The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-10-10
When the
Tide Turned
BY George Harvey
tcopyrIEht, BY shorlstOry pub. Co.,

The foiiowing STORY is true in all
ITS "details, real names alone being
omitted for obvious reasons.
stHenry Bradford left his Old Colony
home on bright summer day TO seek
his fortune in New York
He had the best wishes OF every
body, fur he was decent boy, and all
who knew him nled his manly ways.
'f,lit 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 retaliating 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 10 much bad luck. n
So, after -four years struggle, he
rave lt up and Acknowledged himself
beaten Thc struggle had boen con
tin1ous end altogether ouc-sided. and
KS he sat ubon the stringpiece OF an
East river pier. II was borne in upon
him that he had made as good fight
as he knew how. And lost!
And now, when Failure had com
pfetely enveloped him in her sombor
CLOAK, he felt there was nothing else
10 do but 20 feturn to The old town.
There, at least he could live. and he
among those who knew MIN and would
.sympathize with aim or the two dol
lars which he possessed, one dollar
woiild pay his fare to Providence, aud
Il would be 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 adioned
hIs homo town, He was tired. footsore
and. dlscepragcd, Plymouth always
held fascination for him, and he be-
took himsclf TO INC Burial hill and
there, on ~ lonely bench. he looked
down upon the lights Of Market
square. TO The rding.lghts Of few
craft lying at anchor in the harbor.
and further, 20 that great light on
tho Gurnct whose effulgcnt rays
guided and warned local and coast
Wise mariners. Long he sat and
brooded. One by one the lights wore
extingulshcd, 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 aud. as though drawn by
some magnet, 10 the waters edge.
There the gray canopy with its iron
gate, which shields Plymouth Rock
from the vaudal and the relic hunter.
reared It's head Everything was fa.
nllliar 10 Henry. yet his eye dwelt
loneingly on each object. Here was a
abort strip OF. pebbly beach. and drawn
high up on 1t was a fisherman's dory.
The boat contained pair of oars. a
sbrit,sail and mast, q coiled seine. and,
in the slern. q, small breaker of fresh
water. Without hesitation he stepped
aboard, and, adjusting the thwarts aud
oars aud arranging the sail so that It
Would act as cover for him, he lay
down and in two minutes was sound
asleep.
Henry Bradford was sound sleep.
er, q very sound sleeper, else this
stroy might never have been written.
He knew naught OF the stealthy 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 tho bowlder over which II had
been sllppedf He did not feel the
impact OF the Gentle southwest wind
which waited the dory slowly but sure
ly TO tho point OF the beach.
The outgcing tide In Plymouth har.
Dor Is much like n millrace as II hur-
rlss TO the greater waters of Barn
stable bay.
Henry Bradford slept the sleep OF
utter weariness. The dory is. per.
haps, the best sea boat ever designed.
and viii, stand moro wind and weather
and sloppy seas than any other small
craft. II he was somewhat iostled
and shaken Il only served 10 accepiu-
ate a deeper sleep But there are
some happenings OF nature which no
man, sleeping or waking, may allow to
pass nnnoticed, As he slept, giant
hand seemed TO reach from nfnity
and grasping his frail boat. carry It
and him ups up, up til all The world
became dark. and then, without warn
Ing, dropped him into an abyss so deep
ana awful that Il seemed as though a
cleft In solid earth had been opened
10. engulf him forever.
henry Bradford awoke, with chat.
tcring' teeth and staring eyes, to find
his boat being lifted again by the
mighty hand OF his dream, His rudely
i aroused senses appised him of the
situation he knew hhnself,to be in
the dory and he also realized that the
doiys was afoat aud contending with
phase OF ocean disturbance With
which he was not familiar The next
Npilt was OF much less volume than
I(s predecessor and after three or
four minor fluctuations he felt that
his boat was rising and falling To the
normal Atlantic swell. The air was
heavy. damp and clammy. and was
filed with many odors ditficult OF de
scription. but all OF the brlny sea. lie
cautiously raised himself to stand,