Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1867-10-25
A VALUABLE NECKLACE.

talk about cheap living"
We were sitting by the little stove in the
little parlor Of the little Gotta ge that my wife
aud had just moved into II was the first
house that we had occupied as sole tenants,
aud we were very proud of it. The first
quarters rent having been pail in advance,
we felt that the premises were our own, and
took liberties accordingly. Instead of keep
ing the rarlor for state occasions We used it
ourselves, considering it none too fine for that
purpose, and were cracking nuts and drinking
cider therein on this particular evening.
1t is great luxury to be able to do what
one will in ones own house; and when my
friend John came in with his wife to spend
the evening" it gave me no little pleasure to
offer him cigar and to smoke with him.
without fear Of having some sharp-visaged
landlady poking her outra ged nose among the
curtains and laughing and making unpleas-
ant remarks about the s'nasty smoke" for .
week afterward.
And as we sat there smoking and slipping
cider, the conversation turned upon the cost
of living-the high rents, the high prices that
We have to pay for everything, from butter to
bonnets, from candles to cassimeres, compar-
ed with those of the good old days of hard
money.
talking about cheap living" said John !;
1.-THE cheapest that ever found was among
the Kanakas.'
"Orderr - said my wife, who attends the
sessions of the General Assembly OCCASION
ally.
"The gentleman from the Pacific has the
floor
sit was about eighteen years ago." continu-
ed John, "that ran away from home and
shipped on board whaler bound for the
North Pacific. We had not been out in the
blue water long when we found that our cap.
tain was on overbearing tyrannical brute
How he could swear! The seventeen corner
ed high Dutch oaths that you read about are
nothing to the torrent of curses that he let
loose whenever things didn't suit him-which
was always. The cat was his remedy for
VsVi thsAS tHoS WuS WAVuk, Uuu hC hVPt ~ kO'
ing lively. There was q little Portuguese
who fell overheard one day, and rs soon as
We had re scued him the captain had him
strung up and gave him round dozen.
So Won tha, we hadn't very cheerful
enc OF it, and you don't wonder that we
watched for chances 10 run away. l found
no opportunity to do this until one night while
we were lying in harbor about thirty miles
above Honolulu into which we had been
driven BY stress Of weather. There we're five
Of US on watch-four old shell backs to
watch the ship and myself to watch them. As
was mere boy, the captain thought that
wouldn't dare to run away, and had been
made to understand that il any Of the others
did, and didn't givssthe alarm, 1 should ~
the captain expressed it, catch little star
epangled h-ll.' But had determined to leave
with the rest, and prepared myself by steal
ing about 1--WE pounds Of tobacco which put
inta handkerchief and tied around my neck.
You ladies may turn up your pretty noses at
this but it was the most valuable necklace
that l ever wore.
"When oil hands except the watch were
asleep We quietly lowered boat and pulled
for the shore. The water. was pretty rough,
but We got along finely until We were within
about half . mile Of land, when sqall struck
US and upset the boat. There was no use in
trying TO right her, so We had to swim for 1t.
II was trickish business, for the harbor was
full of sharks, and the thought Of furnishing
one Of them with the material for midnight
banquet was decidedly tiisagreeahle. would