The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-05-27
SOMERSET PA, WEDNESDAY MAY 27 1896.

4
to the ship, where ready hands helped
TO care for the sufferers. IL was not
long before the surgeon had done his
part. The old captains leg was set,
and he was sleeping from exhaustion.
The daughter had been unconscious
when they took her from the COM
mander's arm, but she was unhurt, and
was given state room, where she was
ordered by the doctor TO get into bed
while her wet clothing was dried and
pressed, as there was no possible chance
to replenish her wardrobe until we
landed, unless, like the new woman,
she was willing to don masculine
attire.
"Until he had seen his charges well
cared for, Ried did not speak of his own
sufierings, which must have been al
most unbearable, as his hands and arms
were so badly burned the scars will
never leave them entirely. He had
been Obliged to cling to the side of the
vessel, while on his errand of mercy,
and did not dare to let go, even when
the iron bands took the skin Off his
hands, burning deep into the flesh.
ave were all full of curiosity about
the maiden, of whom we had only
slight glance before the matter-of-fact
doctor spirited here away. That one
glance was enough to show us that she
was beauty, and we all felt envious
of Reid. whom we declared would
never half appreciate the advantage he
had as the man who had saved her life
and that of her crippled father.
''Our curiosity was not gratified until
next morning, when she burst upon
our vision like bright star without
sign of the danger through which she
had passed in the fight for life with
fire and water, from which she had
been rescued not moment too soon by
the brave man who became her hero
from that hour. AS she entered the
cabin gracefully at ease, in spite of the
fact that several pairs of eyes were
glancing admiringly at her, we all
arose to greet her, but passing US by
until she reached Commander Reid,
she took both of his poor bandaged
hands in her soft white palms, and,
raising the most glorious pair of eyes
to his face, she faltered You saved
my fathers life and mine. thank you,
oh, / do thank you more than can
ever tell you, you brave, good man.
can never forget that we owe our lives
to you death seemed so terrible when
we thought we must die, and we had
given up all hope with a shudder at
the recollection) when you came TO
save u.s.
''We had a good chance TO admire
the little beauty as she stood talking TO
her preserver, her every move one of
unconscious grace, and her dark, earn
est eyes playing havoc with him, both
of them apparently unaware of the fact
that the rest of Us existed, until at last
she turned to us and said: You have
all been very kind TO US. We are very
grateful, believe me y
"As for Ried, he was actually blush
ing like school boy, and had an ex-
preston in his eyes that we had not
seen there before. We began to think
that the commander was not quite so
devoid of feeling as we had supposed,
and that he possessed some of the same
weaknesses the rest of us confessed to.
AT any rate he had the inside track,
and we were all more or less jealous of
him, for the Little Princess, as We call
ed her, never wavered in her allegiance
TO her hero from that hour.
"When the captain presented us each
formally, he teasingly told her that the
rest of us, as well as himself, We're
green with.envy because Commander
Reid had been the one to rescue her,
when everyone knew that he was the
! only one on board who could not ap-
preciate the value of the fairest wo-
>
he pleads guilty to being an inveterate
woman hater.'
"Generally, Ried turned chatting of
this kind Off with shrug of the should
ers or a short laugh, but this particular
morning he was evidently in no mood
for such teasing. His face was pale
with rage at the captain, until sweet
Aline, lifting her splendid eyes to his
said: Il do not believe that about the
man who risked his own life to save
mine. You do not hate us, do you,
lieutenant p
"'No, do not hate you,' he replied,
softly, looking down into her eyes with
a glance she seemed to understand, for
a rosy hue came into her cheeks that
told its own story.
''She and her father stayed with us
until he was perfectly well, and it was
a sad day when we had to part from
our Little Princess who had been
jolly little tyrant, | assure you. We
were all her most obedient slaves, but
our efforts to cut Ried out were fruit
less, as she considered us only second
airy considerations.
al never saw fellow change as Com
mander Ried did i'm that short time.
He was full Of fun and the very
essence of gallantry, outlying us in
everything from tender sentiment to
the brilliant repartee for which he be-
came noted. The captain told US that
he had always been like that until the
three years past, when, without giving
any reason for it, he had become the
distant, cyninal fellow we had found
him.
"rThe Princess used TO insist upon
helping the surgeon dress his burned
hands every day, and she was his de-
voted nurse until he was nearly well,
then she tormented the life nearly cut
of him by flirting outrageously with