THE morning dawned, and the storm was subsiding. The hills gradually assumed their commanding shapes; and the white porticos of the summer hotels again appeared on the hill-sides embraced in the rich setting of the green foliage. The surf rolled heavily along the ocean-beach, and the great waves, crested with snow VOL. V.-NEW SERIES. U white plumes, were like a gallant army of knights contending with the spirits of the storm. But the strength of the hurricane was broken, and the forces of the wind were retreating rapidly after the routed demons of darkness. The curving line of the agitated river came slowly into view; and the long stretch of the sandy beach grew each moment more distinct in the gathering light of the morning. The bivouac fires which had surrounded the shipwrecked party had all smouldered out save one, which had just been re-lighted by the considerate hands of those who had gone down the beach toward the Ocean House for assistance. The arm of Harry Carter still encircled the sleeping form of the beautiful girl, and her lap still supported the wounded head of her father. They all slept profoundly, and the remainder of the party had decided to leave them at rest, till they should return with some vehicle to bear away the wounded officer. Ah! the mysterious associations of life. How strangely do we meet in this changing world of ours beings true, and brave, and loyal, a knowledge of whose characters and an intimacy with whose daily virtues and reflections would be to us gems of priceless value in the struggle of life. We meet them for a moment in the whirl of pleasure, in the bewildering changes of a journey, or in the beautiful retreats of summer fashion; and a glimpse into their souls occasions a pleasurable emotion, and we fancy their acquaintance would be delightful. But in an instant they are torn from us, and thousands of miles hide them from us, often for ever. We are brought for a moment in contact with a noble intellect, rich in the gift of deep thoughts, and appreciating all the exquisite beauties of art and science; skilled in detecting the hidden charms of nature's apparel, and communicating all its own beautiful and curious discoveries with an earnestness and clearness which charm our souls. The idea takes possession of our minds at once, that such a being would be the delight of our lives. But in an instant the congenial soul flashes away from us, and we see it no more. There remain a faint light in our hearts, but it is only the light of memory and the past. A warm and generous man meets us in one of the beautiful vistas of life, and an earnest, impulsive sentence, a whole-souled deed of self-denial, clasps the heart to his with the grip of a vice. He is gone in a few hours, and our hearts yearn after him, but all in vain. A beautiful face beams upon us in the wilderness of toil, exertion, or depression, and like an angel's smile fills the heart with joy and song. But while yet the peerless eye is bent upon us in tender sympathy, and the exquisite lips breathe melody, the rare creation of divine power is swept away to a distant place where we may never come. Theologians tell us that this yearning after the fleeting friendships and society of others, is an unconscious yearning after the centre of all beauty and intellect in heaven. That the occasional glimpses into the faces and hearts of men are designed by the Eternal to divert our hearts to Him and His perfections, and that these sudden disappointments in the enjoyment are the work of good angels' hands diverting our eyes to heaven. It may be so. It must be so. But oh! how these visions of passing beings sometimes cling about the heart, and how the parting from them tears those sensitive tendrils which reach out toward the congenial one their tiny hands. Alas! poor, noble Harry Carter, why did you sleep? Why did you suffer that exhaustion of body to close your glorious eyes upon that peerless star which rested on your bosom? Ah! had you known the separation soon to come between your arms and their precious freight, how would you have seized each priceless moment to store your brain with enough of that rare beauty to furnish the coming midnight of your heart with alleviating tapers of light! You fondly thought, before fatigue had forced you into slumber, that the exquisite face which leaned upon your bosom might in some future hour be called your own. You saw in its expression, and detected in its style of beauty, your own long-dreamed ideal of woman. You were clasping with your arm a beautiful heart, like your own, true, loving, and impulsive; but the mysterious fate of life was soon to part your congenial souls wider than the sea. How lovingly they slept, like old, well-tried friends--the father and his child and their manly rescuer, by the roaring sea. At length the young girl opened her eyes, and feeling the pressure of the arm about her waist, raised her head quickly from its pillow and turned a rapid glance upon our hero. Then the rich blush mantled her cheek to find herself in the arms of a stranger, and she struggled to release herself, but found it no easy matter to do so at once, because of the wounded head of her father and the stranger's manly grasp. But she soon moved her father's head and shoulders to one side; and then, resting them for a moment upon the sand, she applied both of her small hands to Harry's arm, and moved it away from her. The movement did not awaken Harry, but it did the officer, and he said, in a feeble voice, "Lulu, darling, where am I?" The young girl, placing her arms beneath his head and replacing it on her lap, said, "We are saved, dear father, and we have been sleeping on the sand; but every one is gone, except this young gentleman who is sleeping against the timbers. He must be one of those who saved us from the ship-but I don't know." She turned once more, and gazed eagerly into Harry Carter's sleeping face; and her woman's keen eye brightened as she detected his manly beauty. She hesitated to awaken him-for she saw at a glance he was a gentleman by birth; but her father's groans overcame her delicacy, and she shook Harry's arm to awaken him. Our hero finally opened his eyes, and sprang with his accustomed energy to his feet. "Where is Blake-where are they all?" he exclaimed, looking in surprise around. "Only you two here? This is strange! Ah! Blake has gone for help-I know him. Ah! poor lady! I have been neglectful of my duty, to sleep while you were exposed in this place. Do not fear; Blake Eastman is true as steel-you'll see him return soon with assistance. We are not far from the Ocean House, thank God! Do you think the officer is seriously hurt?" he added, moving round to the side of the wounded man, and raising carefully the bandage now soaked with blood. Finding that the cut on the captain's forehead had not penetrated the skull, he replaced the bandage with the gentleness of a woman, and taking the brave man's hand in his own, said cheeringly, "Keep up your courage a little longer, sir; we are not far from shelter and medical assistance, and our friends will soon return with help." "Who are you, young man?" whispered the officer, looking up into a face which inspired confidence in every human being that had ever gazed upon it. |