatom0c. We'd been
eight hours and q half coming q dis
talcs that I've made over and over
again. in that very sloop, in less than
three. Hartley caught my sleeve.
vii, we get there" he shouts. HIS
face was all shining with the wet ard
his hair was 100 heavy with water
even 10 blow in the wind.
Don't know" I Aol'srs back,
We'll try"
lie nodded. The clearing Of that
haze had helped me considerable.
could sight my marks. the lights, now
and We made faster time.
At last. after what seemed a fort
night more, come the first streak OF
gray daylight. The clouds was break
ing up and it would be nice day later
on. Judged. But there was living
gallo still blowing and the waves was
running savage over the shoals ahead
The channel was narrowing up and
bad to watch out every second. l sen,
Hartley amidships to tend center
board
We beat in through Long Poin,
reach The life-saving station is on
the Point, just sbaft the lighthouse.
see the Teller in the station tower
open the window and lean out tc
watch us. cal'Iate be wondered
what asylum had turned that pai- oil
luhatics loose
Past the Point and now We come
about for the run afore the wind us
the narrows. Wapatomac village was
"a plain sight.
With any sort Of luck" says
wei be alongside the dotk by guar
ter-past five. The down train leaves
az % minutes to eight. You can thanh
your stars. Mr.. Hartley
Twas a pretty cock-sure thing tC
say, snG oight to have known better
than to crow af0'e we was on: Of tn.
woods But we'd corne through So fal
enough sight better than reasonable
man could expect
The narrows Is wicket place TIL
channel is fairly stra!eht, but scan
width, and on each side q. il is
stretch OF bars and rips that are bar
enough In decent weather Now they
was as good an imitation Of as salt
water Tophet as want 10 see. StriI
after strip Of breakers, with lines o
bling, twisting Sticks ard whirlpool
between. And the tide tearin;
through.
l sent Hartley for'ard to look out 70
shoals He had one knee on the edg
of the cabin roo, and was climbing III
when l happercd to glance asterr
There was an old "he" wave comin
"a regular deep-water grayback.
Look OUT yells, stand BY"
That wave hit NJ like n house tum
bling down. Id braced myself an
was, In a way. ready for 1t, but Har
| ley want. lie WAS knocked for
on his face. Then, as the bow jumpe
up, he was chuched straight bacl
wards, landing on his shoulders an
left arm against the centerboard wei
He turned full somerset aud hts foe
knocked mine from unGor me. Dow
went and the tiller was yaaked out
my hands.
Waves like that hunt in droves, gel
orally speaking. The next one We
right on schedule time Up we wen
and sideways like railroad trail
Then down. "Bump!" on the bottom
Up again, and down. "ThumI
Crunch!"
That time we struck with all O,
heft. The Dora Dassett shook all owe
She riz. still shaking. and the ne
wave threw her clean over the ba
We was in deep water for a minut
but Just a little ways off was anoth
line Of breakers. And astern was Il
rudder, broke clean OF. and noatiI
away.
Twas no time for fooling, Hartl,
got to his knees. white. and holdiI
his left arm with his right hand.
jumped and cast of the sheet. 81
fi0ated then ON a more even keel. Tn,
yanked loose the oar from It's clea
alongside the rail and got II over I
stern to steer with.
This got her under control. al
down the lane. between them two lin
OF breakers, we went, me with I