board, at which he was invited to take his seat. He looked with surprise
at the plates which she placed upon the deal table. They were very
beautiful old china ware, and several pieces of a modern elegant
breakfast set of dragon china, which had been ranged upon the shelves of
the cabin alongside of the most common earthen crockery. These also had
been cast ashore by the waves in boxes. When he asked to wash his hands,
a fine huckaback towel, neatly marked with initial letters, was handed
him. On inquiry, he learned that it had come from a wreck in which there
were several ladies.

"There was something inexpressibly painful to the sensitive heart of
my dear husband, in being thus surrounded by tokens of calamity. He
inquired, with a sigh, whether any efforts had been made to help the
sufferers?

"'Oh, yes!' said his host, a worthy man, though rough in his address and
appearance. 'Yes! we do our best, but it is very seldom our help comes
in time to be worth much. Once or twice we have saved a solitary seaman
by throwing a rope, or by sending in our dogs to drag others ashore; and
some years ago there were seven men wrecked in the night, unknown to us.
When the morning came, I was out early and discovered footmarks along
the shore, which told me a tale I could read plain enough. I knew there
had been a fearful gale some hours before, and my mind misgave me that
these poor creatures, whose footsteps I saw, would perish of hunger in
the interior, where they could find nothing to eat, and where there was
not a solitary cottage at which they could get help.

"'Well; I determined to track them, and I called up my brother, who was
a strong, active young fellow; and we followed them, and found them at
last, just as they had given up all hope, and had laid down to die. For