The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-05-27

meant Bill, you blackguard, says L,
do you mean to tell me-and a man
there a-drownding? Have you no COM
mon humanity" says l, bristling up.
that you'd think of five pound afore
fellow-creature?
Five pound is good bit better nor
30 bob" says Bill, looking up at me, sui
len-like.
Well, sir, I'll say it TO your face,
though your own father is a county
councillor, 1 always thought that one
as bad law as the county could make.
But that law is, all the same, and there
amt no helping it. It's five pound re-
ward for bringing in dead corpse, an
only 80 bob for bringing in man alive
as you save from drowning.
''Bill-o'-my SOUL" says l, raising my
sweep, being that angry with the man
that I'd have knocked him over the
head as soon as l would a rat, will you
row, or shall brain you?"
Just at that minute my eyes went
towards the shore; and if there wasn't
Miss Noe, not wringing her hands now,
but plunging into the sea, clothes and
although lady with skirts-and
swimming for dear life out to the boat
to help me.
l up with my voice, an 1 shouts:
Come along, Miss Noe! You puts the
men to shame! Blessings on you for
brave girln She was swimming that
splendid!
Well, | rows towards her, and helps
her aboard into the boat, and in she
jumps, all dripping, but taking no more
notice of it, bless you, than if water was
a feather bed to her And she seizes
! the oar Bill-o'-my- wouldn't work,
and she cries out to me, agonized like;
Row on, Cap'n Cooley, for heavens
sake, row on! Alex is a-drownding!"
Well, I wasn't going to carry a su-
percargO, as you may say, to weight the
boat, nor yet passenger for nothing.
So, to tighten the burden, | Just ups with
Bill-o'-my- and clasps I'm around
the waist, being older man nor him,
but, heaven be praised, a strong one.
He was took by surprise, too much to
! struggle. An l heaves I'm over afore
he Rnowed where he was, and makes
Jonah of him. He come up suffering,
being the worst swimmer for a seafar-
ing man as ever I met with. There"
says l, hitting out at him with the blade
O my sweep. See how you likes it
yourself" says I. There's five pounds
a-goin' Begin for whoever pulls out
your ugly corpse, for nobody amt 60
ircr fn +rn,,l,1o oh I;y-ir, nj
off we two rows, Miss Noe in her drip
ping clothes, and leaves Bill there, to
sink or swim, accordin' as he was
minded.
A quarter O a mile out we comes up to
a sailing boat. Wind was nor'east, or
might a been a pint nearer east, may
hap, and a sail before the wind could
bear straight down upon where Mr.
Alex was drownding. Miss Noe, she
stood up and calls out to the men:
'Over yonder!" she cries, showing the
way with her hand. Quick, quick; he's
drownding!"
In a second they sees, and without
one word off they goes, lufing that sud
dent wouldn't "a believed it if hadn'
seen it, and they flies before half gale
over in the direction of the gentleman.
Well, he was done up for swimming,
through not having another kick left
in him, as you may say; but he was able
to float on his back, and might have
t1oated an hour more, mayhap, if so be
as the chill o the water didn't numb him
and send him to the bottom. They
come up to him, and pulled un in. l
could see them a-pulling of him; but
whether it was 30 bob or five pounds
worth, l couldn't rightly make out for
certain.
is it alive or dead?" says the young
lady.
Well" says I, ''he do look rather
limp" says 1, "as is natural when you've
been lying so long in the water But
l think it's alive. Anyhow, we'd better
row back and get your things dried,
miss"
"Oh, no." says she, crying, II can't go
back till l know. Cap'n 'Oolley," says
she, 1--WE must row on and meet them"
Well, didn't quite like it, owing to
the gentleman )eGHd )S having uOCulu
on, which Miss Noe hadn't thought of;
still, this being a matter O. life and
| death, where such things can't be al
lowed to count, | rows on to meet them.
About 100 yards off, stands up and
shouts, so as she shouldn't understand:
Is it a fve-pound JOB, mate, or 30
bobber?"
And the young gentleman himself
lifts himself up in reply, with one of the
fishermen's jerseys on, an sail
wrapped around I'm, and he shouts at
the top of his voice, waving his hand,
,"Alive, alive, Noel"
wanted to turn then; but, bless you,
there wasn't no keeping back that
young lady. Afore knOwed where
was, at the sound of his voice, she'd
stood up in the boat and Jumped off
the seat, and was swimming for dear
life again to the sailing boat, where her
young gentleman was a-sitting.
He was not dead when she got there.
He'd just had strength o. mind to hold
up till he could shout to her, and then
he falls back, numb like and as white
as death, till they gets him ashore again.
| Thara RiI1-o'-nV-SOul was standing