Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-07-29
HOW GRANDPA Came BY THE MEDAL.
BY NJ. A. A. STILES.

As l went along Iovertook three other
men, acquaintance Of mine. One Of
them called:
'Hullo, Ben; haven't seen ye be.
fore. Where ye besn?' 81. rs
Been to Provincetown,' I an,
swered. Just heard about the wreck.
We've been up once before. But
it's no use trying to do anything.
Going again, because we'd like to
know II the poor fellows are still hold
ing on. Cad, 1t is ian awful sight,
thought
~ thought so, too, o little later,
when we ran down to the beach. y
"There was the vessel, driven beam
on against the sands, close on shore
and the big boiling seas breaking
around and over her and over the poor
fellows in therigging. Almost crazed
with suffering and fright, they kept
calling to the people on the shore and
grooming desperately. They soon
sighted US as newcomers and fairly
yelled, hoping we had come TO help
them: Save us, save usl We are
freezing to death, freezing to deathP
Their despairing words shrieked
out above the booming breakers and
seemed to fill the air. The wind had
abated good deal by this time, and
II had stopped showing. The sea was
still terrific in its violence, laundering
and booming and lashing the shore
with foaming wrath. Nevertheless, IL
seemed to me that we ouGhtto attempt
something, risky as it might be.
1--WE men looked at each other with
questioning faces, for none OF us at
the moment could see just what could
possibly be done.
I" Poor fellows!" said Tom. Just
hear them call TO us. And they've
got to drown here before our eyes, 1
reck'n. We can't do anything without
boat, and we can't with boat in
this sea, even If we had one, and
there isn't boat-likely-- within
three miles.
'We couldn't get boat here in
time anyway.' remarked another.
She'll break up all to pieces in
an hour, said third.
Help! HelpP walled the voices OF
the imperiled men.
Good thunderp said I, Il can't
stand here and wait and see 'em die
like rats-can you, Jess?'
81 shall never have any.peace of
mind again as long as live if we do,
answered Jesse.
Boys, said.I, let's 60 down to
the town and get boat and see what
we can do. F.t
Eat that all turned rs one man tow
ard the village, Jess waving his SOU
wester' as we reached the top of the
sand dune, while we all shouted back:
Hold on, hold on for your livesl'
"On the way, half running now with
the impulse that had seized us in COM
mon, we made our plans how We would
operate for the rescue. We agreed,
for one thing, that Jess should be cap
tain of the enterprise, as he had expe-
rience with boats rather more than the
others OF the party.
Wen try to get along with any
thing that Isaiah Hatch happens to
have, them says Jess. 1T won't be
so far as the village
"When we reached Hatch's house
we found that he had nothing better
than lenky old dory.
However, we were not to be dis.
coursged nova anything. Our blood
was up, and every man of US stood
ready to risk his own life to save the
poor wretches on the brig, whose cries
seemed TO be still ringing in our ears.
".'She'll leak like riddle,' says
Jess, critically examining the boat while
others Of US harnessed Isaiah's old
horse to farm cart Get couple
more bailers. and we'll try her any
how
We hauled out the numbering old
boat and lifted her into the cart aud
soon were on the way back, the sleet
driving in our faces aud free sing on
our boards. The storm seemed 10 be
rising again, aud we felt that the en-.
terprise vas desperate. :
ION the way we were joined by two
other men, who volunteered to assist
in the undertaking.
"We reached the beach at last,
though IL seemed doubtful il the old
horse that we had pressed into service
would hold out to draw the cart to the
end Of the journey.