Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1835-09-10
MISCELLANY.
ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE.

was wounded, taken prisoner, ana was nnrsed
by beautiful young female pagan, who like
most young warrior nurses fell desperately in
love with the object of her attention and So
lctude. After the elder Beckett sailed from
the Holy Land for England, she became alb
soluteiy inconsolable at his departure, and a
short time afterwards she secretly left her ia
TIERS house, with a little money and few
| Jewels, made her way to Acre, took her pas
sage in ship bound for England, landed IN
London-although she could not speak a
word Of the language, except the name ofthe
being she loved, and only knew part ofths,
viz: that his Christian name was Thomas, she
went crying that word through the streets OF
! the great city until she found him-soon af-
ter which they married.
| Singular as the above story seems, we have
to record one to day almost equally singular
and romantic. Some time in the course OF
the last year, as one of our fast sailing
Liverpool vessels was dropping down the
Mersey, with fair wind and tide, for New
| York, the hands on board observed small
sail boat in the river astern of the ship, con-
by squall. The ships yards were braced
round, her topsails backed, and boat low
cred which made for the party in the water.
They were all rescued except a young lady,
who becoming separated from the rest, was
carried down the river by the rapidity of the
tide, and must inevitably have been lost had
it not been for the watchfulness and intrepid
ity of the mate of the ship, who instantly
jumped into the fore chains, dropped into the
water, swan to the drowning girl, and being
a strong young man, supported her till the
boat reached and took them both up. She
was taken on board the ship(whch was hove toy
until she recovered, when the rescued party
were ultimately landed. Strange to say, the
parties all separated without the name of the
vessel or any Of her people being made
known to the rescued parties, aud the ship
was soon under way for New York. On her
return to Liverpool, the mate-who was a
fine, handsome fellow, and who had not fail
ed to observe, during the r short acquain-
tance, that the lady he had rescued was a very
beautiful woman-thought it might not be SO
much amiss to endeavor to find her out, and
enquire after her health. With this object
in view lie hurried over the file of old Liver
pool papers, and discovered that on such a
day 1884, party of pleasure in sail boat,
including Miss Mary--,h had been res
cued from watery grave by the crew of a
vessel bound out; but as some forty or fifty
vessels (which had been wind bound) sailed
| the same day, the name of tho vessel was not
| known. On making further inquiries, he
found that the young lady's brother ia sur
geon) was one of the rescued people, and
that they had left Liverpool and gone to re-
side in the country.
!. lie attained leave of absence from the
ship, and without any chart or compass to
steer by, he mounted horse and rode out Of
the town towards Warrington. He had not
proceeded half dozen miles before his
horse took fright, ran of, and threw him vio-
lently on his head. He was taken up sense
less, and carried to the nearest house, which
fortunately happened to be surgeons. He
lay some days in q critical state, and the first
object that met his vision on regaining his
senses was the form of the fair Mary above
alluded to, seated by his bedside, bathing
his temples, and officiating as his nurse. She
blushed deeply on perceiving that he recog-
| nized her, and hastily leaving the room, sent
in her brother and all older (but less agreea-
ble) female nurse. Finding him still too
weak to converse, they assured him that he
was with friends, deeply sensible of their in
debtedness to him, and who were but too hap
py to have it in their power to contribute to
his comfort. He was now convalescent and
sinking into sound sleep, they left him.
He awoke very late the next Gay much re-
| treshed; and as neither his host nor the sister
made their appearance, he inquired for them,
and learnt that they had both been called up
in the night, and had gone some distance to
attend the dying bed OF near relative. Not
thinking it necessary to explain to the old
nurse, he did not state to her whom he was,
bnt waited anxiously for the re-appearance
Of Mary, whom he had already began to feel
an interest for.-The next day he was sur
| prised by the visit of his captain, who stated
| that the horse had found its way back to the
livery stable without a rider, which the
owner reported to the ship; he had tried to
| find out what had become of the mate, but
could not until that day; he had heard at an
| inn that young sailor had been hurt, and
was lying at Mis-. The captain ad-
ded that the ship had been suddenly ordered
TO sea, had taken in her cargo, and was ready
to sail with that afternoon tide. There be-
ing no time to lose, the mate wrote letter
to the surgeon, which he left unsealed on the
table and in which he said all that was ne
cessary, including an intention to revisit
them on his next voyage; carriage was pro-
cured, and he, though feeble, went to Liver
pool, and that evening sailed in his old vessel
for New York. The letter left by the mate,
unfortunately was never received by those
for whom it was intended, being, as was sup
posed, obtained, read and destroyed by a
young lawyer, who had made Mary an offer
Of marriage and had been refused, but who
| still visited the house. Thus on their return
home Mary & her brother were still without the
least clue to the HocaI habitation or name of
their preserver, with this exception that the
lawyer, in the course Of an inc id entail con-
versation, had sneeringly observed, that the
mate was ga poor mean Yankee" but denied
knowing his name. Mary fretted and pined
away and at last took to her bed, for almost
IL L. chaA A.