Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-12-20
CHAPTER XXI.
THE WOMAN BEREFT

"NO RETURN to the Maidstone.
She carried in her cabin a pas
senger-nay, two. The frigates,
while not daring to take part
in the action, had kept well up and as
near as they could to the contending
ships. Hatfield had naturally marked
the Torbay. He had seen the loss OF
LIE Thesee, and had put his ship over
toward the place where she had gone
down. As he drew near he had or
dered out his boats, and at q fearful
risk-for 1t was q most perilous un-
dertaking to launch boat In such q
sea-he succeeded In saving some 70
people from her crew, among them
being Countess Anne and old jean
Renaud.
There were neither accommodation,
clothing, nor any other conveniences
for the reception Of half-drowned
woman on the frigate, yet Hatfield had
done his best for her. He had given
up his own cabin to her and had made
her as comfortable as possible there
In, while he beat out to sea during
the awful night to save his ship.
Buckets of sand in which had been
placed heated shot had raised the
temperature of the cabin, and Anne's
clothing had at last dried on her per-
SON in the warm room. She had been
unable to sleep, and with difficulty
partaken of food. Her condition was
indeed deplorable. She had seen her
country's feet defeated; her grand
father had been most certainly
drowned, de vitre and de Kersaint
likewise. The ship on which she had
been had gone down, although by
Jean-Renaud's action she had been
spared much of the horror Of that
awful scene. What had become Of her
husband she knew not, consequently
she was filed with grief on the one
hand and apprehension on the other.
Her state Of mind, however, was not
quite so bad as that Of Grafton, for
he thought that he had lost her, and
she still cherished the hope that she
would be able to rejoin him. II she
were only assured of his safety and
they could be together again in the
end, she felt she could bear all the
other hardships and losses, terrible
though they were.
She was ignorant, of course, Of the
wreck Of the Torbay, as was every
one else on the frigate, and Hatfield,
who had soon. discovered her identity,
endeayored to reassure her as to her
husbands safety. But it was with q
sick heart, indeed, that she stood on
the deck by his side, in spite OF the
storm, wrapped in boat-cloak which
had belonged to Grafton, and which he
had left behind in his hasty departure
for the Torbay q week ago, while the
Maidstone Was running into the bay.
With him she stared hard at the bro
ken, shattered ships straining at their
cables in the storm which swept them
on. She marked the three which had
been wrecked upon LIE Four, two OF
them dismasted and ruined with the
ceaseless waves still pounding them
to pieces. She saw further away great
bursts of fame and clouds Of smoke
rising from the two which were on fire
and burning furiously.
Hatfield, whose treatment Of her had
been perfect-she would never forget
it-kept by her, supporting her on the
uneasy deck of the unsteady ship, in
tently surveying the scene, too. He
did not see the Torbay among those
at anchor. AS he drew nearer to the
group, however, he happened to cast
q glance to leeward, and instantly rec
ognized the wrecked ship on lie Four.
The involuntary start he gave, as the
recognition came to him, attracted the
attention Of Anne, who turned to him
as he stared at the remains OF the
Torbay. Intuttively she OWNED that
something had occurred, and she gave
him no rest until he told her the truth.
It seemed to her that fate could have
laiu no heavier burdens than those she
had already borne, until this last blow
came. She would have fallen to the
deck had not Hatfield supported her.
He endeavored, Of course, to comfort
her, but without success. Though the
Torbay was wrecked, they could see
that many of her men remained on
her, and she still held together. II
was quite likely that Grafton was safe,
he urged; in which event she would
soon see him.