Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-02-12
turned, and the men rowed back toward

turned, and the men rowed back toward
the steamer. "a"
Mr.. P%ierrepoint and Mickey attended
to the child. His color now returned
n his eyes opened, and he sat ND, the
water running out of his linen clothes.
fierrcpoint's eye now caught sight of his
plaid lying in the boat and he asked the
coxswain to pass it to him.
"a lady threw it in as we were leay.
ing the steersman said.
"Oh, yes; l know very we'll who the
lady was" P%icrrepoint replied. II
wish l had her here just now to take
care of the boy" Then, seeing in what
a womanly, gentle way Mickey was
handling the child, he said: .'My black
friend, I'll appoint you nurse, ii Jacky
does not mind the SCOT"
Jacky looked up, and recognizing tho
fireman as n of his friends, put his
arms round his grimy neck.
"Sure, Sir" said Mickey, s.Mastcr
Jacky knows me quite we'll"
"Then,' said Pierrepoint, sspull off
his wet clothes and roll him up in the
plaid"
This was done, and Jacky felt quite
warm and dry. Mickey kept him on his
knee, rolled up like a mummy.
One of the sailors handed Pierrcpoint
an old rough jacket, which he pulled on
over his wet clothes.
The steamer had drifted round till her
broadside was toward the boat, and
therefore, as she could do nothing to les
sen the distance, the men in the boat
had to do the more rowing, and they
got on but slowly, for the sea was a little
rrugher and the light was going. The
Captain still stood on the Shasta $ bridge
watching the boat through his binocular.
He saw Pierrepoint and the boy pulled
in, and then he could only see that the
men seemed busy about something in
the bottom of the boat; after that he saw
Pierrepoint sitting up and a brown bum
die in tie fireman's arms. He knew this
was his boy, rolled up in something; but
he could not help questioning within
himself whether his boy was coming
back to him alive or dead.
Mrs. P%hrrepoint was still beside Cap
tain Hood and felt that she knew what
was passing in his mind. The boat was
now much nearer; they were both watch
ing it inteItly, but the light was failing.
At the same moment they both saw Mr.
P%ierrepoint stand up and wave his right
hand in a peculiar way.
"That was Il signal, madam; what does
it mean?' asked the Captain.
"Wait a minute till he repeats. Yes,
I see it plainly this time. He says All
WE'LL" replied Mrs. Pierrepoint.
These words We're heard by some OF
the ships officers and passengers who
stood near, and they raised u cheer,
which wa taken up all over the deck
and passed across the water to the boat,
which was getting near.
"Thank God!" said Captain Hood.
"We will soon have them on board
again" He then left the bridge in
charge of the first officer, and went aft,
accompanied by Mrs. Pierrepoint, to the
place where the gig would be
brought on board. Here the quarter.
master made a clear space on the deck.
and in the center of the space stood tht
Captain, Mrs. Pierrepoint, and the stew.
ardess. To her Mrs. Pierrepoint said
"Order u warm bath for the child;'
and q steward was sent down to have
this done.
The boat was now alongside under
the davits; the oars were unshipped, the
hooks of the lifting-tacklc were fixed in
hands but two climbed up the tackle
ropes, to tighten the boat, and then a
number of willing hands hauled away
upon the tackle. The boat left the wa.
ter, and mounted slowly high into the
air till it was above the level of the
ships bulwarks, the davits were swung
round, and the boat was gently lowered
upon the deck. Then a mighty cheer
burst out, hats and handkcrchiefs were
waved, and cheer upon cheer rang over
the water.
Little Jack looked out of his plaid
with a smile on his face, while Mickey
handed his precious bundle into Captain
Hoods arms; and in a few minutes
more Jack was having a warm bath
under the superintendent of his
friend, the stewardess, and a little later
he was in the saloon with dry clothes
on, as merry as if nothing whatever
had happened.
When Pierrepoint stepped on the
deck he took his wifc's hand in his for q
moment; and then 4 rush wa made at
him, and both his hands were shaken
till he thought his arms would be pulled
off; but the Captain came on deck at
once and bore him off to one of the
bathrooms, where Il warm bath awaited
him. A steward brought him o sup
ply of dry clothes, and in half an
hour he was in the saloon, and had to
undergo another course of Misunderstanding.
The Captain said all he had to say in
a very few words, and witha hand-grasp
which said more than words.
The ''stupid couple were nowt the he
roes of the ship; and when the Shastaar-
rived in New York harbor, John Pierre
point managed, by the Captains help,
to escape being interviewed by the re-
porters. The reporters, however, heard
the story in all its details from the pas
sengers and officers, and the Pierre
points found themselves famous.
Before the passengers separated such
q number Of invitations were offered to
the Pierrepoints that, had they been
able, they might have spent a year or
two in America merely paying visits.
Some of these invitations they were able
to accept.