A Schoolgirl's Heroism
On
a summer day, in 1904, Miss Maude Titus, a pupil in the
Newark (N.J.) high school, was taking a sail with some
friends in Casco Bay. The boat was going very swiftly,
and in the sudden lurch caused by changing its course,
the captain and his daughter, Miss Titus, and another
young girl, fell overboard.
A life buoy was thrown out, and by clinging to this the
captain and his daughter were rescued; but Miss Titus
and her friend, whose name was Miss Reifsnyder, were
left to struggle in the water alone. Both could swim a
little, under favorable circumstances, but in her great
and sudden fright, Miss Reifsnyder was helpless.
Miss Titus might have saved herself by striking out for
the boat, but she would not leave her friend. With the
utmost coolness and self-possession she kept herself
afloat, and at the same time held Miss Reifsnyder's
head above the water, until the boat had been safely
brought around and both were rescued.
Miss Titus's act of heroism has not often been equaled
by a schoolgirl, and the commissioners of
the Hero Fund rewarded her quite liberally. They gave
her a silver medal, and set aside one thousand dollars
to aid her in completing her education.
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