Year: 1874

II turned upon my breast and struc
but almost frartica1y once more. TIL
stars were forgotten, tie moon, the YER
world of which l a. yet formed pari
my poor Mary herself, was forgotten.
thought only Of the strong man thcr,
: perishing; Of me in my lusty manhood
IN the sharp vigor Of ny dawning prime
with faculties lllimitsble, with senses al


alert, battling there with physical OBJ


stacles which men like myself had


brought together for my undoing The


Eternal could never have willed this


thingl could not and would not perish


thus. And grew strong in insolence of


self-trust; and I laughed aloud as ]


dashed the sluggish water from side to
side.


"Then came an emotion of pity for
myself-of wild, wild regret; of sorrow.
Ch, infinite for fate 10 desolate, doom
so dreary, SO heart -siskening! You may
laugh at the contradiction if you will,
sir, but | felt that could sacrifice my
own life on the instant TO redeem another





my vital spirit seemed in that desperate
moment to be separating, while one in
parting grieved over the deplorable fate
of the other.


And then prayed! l prayed, why
or wherefore know not. 1t was not
from fear. 1t could not have been in
hope. The days of miracles are passed,
and there was no natural law by whose
providential interposition / could be
saved. l did not pray; it prayed of
itself, my soul within me.


"Was the calmness that l now felt
torpidity-the torpidity that precedes
dissolution to the strong swimmer who,
sinking from exhaustion, must at last
add bubble to the wave as he suffo-
Gates beneath the element which now
denied his mastery? If it were so, how
fortunate was it that my floating
rod at that moment attracted my attcn-
tion as it dashed through the water by
me- / saw on the instant that fish had
entangled himself in the wire moose.
The rod quivered, plunged, came to the
surface again, and rippled the water as
it shot in arrowy flight from side to side
of the tank. At last, driven toward the
southeast corner of the reservoir, the
small end seemed to have got stuck
somewhere. The brazen butt, which,
every time the fish sounded, was thrown
up to the moon, now sank by its own
weight, showing that the other end must
be fast. But the cornercd fish, evident
ly anchored somewhere by that short
wire, floundered several times to the
surface before thought Of striking out
to the spot.


"The water is low now, and tolerably
clear. You may see the very ledge there,
sir, in yonder corner, on which the small
end of my rod rested when secured
that pike with my hands. did not take
him from the slip-noose, however; but,
standing upon the edge, handled the rod
in workmanlike manner, as l flung
that pound pickerel over the iron railing
upon the top of the parapet. The rod,
as have told you, barely reached from
the railing to the water. 1t was heavy,
strong bass rod which had borrowed in
viz Dpe,sv " INC tHsoS ounce; anu wncn
discovered that the fish at the end made
strong enough knot to prevent me
from drawing my tackle away from the
railing around which it twined itself as
threw, why, as you can at once see,
had but little difficulty in making my
way up the face of the wall with such
assistance. The ladder which attracted
your notice is, as you see, lashed to the
iron railing in the identical spot where |
thus made my escape; and, for fear OF
similar accidents, they have placed an
other one in the corresponding corner of
the compartment of the tank ever since
my remarkable nights adventure in the
reservoir. ."-From the Little Classic" Sc
T2eS