Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1851-11-06
The Travelling Gard.

I L.
One lovely morning in July a boat
touched at Wheeling, and the senseless
form of man in the prime of life was
borne from its deck and laid upon the
planks of the warf The stranger thus
left to die like dog was suffering the
tortures of that fever peculiar to our wes-
tern waters, and the deliriu1n was raging
In his brain. Fancy carried him back to
his home where sat his loving wife pray
ing for the blessings of heaven upon her
absent lord. This memory as much as
the fever, caused him to utter deep
groan, which attracted the notice of two
police officers who were passing and who
at once advanced to the spot where he
was lying and began turning him over
with their sticks to ascertain who he
might be. Just at that juneture Pat
Malone, an Irish drayman, passed, and
observing that there was fun on hand,
stopped his horse. Pat left his dray for
amoment and advanced towards the man;
as he did 50 he detected small piece of
paper which had fallen out of his pocket
upon the wharf. Pat scanned it narrow
ly; and after ascertaining that his first
surmise was correct said to the officers,
"You needn't be afther poking the poor
man about that fashion, Mr.. Perlicemen;"
and raising the sufferer upon his dray he
bore him to hotel. Once there he or
dered good bed, and took his departure
for physician, who was soon at the bed
side of the sick man. Night came, and
with 1t two men, who nursed him until
morning, and were then relieved by wo-
man whose business it was to attend upon
the sick. Several weeks passed ere the
demon fever removed his grasp from the
system of the stranger, and then, when
consciousness returned, he gazed round,
and enquired Of his nurse "Wbere am Ii'
She told him, and also of the situation in
which he was found; but did not inform
him who his benefaetors were. At his sug-
gestion, letter was sent to his wife and
in few days she arrived. The scene was
deeply afecting-the interview between
the husband and wife, At night, when
the hour of retirement was come two men
entered the chamber and urged the lady
to retire to rest while they attended to
her husband. At length he arose from
his bed, snatched almost from the Jaws
of death by the kindness of those who
found him stranger and took him in.
"My husband" said his wife, "where
are we and what kind of people are these
among whom we have come? Every night
two men have been here and sent me to
my room while they watched over you
until the nurse or myself came in the
morning. Pray tell me what this
means?" a
"These," said he, care my brothers of
the Sons of Temperance.
"Thank Cod" said she, while tears of
gratitude streamed from her eyes:-
"Thanks be to God for such noble in.
stitutiom. Surely, He win prosper it."
During the day she heard the whole
story, and when, at her Instance, the
rough looking old Pat came into her
presence; she rushed to him, threw her
arms around his neck, and with uncon-
trollable emotion, cried out, "God bless
you." A few days thereafter they left
for their home, and the last words that
fell upon the ears of those who followed
them to the wharf, was the heartfelt
prayer of the grateful wife. ':God bless
you, Sons of Temperance" .rrssr
------a