The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-04-17
The Story Of Mrs.
Rescue"
By N. QUAD
Copyright. 1914. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

We were between the Azores and
Madeira, bound for a port in the West
Indies, In the American ship Ben Joyce
when a curious thing happened mi
morning about an hour before day.
light was digging my eyes and
fighting away sleep when a curious
sound from over the bows caught my
Ear. As l listened to the noise the
only thing l could compare it to was
the noses Of sharks humping up
against a small boat. 1t would have
been ridiculous to call to the mate and
give him any such wild explanation.
but I finally called his attention to the
curious noises and left the cause to his
OWE perception.
There's q raft or a boat out there"
he said after q moment, land the noise
may be made by oars. I'll burn a port
Are"
The port fire lighted up the sea for
q hundred feet around. and the first
thing we saw was q ships boat within
forty feet Of us on the port bow. In
the bottom Of the boat were two hu-
man figures, and one Of them was q
woman, and all around the boat the
e was alive with sharks. As sooD as
We caught sight Of the boat the mate
nan to call the captain. By the time
the captain arrived the boat had drift.
Cd right down against Us and n of
the crew lowered himself into her and
made fast the painter. Then l got
down to assist him. and we passed up
the %bodies-the man first. We might
Just as well have dropped him into the
sea. for he had been dead for twenty
four hours at least he was recOgniz-
"a BY all a. q sailor. As w picked up
the woman. having not a doubt that
she was dead also. she moved and ut
tered q groan. We had her on board
after a couple Of minutes. and the
small boat. which was a captains gig.
new and without a name. was later
hslsted up.
The woman awoke to find herself
aboard of a strange ship. with strange
men around her. She was a handsome.
we'll formed woman. English in looks
and speech and about thirty years Of
age. Her apparel was fine and costly.
but she o NJ jewelry and had
neither a purse nor a cardcase. When
asked how she came to be at e In
the gig, what her name was, If she
had visited Madeira or the Azores, II
80 lived in England, she could tell
Dething. She began a new life when
she opened her eyes In the cabin OF
Ne Joyce. After three or four days
both cabin and fo'castle came to the
same conclusion. which was this: The
sailor must have been rowing the
woman OF to q ship or from . ship
- shore Ut some Of the islands
That's the way We figured It out.
ard Il looked reasonable enough. and.
q course, the right thing to do was
= leave the woman ct Trinidad and
Deport the case % widely - possible.
Queefiy enough, she fought and banned
this plan. Our captain was q good
hoidng man. and. feeling that she
ewed him her life and doubtless being
IatAer romantic by nature. what did
sAe do bat fall In love With him! That
= only half the story. he fell head
ever heels In love with her. The posi-
ton was most embarrassing for him.
however. All Of US agreed that the
woman was or had been 4 wife,
though she had no finger ring to prove
IT. I think he saw things a an honor
able man should, and yet be could not
help loving her. When we reached
Trinidad he notified the English con
sul. placed the woman in the house
bold Of q friend and then sailed for
tho port Of New York.
The story Of our picking up the nv-
ing and the dead was published far
and wide. The publication Of that
story all v e the world did not solve
he mystery. No husband came for
ward: no relatives wrOte.
When three years had elapsed and
still no news had come the two were
married. The woman had not recovered
ene single point Of memory. She was
q stranger 70 herself. She had no
country. no relatives, no name except
By chance. After marriage the cap
tain left the e and went into the
ship chandlery business In Brooklyn.
One evening two years after the wed
ding the captain Of IN English tramp
steamer just in called to ask for some
Information. He complained Of not
being well. and. one thing leading to
another, he anally related a tale Of
woe Several years before. while his
ship was at the Asores. his wife. who
had been sent ashore. In the morning.
attempted to return about nightfall.
Just ~ a squall was coming up. The
boat upset and the occupants were
lost. They found neither the boat nor
the bodies, but there was no doubt
Of the calamity. The loss Of the wife
% affected the husband that he was III
Of brain fever for months. and be had
never read a line of her rescue In mid
ocean. There was the husband at last.
and Captain Clark realized that he had
= H -