The Portland daily press., 1874-12-12
Furnished exclusively to the N. Y. Tribune, ]
publication in the United States, by Mr.. Reade
A Hero. and a Martyr.
lCOnclu .eu.I
BY CHARLES READE.


Passing over an easy job or two, and few
melancholy cases, in which he had dived and
groped the river, and restored dead bodies to
their friends, come now to passage, which
but for its truth should hesitate to relate
exactly as he told it me; but, if were to
Weld to squeamishness and slur it, chapter
of human nature, revealed to me. would by
me be carried 10 my grave and hidden from
the scholars of other ages and nations.
Thus, then, it was-James Lambert was
bathing in Clyde one evening at the hour
when it was allowed at that epoch.
Suddenly, Mrs. Cooper, that kept the So
ciety's house, cried to him over the window,
"Rin, jamie Lambert, there is laddle in
the waiter"
Up ran James Lambert, but the boy had
sank; bystander directed him to the place;
but it is not so easy to mark the exact spot
where body had disappeared in the water;
and James Lambert Owed twice and came up
without the child. He dived the third time,
and CROPPED along the bottom. He was down
so long that the cry got up that he was
drowned too. Others secuted the idea. James
Lambert drown! They mad known him cross
the Clyde, under the water, from bank to
bank. Some time having elapsed since the
first alarm, people had poured across the green
and down the banks, and there was quite
crowd there murmuring and gazing, when
Child in his arms.
There was roar of exultation at the sight,
but James Lambert did not hear it, and did
not see the crowd. (Take note of that fact. }
His whole soul was in the lovely boy, that
lay white and inanimate in his arms. He
ran into the house uttering cries of concern.
"Bdt, when got him in the moose, ne
opens ae eye on me-like bonny blue head
1t was. Eli! was happy; was happy. l
gied the bonny BARN kiss and hands him TO
the wife, and orders her to the fire wi him.
Then Pm going DOT, when a. of sooden l
finds haena steek on me, and twa hundred
folk about the doore. Wad We believe it, aci'
the great excitement, L neUer kne,1 acGs
nakit, till saw the folk, and bethought me.
/ rims back again, and at the stair-foot there's
bundle y linen. 1 was ma lang mapping
mysop. can tell We, and DOT comes, as bold
as brass, in the wife's apron and muckle
sheet. The sight o. me made the lasses scairt
and skirl (R) for was like corp just pop
pit cot o. the grave. went for my clothes
and-they were away. My buid got up at
that, and I chackit them sair. 'Hech,' says
I, 'Ye maun be cold-hearted set o.
thieves says 1, 'to taxi my very claes, when
was doing mons part. Bymby 90 sees
young Teddy in silk gown, wagglng on me
~ and she points to hedge near by. So
1 went, and there was my .claes. She had
out them aside for me, We ken, and keepit
her ee on them. Wasna that thouchtful O.
her noo?"
SIT was in deed"
'Aweel, SIR, got my things on at the
hedge, an tied up the wfe's bundle, and cam
forud: and by this time the folk was disparsed
like. But the tame yonng Teddy was walking
to and fra, with her cen doom, refecking like.
She wagged on me, and 1 came to her. So
she askit me who was, and telPt her
was a Gotten spinner, and they caed me
Jammes Lambert. So then she lookit at me
full, and says she, James, are ye married
ooh yes, ma am says ], this three years.
So she looked me all over, in vara curious
way; and she says salty, 'James-it is-a-
great-pity-yere yere vera
gallant-man.' So We see, sir, I could hae
had young leddy-for herself telPt me MAR
nor her words-if ma had the wife. So it
comes a. to the same thing"
/ stared at him with surprise, for to me it
did not seem quite the same thing to marry
high sympathy, swift intelligence, and plenty
of money, aud to marry poverty, plus groyel-
ing mediocrity. However it was not for me
to satirize conjugal affection and its amiable
decisions But proposed the young lady's
health, and we drank it cordially.
By this time conclude have so spoiled
the readers of John Lambert, that they will
care for no passage of his extraordinary ca
reer, that does not offer some new feature.
So Ego from water to the double peril of ice
and water at the freezing point.
.'It was hard wiuter, and had charge O.
the gentlemen belonging to the skating club.
So I had to 60 to Hugginfeld loch. Bnt
was clean wastit there. / was armed VII lad
ders an ropes, and corks. Mon, ony fule can
stand and fling gear till drooning body.
And cat an awful affront Until the bargain !;
they castit in my teeth that I was partial, and
saved the rich afore the poor. Moo let
naebody droon, but my bargain was with the
club to save them first; so behooved to keep
to the contract. Aweel then Islid ma execu-
ton there worth speaking O. the thing Pm
coming tae was at the bend of the Clyde they
ca the peat bog A number was skating
on Ethe river, and the ice began to heave an
shake VII the high tide So chased all the
boys aft WI my belt and warned the men
but some folk Wilma be warned by me. The
ice breaks under laboring man, and in he
goes. and the tide sucked him under in mo-
ment. / ran to the place as fast as l could
and under the ice after him. Aweel, I soomed
and soomed, and did ma catch him. Isoomed,
and soomed, ay hoping to find him, till had
nae chance to come back alive, if 1 did ma
turn. But Just as turned my feet struck
him. Then my HART got up again, grippit
him, and dragged him back VII me, and
soomed and soomed for my ain life the moo as
weel as his. Eth, mon, / was amaist game.
bath dee. Pm just givin' in, when / see the
light o. the hole, max fort, and get him DOT,
and on the ice, and DINA it keep breaking
direckly with the pair o. us, and sa we 60
foonderin' and smashing, till we are hepit
ashore. Moo I'll tell We a farce. Pm hauld-
ing the chiel prisoner by the collar, and shak-
ing t'other neif (UI at them a.. Ye ken /
wanted TO feicht on them, for saying riskit
myself MAR for the rich than the puir. But
a. / could say was, 'wow-wow-wow'-th
brethe wadna come back to my body And
while was 'wow-wow-wowing' at them,
and gripping my captive like mollyfactor,
DINA he turn loond and thank me in brief
discourse vara ceevil. Eh, mon, I glowered
at him Tossed him an rolled away back
wards to glover at him. He could hae re-
peated his catecheesm, and 1 could only baash
an blather. The man was better man
than me; for he had been LANCER in. Oh, /
declared that on the bank, sumo as ever /
could speak," ...... .4
leone now TO the browning feat of this
philanthropic and adventurous life; and l
doubt my power TO describe it. halt before
1t, like one that feels weak, and a mountain
TO climb; for such feat, believe, was never
done in the water by mortal man, nor ever
will again while earth shall last.
james Lambert worked in Somerville's
mill. Like most OF the hands he must cross
the water to get home. For that purpose, a
small ferry-boat was provided; it lay at a little
quay near the mill. One Andrew had charge
Of it ashore, and used to shove it off with a
lever, and receive it on its return. He often
let more people go into it than Lambert
thought safe, and Lambert had demonstrated,
and had even said YEN hae an occident
some day that yen rue but ance, and that
will be a. your life" Andrew, in reply, told
him to mind his own business.
Well, one evening James Lambert wanted
to get away in the first boat-load. This was
somehow connected with his having bought