Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1914-05-25
The Story Of "Mrs.
Rescue"
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1914, by Associated Lit
erary Press.

Indies, in the American ship Ben Joyce
when Il curious thing happened one
morning about an hour before day
light. | was digging my eyes and
fighting away sleep when n curious
sound from over the bows caught my
ear AS l listened to the noise the
only thing | could compare it to was
the noses of sharks humping up
against Il small boat 1t would have
been ridiculous to call to the mate and
give him any such wild explanation,
but finally called his attention to the
curious noises and left the cause to his
own perception.
There's raft or boat out there
he said after moment, "and the noise
may he made by oars. I'll burn port
fire.
The port fire lighted up the sea for
a hundred feet around. and the first
thing we saw was 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 a
woman, and all around the boat the
sea was alive with sharks. AS soon as
we caught sight of the boat the mate
ran to call the captain. BY the time
the captain arrived the boat had drift
ed right down against us. and one Of
the crew lowered himself into her and
made fast the painter Then | 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-
ed by all as q sailor. As we picked up
the woman. having not doubt that
! she was dead also. she moved and ut
! tered grOan. We had her on board
after a couple Of minutes. and the
small boat, which was captains gig,
new and without name, was later
| hOiSted up.
The woman awoke to find herself
aboard of Il strange ship. with strange
men around her. She was handsome,
well formed woman. English in looks
and speech and about thirty years of
| age. Her apparel was fine and costly,
but she wore no jewelry and had
neither purse nor cardcase. When
asked how she came to he ut sea in
the gig. what her name was. if she
had visited Madeira or the Azores, If
she lived in England, she could tell
nothing. She began new life when
she opened her eyes in the cabin OF
the 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 off to n ship or from a ship
to shore ut some Of the islands.
That's the way we figured it out.
and it looked reasonable enough. and,
of course, the right thing to DO was
! to leave the woman at Trinidad and
report the case as widely as possible.
Queerly enough. she fought and baffled
this plan. Our captain was a good
| looking man, and. feeling that she
owed him her life and doubtless being
rather romantic by nature, what did
she do but fall in love with him. That
is only half the story. He fell head
over 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 n wife,
though she had no finger ring to prove
it. think he saw things as an honor
able man should. and yet he could not
help loving her. When we reached
Trinidad he notified the English con-
sui. placed the woman in the house
hold Of n friend and then sailed for
the port of New York.
The story of our picking up the liv-
ing and the dead was published far
and wide. The publication of that
story all over the world did not solve
the 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
one single point Of memory she was
stranger TO herself. She had no
by chance. After marriage the cap
tain left the sea and went into the
ship chandlery business in Brooklyn.
One evening two years after the we'd
ding the captain of an English tramp
steamer just in called to ask for some
information. He complained Of not
being well. and. one thing leading TO
another. he finally related a tale of
woe. Several years before, while his
ship was at the Azores. his wife. who
had been sent ashore in the morning.
attempted to return about nightfall.
just as 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
so affected the husband that he was Ill
Of brain fever for months. and he had
never read line OF her rescue I'm mid
ocean. There was the husband at last.
and Captain Clark realized that he had
rights before him. They were alone IN
the office. and perhaps he thought Of
killing the man who had come to break
up his happy home. II was only
qfau IN tho n1,,a ~ tbn .If,, .uI ,a.