Worcester daily spy., 1861-12-19
desperately with the only man who could save

| ef. sometimes we thought OF pulllnS Ned up,
and so making sure of him for twas a hard
choice between that poor demented stranger
and Ned's young wife and three little children.
| But then the water left them once more, and
we saw Ned had him down with his knee on
his chest and we knew if the tide gave him
time lie was his master. So it proved. lie
whipped a turn or two Of rope rouud his arms,
aud catching tight to him with his left, gave
the signal to haul away.
"They had barely lett tic rock--for we pulled
easy at fiist-~.when the whole keelson Of the
vessel was thrown against the very place they
had stood up.n. We had them in our Eft,
however, and if the weight had been twice as
much, it would have come to grass if the rope
! held.
"We were all too busy drawing them up to
look to see what happened on the way. l
| hold il as Bible truth that there's scarce
another man but Ned would have brought
that sailor up He had as l have said, one
| arm round him, and, with the other, warded
himself from the sharp face of the cliff, but he
had some grievous bruises for all his courage
| and strength.
"When the man found himself lifted up in
| that strange way he got more ravng than
ever, and finding he could not use his hands,
| he fixed his teeth in Ned's check Till they met.
For all the pain and danger Ned hold on, and
| shall never forget to my last hour what felt
| as we uTSW lllelH Ill over tue GuB6 Ol lUS CHI,
and knew they were safe.
Poor Ned, we laid him in sheltered
place, and would have put the stranger with
| him, but we soon found lie was too wild to be
! trusted free, so we bound him for his own
safety.
"In a few minutes after they were landed
Ned's wife came. We had sent boy for
some spirits and things, and he, youngser
| like, told what Ned was about. None who
|
| thing as she fell on her knees by her husbands
side, and swooned away with her head on his
| breast.
"Ah, the man that had just braved such
| danger, wept like a child as he snIoothed the
golden hair of his wife.
GAS weak as child he was, too, from loss
| of blood Well, other women came soon
after and bound up their wounds, and then we
got Il cart and brought them down to my
| house.
"Eleven men and three boys were the crew
of the Hesperus, as the ship was called, and
only that one man was saved He lay Tor
| days-very quiet at last-and scarce spoke
word. What he did say was about his moth.
| er, and the name OF some young woman.
When we stripped bim-by the doctors or
ders-we found little packet hung round lis
neck by black rlband, and as it was wet with
the salt water we~toOk it away to dry. NV
said he seemed to keep cropping for something
in his bosom, so she put it back round his neck
again and when he found ii there all right
he never slr0ve to rise and call out as he did
before. 1t IL not Tor me to say, but my Old
woman always considered that packet TO hold
some true love-token. She often said she
wished she knew, Tor she thought how glad his
mother and sweetheart would be to know he
was alive.
iN..I In nt, in, fl,,fe etr, 1
on three weeks, and we did not know SO much
as the name OF the sick man. Just as Ned
was going about again all we'll, we thought
the silllt OF him ri Sl,t bi i,.,y tl.s lie
recollecions. SO Ned went and sat by the
bedside till he awcke. Ii was getting near
Christmas, and we wanted tie poor man to be
well enougl! 10 rnJoy the time " ith ,riien
he opened his eyes Ned htlu out Ills hand, ami
says he
''Give you JOY, comrade. Ay, see you'll
be more than Il match for me the next turn
we have, particular when It's grass we stand
on.
''With that the tears came into his poor dim
ej es, and catching Ned's hand lie SAID -
'1 remember now. Were none saved but
me 2
Ned was fearful to tell the truth, in case it
might make him worse, SO lie just laughed and
said:-
you've been so long sleeping off the eff
fects of your wetting, that they re all gone and
left you. But lis time we know'd your name,
stranger, il it please you to TELL
"'Gascoigne, he sald-'Richard Gascoigne
Has no one written to my mother 2
I" How should We says Ned, when we did
not know where she lived
"With that he got up TO come away for he
was afraid ii he stayed he'd tell himself out
about his shpmates only three OF whose bod.
! les we ever found.
"'He'd Just got to the door when the poor
man wanted him to come back, but before he
could turn about the parson came into the
room, and Ned got away.
''We never knew the particulars for certain,
but always believe to this day the young man
was no common sailor.
"The parson used to come and sit with him,
hours together, and fine lot OF letters they
wrote between them. But we were never the
! wiser for any OF their scholarship doipgs but
in one thing and that won't be forgot round
here for many S the long day.
"rhe Christmas day we were all standing
about the church door, shaking hands, and
| wishing each other merry Christmas and a
| happy new year, when the little gate that led
from the parsonage lawn into the churchyard
was opened, and a lady came among us SO
beautifully dressed and so beautiful herself
that we all stopped talking to look AT her.
''Pm before my story, though, Tor l should
have told you the stranger had gone to The
| parsonage as soon as he could be moved.
"Well the lady came right forward into the
midst OF the crowd, and she said
"'Whch OF all GU brave, kind men is Ed
ward Smeeth 2"
"Ned was Just behind me and seemed ready
to slink away, but pushed him fore, and says
| /:
"'If it please your ladyship, that's him."
"Well, Ned know'd manners too well to run
away then, SO there lie stood, blushing like
! girl.
'rhe lady took his hand, and seemed going
to make speech but she had only just br gun
| her thanks when her heart rose in her throat,
and the tears stood in her eyes, and she only
said God bless your and put little box and
purse into Ned's hand and then kissed his
great rough hand as it t had been a baby's
| face Ned seemed struck all OF a heap. lie
looked at til things she had given him, and
| turned his hand as if he expected TO see
mark whore her beautiful lips had touched.
| 'Wel as the lady could not speak for her
selt the parson up and told us all the sense of
it, How that there was grand place up 10
London, with great many grand people who
| subscribed among them to reward them that
| saved life.
And proud, says the parson, proud am
that such a token has come into my PARISH
ale said many kind and good words, and
| then told Ned to open the little box and show
what was in it. There, sure enough was
beautiful medal, with Ned's name, and the
name of the man he saved, aud some Latin
| words, which the parson said was that we