The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-08-04
A Story Of the
Spanish Armada
By EllNOR MARSH

INT otncE people OF lrlSn descent, eX
cept that the mother did not have the
clear. peachy Irish complexion, while
/ the children were brunettes. I remark
ed to the farmer upon this dark skin
of bis children. whereupon he told me
that there was Spanish blood in their
veins. Going to a desk, he took out a
manuscript and handed it to me. 1t
was written In woman's hand on
parchment and evidently was very old
| was sufficiently interested in it to
take copy of It, Here it is
1t was midsummer, 1888. when one
morning l was picking berries in the
field and stopped to rest. Looking out
over the bay, l saw a ship. Scattered
here and there far and near were other
ships. One of them was so close to
the shore that | could see the standard
she bore, and it was strange one.
The ship, which was large one and
with portfolios for guns. was coming
into the harbor. Her foremost was
gone, and what sails she carried were
in tatters
This was the year of the famous
Spanish armada We i'll the north OF
Ireland had heard something about the
: Spaniards intending to invade Eng
land. but we get little news from d
; land so far away. and we had not
heard that they had sailed up the Eng
fish channel; that there had been q
running fight; that many of the Span
| ish ships had been wrecked in a storm
: that the rest, cut off from returning t
! Spain over the course they had come
, had sailed to the northward of tn,
Orkney islands and were coming
southwark around the west coast o
Ireland to get back home.
!. This ship l saw came into port evi
) IDENTIFY in distress We had no means
) of defending ourselves. Indeed, W.
Q needed no defense, for the ship came
/ in only to make such repairs as nigh
) enable her to make the voyage bacl
II to Spain.
went down to the shore where
watched boat coming from the ship
1t landed near where stood, and tn
: sailors carried man wrapped in blan
u kets on to the beach and laid him OF
q the sand The sun was shining, AM
:, the sand was warm and not hard to Ii
! upon. The sailors left the man, re
: turned TO their boat and pulled bac
; to the ship.
| went to the man and looked dow
upon him His eyes were closed; bu
!" hearing me, he opened them. He wa
: no doubt very ill or much reduced froI
!. exposure. He spoke n little Englis
and told me that he had been wount
ed fighting in the English channel. Th
rolling of the ship greatly injure
: him and he had begged his con
: rades to take him ashore. II not re
:, cued BY some landsman he would pr
fer to die there rather than on shil
:. board.
- He seemed greatly relieved to be l.
: ing where he was, so l left him to
to the house and tell father and moth'
- about him | took back to him son
milk, which he drank and seemed
II relish. Father was not minded to SAY
NJ a hated Spaniard from death, but
ie last | prevailed upon him to go wit
me to the stranger. and when faith
saw him and that he was very youI
y and we'll favored he would have ca
ut ried him to the house but the inval
nreferred to remain where he was
70 long as the sun shone upon him al
the breeze famed his cheek.
TX Rut when evening came he was I
moved TO our house, where ! gave hi
In some bread and honey for supper, al
he was laid upon bed and at once Il
d. into sleep from which he did II
as awaken till the next day at noon. L
ISL first question he asked was Whetn
so the ship that had brought him III
lie sailed and when told that it had
IF was much cast down, for he said tn
>. he felt much stronger and would ma
at returned to Spain In her.
Fir These things he communicated pa
err. ~ In English words and partly
DIS signs. Nc one except myself couid
NJ | dnrstand him, so whenever he wish
BIZ to communicate anything he did
se through me. nursed him and prep
i'd cd his meals for him, and ne wo'
in not permit any one else to do anythl
ay for him.
en By the time he had recovered
be- Spanish ship that had been wreck
but had been repaired was ready
in sail for Spain, and the Spaniard s.
i've word TO her commander that he wo
BILE 90 with him as one of the crew.
boat was sent for him, and ne Oh
goodby to father and mother and
ar children. | went with him to the pl
of where the boat was waiting Tor
put we never reached 1t. Look
TX. down from an eminence upon the %
tried to permit him to go TO IT,
hi could not, nor could he leave me-
hat remained where we were, ard WI
inc tbe night was coming on the san
emf pulled away and left us. =
7 have written this that my chiid
NJ and nv children's children may Kn
how It came abont that the blood