Graham's Magazine, Vol. XX, No. 1, January 1842Various
General
Graham's Magazine, Vol. XX, No. 1, January 1842
Various
Literature -- Periodicals; Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals
The discipline of a man-of-war could scarcely suppress the loudest
demonstrations of emotion on the part of the crew, when the freight of
that tempest-tost launch reached our decks. The sailors of the brig were
instantly seized by our tars, and borne forward in triumph,—while our
superior grasped the hand of the rescued skipper with visible emotion.
But when the two females, with their protector, an elderly, gentlemanly
looking man, were safely landed on the quarter-deck, every eye was at
once attracted to the interesting group. Both the females were young and
beautiful, but one was surpassingly lovely. As I gazed on her, it seemed
as if some long forgotten dream had come back to me; but in vain were my
attempts to give it reality. At this instant their protector spoke in
reply to a question from the captain.
“It is indeed a miracle that we are saved. The brig went down in that
fearful squall, and though we had taken to the launch, as a last hope,
we did not believe we should live a minute in such a hurricane. But an
Omnipotent Power preserved us for some wise ends. All night long we were
tossed at the mercy of the waves. We saw you long before you saw us, and
thought that you had given up the search, when suddenly your head was
brought around in our direction—and here we stand on your decks. To
whom are we indebted for our discovery? We owe him our eternal
gratitude.”
All eyes were instantly turned towards me, and the captain taking me by
the hand, said,
“Mr. Cavendish has that enviable honor,” at the same time presenting me.
“Cavendish!” exclaimed a silvery female voice in delighted surprise.
At the mention of that name I looked up with eager curiosity, and saw
the eyes of the lovely speaker fixed upon me, as if in recognition. She
crimsoned to the brow at my eager glance, and as she did so, the crowd
of dim recollections in my mind assumed a definite shape, and I
recognized in that sweet smile, in that delicately tinted cheek, in
those now tearful eyes, in that lustrous brow, the features of my old
playmate Annette!
“Cavendish—what, little Henry Cavendish?” exclaimed the gentleman,
eagerly seizing my hand, “yes! it is even so, although the years that
have passed since you used to visit Pomfret Hall have almost eradicated
your features from my memory. God bless you, my gallant young friend! We
owe you our lives—our all.”
The scene that ensued I will not attempt to describe. Suffice it to say
I retired that night with a whirl of strange emotions at my heart. Was
it Love?
* * * * *
A SONG.
BY J. R. LOWELL.
Violet! sweet violet!
Thine eyes are full of tears;
Are they wet
Even yet
With the thought of other years,
Or with gladness are they full,
For the night so beautiful,
And longing for those far-off spheres?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account