"'Oh, my lad,' said Granny, 'she can never weather such a sea as this!'"
"'Cheer up, old mother,' said I; 'cheer up, Polly, my lass; please God, we'll save some of them poor souls.'"
"I lost not a moment getting ready, and only stopped to kiss Polly and Granny and the children. Maybe I should never kiss them again, I said to myself."
"'Father,' said my little lass, 'here's a present for you;' and she put in my hand a little bit of newspaper, tied up with blue wool. I had no time to look inside, but I gave her a kiss, and tucked it inside my shirt, and off I went as fast as I could run to Peter's shed."
ON AN ERRAND OF MERCY.
"Our men were hurrying in from all directions. Nine had turned up when I got there, and the others came soon after. Our cork-jackets and our life-belts were hung up in their proper places in the boat-house, and we got them on in less time than I can tell you about it. Then we got the boat out, and put everything ready; and whilst they were yoking in the horses, to drag her down to the shore, I had just a moment to spare, and I pulled out little Jessie's parcel and looked what was in it. It was a little text-card she had got at the Sunday-school—her prettiest one, bless her! I read the text on it by the lamp in the boat-house. I wanted to have a look at it, for I did not know if I should ever see my little lass again. There were only three little words on Jessie's card, and I had them in my mind all night, Master Stanley. It was a little prayer:"
"LORD, SAVE ME!"
"I put the card back in my bosom, and away I went with the boat. Our lads had got four strong horses to drag her down to the sea, and we ran along beside them, ready to push her off and jump in as quickly as possible."
