Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1851-05-15
The Orphan Boy.
A TOUCHING STORY

The hustle of the fight is over; the
prisoners have been secured, AID the decks
washed down, and the schooner had once
more relapsed into midnight's quiet re-
pose. sought my hammock and soon
fell asleep. But my aumbers were dis
turbed by Wild dreams, which, like the
visions of fever, agitated and unnerved
me. The last strife, the hardships of my
carly life, and thousand other things,
mingled together as figures in a phantas.
,sasgalas Suddenly 9 band was laid on.
my shoulder, and starting up l behefu the
little Dick, sir, is dying" said he.
At eace sp.sng from my hammock
little Dick was sort Of protege of mine.
He was pale, delicate child, said to be
au orphan, and of Il gentle nature; and
from the first hour Joined the schooner
my heart yearned towards him; for |, too,
had once been frsendless and alone in the
world. He had often talked to me in con-
fidence of his mother, whose memory he
regarded with holy reverence, while to the
ether boys of the ship he had little to say
for they were rude and coarse, he delicate
and sensitive, Often when they jeered
him for his melancholy, he would SO apart
by himself and weep. He never conf
blamed of his lot, though his companions
imposed on him continually. Poor lad !!
his heart was in the grave with his lost
parent :,
took strong interest in him, and had
Tshtened his task as much as possible
During the late fight, I had owed my life
to his, for he rushed in just as a sabre
stroke was letelled at ME; and by inter
posing his feeble cutlass he averted a
deadly blow. In the hurry and confusion
since, had quite forgotten to inquire
whether he was hurt, though at the time
/ had inwardly resolved to exert all my
influence to procure him a midshipman's
warrant in requittal for his services. 1t
was with paug of reproachful agony,
therefore, I leaped to my feet
"My Godw I exclaimed, "you don't
mean it9 He is not dying"
"I fear, sir" said the surgeon, shaking
his head sadly, that he cannot live till
morning" =.
"And have been lying idle herep |
exclaimed with remorse. Lead me to
him."
"He is delirious, but at intervals Of lu.
nacy he asks for you, sir" and as the man
spoke we stood beside the bed of the boy.
The sufferer did not lie in his hammock,
as it was hung in the very midst Of the
crew. and the close air around it was so
sitting that he had been carried under the
open hatchway, and laid there in little
open space of about four feet square
From the sound of the ripples judged
the vessel was in motion, while the clear,
calm blue sky, seen through the opening
overhead, and dotted with myriads OF
stars, betokened the fog had broken away.
How calm had it smiled down on the wan
face of the dying boy. Occasionally a
light current of wind-oh how delicious
ly cool in that pent-up hole-eddied down
the hatchway, and lifted the dark chesnut
locks of the sufferer, as with his head re-
posing on the lap of an old veteran, he
lay in an unquiet slumber. His shirt
collar was unbuttoned, and his childish
bosom, white as that of girl, was open.
ed and exposed. He breathed quick and
heavily. The wound Of which he was
dying was intensely painful; but within
the last half hour had somewhat lulIed,
though even now his thin fingers tightly
erasped the bed clothes, as if he suffered
the greatest agony.