New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-08-19
A lruf from ttr MAN of 4 Lam g!srk.

Iraf frnm tbr Diam of Lam glrrk.
About the year 1893, James Bradshaw and
William Drysdale, both invalided masters Of
the Royal Navy, cast anchor tor the remainder
Of their lives at about twelve miles distance
from Exeter, on the London road Bradshaw
named his domicil, an old fashioned struggling
building, Rodney Place, in honor of the Admi-
raj in whose great victory he had fought. Drys-
dale's smaller and snugger dwelling, about half
mile away from &c Rodney Place. was called
Poplar Cottage and about midway between
them stood the " Hunters Inn," roadside
public house, kept by one Thomas Burnham, a
stout hearted, jolly -bellied individual in come
liness of whose rubicund fgure-head was con-
sideraby damaged by the loss Of an eye, of
which, however, it is right to say, the extin-
guished light appeared to have been transferred
in undiminished intensity to its fiery, piercing
fellow. The retired masters, who had long
known each other, Were intimate as brothers, not
wthstanding that Bradshaw was much the rich
est Of the two, having contrived to pick up con-
siderable amount of prize money, in addition to
n rather large sum inherited from his father.
Neither did the difference of circumstances OPP
pose, in Bradshaw's opinion, the slightest obsta-
Gle to the union of his niece and heress, Rachel
Elford, with Edward Drysdale, his fellow-ve vet
eran's only surviving offspring. The precedent
condition, however, was, that Edward should
attain permanent rank in the Royal Navy, and
with this view a midshipman's warrant was OBJ
tanned in '99 for the young man, then in his
| eighteenth year, and he was dispatched tolsea.
The naval profession proved to be, unfortu-
nately, one for which Edward Drysdale was al
together untitled by temperament and bent of
mind and sad consequences followed, He had
been at sea about eighteen months, when news
reached England of desperate but successful
cutting-out affair by the boats of the frigate to
which he belonged His name was not men
toned in the official report but that could hardly
have been hoped for-neither was it in the
list Of killed and wounded. A map Of the coast
where the fight took place was procured; the
battle was fought over and over again by the
two veterans, and they were still indnlging in
those pleasures of the imagination in the parlor
Of the '' Hunters Inn,'' when the landlord en-
tered with Plymouth paper in his hand, upon
one paragraph in which his single orb Of vision
glared with fiery Indignation. ltwas an extract
from a letter written by one of the frigate's
officers, plainly intimating that Midshipman
Drysdale had shown the white feather in the
late brush with the enemy, and would be sent
home by the first opportunity. The stroke of
dagger could have been nothing compared with
| the sharp agony which such an announcement
inflicted on the young mans father, and Brad
shaw was for few moments equally thunder
stricken. But he quickly rallied. William
Drysdale's son coward Pooh The thing
was out Of fnatnre-impossible; and very hearty
were his maledictions, sayagely echoed by Burn
ham, with whom young Drysdale was great
tayorite, of the lying lubber that wrote the
letter, and the newspaper rascals that printed it.
Alas! it was but too true On the third
evening after the appearance of the alarming
paragraph the two mariners were sitting in the
porch of Poplar Cottage, separated only by a
flower garden from the main road, conversng
hoe Il
when the coach from London came in sight. A
youthful figure in naval uniform, on the box
seat, instantly riveted their attention. as it did
that of Rachel Elford, who was standing in the
little garden, apparently absorbed till that mo-
ment by the shrubs and flowers. The coach
, rapidly drew near, stopped, and Edward Drys-
dale alighted from it. The two seamen, instead
of waiting for his approach, hastily arose from,
|; their seats and went into the cottage, as much
perhaps to avoid the humliating though COM
passionate glances of the outside passengers, as
from any other motive. The young man was
deadly pale, and seemed to have hardly suffi-
cient strength to move back the light wicket
gate which admitted to the garden. He held
by it till the coach had passed on, and then
turned with beseeching, half reproachful look
towards Rachel. She, poor girl, was as much
agtated as himself, and appeared to be eagerly
scanning his countenance, as if hopeful of read
ing there a contradiction of the dishonoring ru-
NOR that had got abroad. In answer to his
mute appeal, she stepped quickly towards him,
clasped his protfered hand in both hers, and
with a faint and trembling voice CALCULATED
g Dear, dear Edward! 1t is not true-I am
sure it is not, that you-that you"
'' That l, Rachel, have been dismissed the
: naval service, as unfit to serve his Majesty, is
quite true,'' rejoined Edward Drysdale, slowly
and with partially recovered calm" quite
true -
The young woman shrank Indignantly from
him; fire glanced from her suffused eyes, and her
light, elegant figure appeared to grow and dlate
with irrepressible scorn, as this avowal fell
upon her ear. "a coward p she vehemently
exclaimed ''you that--but no,'' she added
giving way again to grief and tenderness, as
she looked upon the fine, intelligent counten
anee of her lover, '' it can not be; there mus
be some error-some mistake 1t is impossible!'
/, '' There is error and mistake, Rachel; but thu
] world will never, l fear, admit so much. But
: come, let us in; you will go with me -
We will not follow them till the first outburs
of angry excitement is past; till the father:
+ passionate, heart-broken reproaches have sub
I sided to a more patient, subdued, family hope
/ full sorrow, and Racl,el's wavering faith in thu
manhood of her betrothed has regained some
! thing of its old frmness Entering then, W,
shall find that only Mr. Bradshaw has remained
obstlnately and contemptuously deaf to what tn,
young man has falteringly urged in vindicatio1
of his behavior in the unhappy affair which lee
q to his dismissal from the service. He had, i
/ appeared, suddenly tainted at the sight of thu
hideous carnage in which, for the first time il
his life, he found himself involved.
"Iou have letter, you say, from Captain
Otway,' said Mr.. Drysdale, partially raising
| his head from his hands, in which it had beel
| buried while his son was speaking. sWhere i
it ? Give it to Rachel can not see TIL
words
J The note was directed to Mr.. Drysdale, whom
!. Captain Otway personally knew, and was n
d doubt kindly intended to soften the blow tn
IS return Of his son under such circumstances mus
/ nhct. Although deciding that Edward Drys
Y dale was unfit for the naval profession, he dit
not think that the failure of the young man
: physical nerve in one of the most murderou
9 encounters that had occurred during the war
a was attributable to deficiency of true courage
II and rs proof that it was not, Captain DIVA
K + mentioned that the young man had iumpe
overheard during half gale of wind, an
le when night was falling, and saved, at muc
!. peril to himself, q seaman's life, This was tn
s. ceased reading, Mr.. Drysdale looked depreca
1s tingly in his friends face and murmured, "Yo
i hear? ="
S eyes, William Drysdale, | do. l neve
u doubted that your son was good swimmer, n
y more than | do that coward means coward, an
ID that all the letters in the alphabet cannot spe
e it to mean anything else Come, Rachel,
"a added thn Grim. unreaSouinp iron- fampare