MISCELLANEOUS.

Tale Of the THE last Cruise Of the WasE
{"newspaper_name": "The Southern journal.", "edition": "01", "page": "p1", "byline": "BY JEEssE E. DOW."}
{"character_count": 3072, "word_count": 548, "ccnet_language_score": [0.9550999999046326], "ccnet_perplexity": [1465.4000244140625], "fasttext_language": ["en"]}



The wind that rings along the wave,


The clear unshadowed sun -.
Are torch and trumpet 10 the brave,


Whose last green wreath is won.


z Holmes.


On lively evening in midsummer
in theyear 1914 sloop of war ap-
peared off the chops of the English
channel, and stood in towards the
shores ofCornwall. The breeze from
the ocean sighed through the neatly
fitted rigging ofthe belligerant stran.
ger, and the faint ripple at the bows
gave evidence that she was slowly
gliding ahead. The waves seemed to
creep in long unbroken swclls before
her, and the lingering glow of sunset
as it glanced through the valles OF
the deep and restless on their dark
submits, seemed like the smile of the
dying day upon the rolling prairies OF
Illinois.


Her sails from sky to water swelled
beautifully to the rising shores ofmer-
ry England; her ports were shut
in a silence equal to that of a
forsaken bark, reigned through the
halls of thunder while a solitary bat.
tie lamp cleaned at the cabin door.
The tread ofthe orderly on duty, a.
lone gave evidence that the gallant
vessel was not spectre ship-''some
galleon freighted with the dead"
Hour after hour lazily rolled away.
The land now began to grow more
distinctwhile the haze of morning set.
tied deeper upon the shadowed water.


At four, A. M, bright flash ap-
peared where the shade of the land
and the moonlit billow mingled TO-.
gether, and then one after another,
the cleaning sails Of a ship hove in
sight. .'st


"Beat to quartersr' Numbered the
commander Of the American vessel,
for such was the character of the
stranger, and then as quick as thought
the silence of the vessel was broken
by the shrill notes Of the fife, the tread
of armed men. the tricking up Of ports,
the rattling of cannon shot in the
racks and the running of heavy ord
ance.


The chase now showed English CO.
lors. turned swiftly upon her heel, and
run the private signal Of the channel
fleet. r-


sShow them the stars" cried the
immortal Blakely. 'Forecastle there"


"Aye, aye" replied the masters
mate. -'t @1


"Are you all ready with the bow
gum" e es


"All ready, sir.'' n m


"Luf, quarter-master."


"Luff it is, sir," said the old salt at
the helm.


"Stand by forward-Fire!"


The sloop yawned gracefully at the
command Of the trumpet, and display
ed her ensign, which had been hid.
den by mountain ofcanvas, that had
lowered before it. A heavy roar fol-
lowed a volley of fire and woody
smoke from the American vessels
bows, and then sharp and cracking
sound from the chase-as though a
heavy body had fallen from great
height on thin lattice and had pas.
sed throughit accompanied by cry
of agony, that echoed fearfully over
the still waters, told but too plainly
the work of bloody death had COM
menced.


"They have felt the sting Of the
Wasp" cried the American captain,
as he scanned the chase through the
night glass. "Steady your helm, quar-.
termaster, this is but the opening ol
the ball." t a-
"Steady so," answered the atten,
tive gunner. And The gallant sloop
was as silent as before.
AT fifteen minutes past one, p. M.