Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-01-01
FOR THE SKIPPER s LIFE.


with terrific force, lashing the cold, gray,
winter water into a rage as great IS its
own. Green geysers spouted over the
heaving bosom of the sea, and dizzy
white whrlpools marked the conflict of
tide and wind
Partly sheltered by the veranda of a
cottage, man and a girl looked out on
the storm. The girl was of the people,
the daughter of race of fisher folk,
and she looked with troubled eyes on
the great, green sea, which she had been
taught to love and to fear The man
by her side was not of her kind His
ways were the ways of big cities, but
now the spirit of the sea had seized him
"Ehemnate nature, tickle in her
moods, is equally beautiful in her anger
as in her smiles,' he said, speaking the
thought more to himself than to his
companion.
The girl shuddered. ITO me it seems
fearful" she replied. "The gray sky
looks 50 cold so hard and hopeless, and
the sea is so cruel and merciess. Last
night, when the wind was shrieking and
gathering, l could not sleep for thinking
of those at sea-"
You were thinking of him, l sup
pose" said the man, keeping his eyes
on the seething cauldron below.
Eyes, Philip, though / have yTonged
him | cannot forget him in his peril, and
the least | can do is to pray for the
safe return of the boats"
Especially the Concord"
Now you are cruel. You know I love
you, and there can be no harm in pray
ing for Toms safety"
"Of course not, Nora. / did not mean
to be cruel You had better 90 inside
now. | have kept you in the storm long
enough"
Don't be long, Philip. You will be
wet through with the rain and spray"
said the girl, as she turned to obey him
IAN right, little girl; | want to have
talk with the sea-"
He stepped from the shelter of the
veranda and leaned over the low stone
wall which encircled the cottage garden.
Here he felt the full force of the wind,
and, half blinded by the flying sand and
spray, he chung to the wall and facf
seward
The first time he had stood at that
wall golden sun was setting in a pur3
pie sea. 1t was in the late summer and
he had stumbled across the little fishing
hamlet during a long walk along the
coast. He had grown tired of the at
fractions of the neighboring resort--as
he had grown tired of most things
and when he found himself in Cocker
sand the old world atmosphere and quiet
beauty OF the place appealed to him. An
Idle man OF whims and means, Standin
decided to rusticate for a few days at
| the little fishing village
The prettiest village in Cockersand
was owned by old Pete and its mistress
was Nora, old Pete's pretty grand
| daughter. 1t was here that Standin de-
cided to stay; the days heightened into
weeks; and Standin still fingered at old
| Pete's cottage. And when the harvest
moon rose from the silver sea Nora and
he admired it from the little wall; and
| Nora had glimpses of paradise and
purgatory She had had lover in
/ Cockersand, but that was before Stand
IN came; and when she thought of hon
est Tom Harling, the loyal young fisher
man, the gadness went from her heart.
and the light faded in her brown eyes.
| There was time when she had loved
| Tom, but the ways and words of Standin
had charmed away her love- And Tom
went fishing with a heavy heart, and
Nora was happy and sorrowful by turns
| And Standin! Standn was fighting
the thing out by the little wall in the
| teeth of a winter storm. He had not
been long in Cockersand before he told
| himself lie must go away-neXt week
But the next week found him still with
IN sound of the sea- and it seemed to
him as he lay awake at night that the
syrens were weaF ing coils from their
hair to bind him TO the spot, and sing
ing seduetively as they worked.
Yes, he must go on the morrow.
| tockersand must be an episode in his
career; not Il tragedy in his life But
would it mean an episode to her? He
thought it would. She was young and
easily impressed; and, after all, he be-
ieved that her love for Tom was deeper
and made of truer stuff than the love
he had aroused. In any case, it would
be better that she should suffer for A
little time rather than have her whole
life blighted. SO let the syrens sing and
the storm imps yell, he would neither
be seduced nor threatened; he would 90
away on the morrow.
He was ON the point of returning to
the cottage when his eve caught a dark
object appearing and disappearing be-
! hind the curtain of rain. 1t was a shin.
or what was left of ship, and it was
| being driven relentlesslv on to the cruel
coast. Other eyes than Standin's had
seen the helpless ship and he quickly
found himself running in the midst OF
a crowd down to the beach He had
lost sight of Nora in the confusion and
when he found her she was standing
apart from the rest, gazing with white
set face at the dismasted boat rapidly
driving to destruction. The wind had
gone down considerably, but the sea was
still running strongly
1T is the Concord Nora cried when
she became aware of Standin's pres
enee 1T is in the current and will soon
be on the sand bank and Tom will he
drowned. Oh, can't YOU do somethingq"
Standin tried to soothe. but she con
tinued to wiring her hands and moan.
The Concord was carried swiftly and
surely to her doom, and there were deep