The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-01-08
BILLY BUTTONS.
BY NORMAN MACLEOD, D. D.
CHAPTER his BIRTH.


In my wanderings over the earth,
| have met all sorts Of ancient mar
liners, who have spun their yarns to
me. Sometimes it wa when pacing
the deck under the Stars. as the ves-a
sci howled along with the waves surg
ing at her bows aud the breeze whist
ling among the rigging. Again 1t would
be in out Of the-W8y hooks, when
neither Of US knew the others name.
And at other times 1t was by the sick
bed, when it was good to divert the
sufferers thoughts from the present
to the past, thus enabling his mind.
too much strained on "one tack, "'to
put about on another, and to ease
some of its ropes by laying the stress
upon others. | have met so many OF
this class that my mind gets some
what confused when I attempt to re
call them individually. Yet L remem
Der we'll the old man that told me
about Billy Buttons. He had plough
ed over many a stormy sea, and had
had many adven INJURIES, which he could
relate with marvellous accuracy in
every detail. although he was desti-
tute of the sense ofwonder to discern
the wonders he had seen. Many
thing old Chancey told me that | not
only listened to with the deepest in
terest, but pondered over long after
his story was finished. To me his
narratives often shed a bright light
on the deepest recesses In human ma
ture-revealing at once loves, hates,
joys and grie3s; strange t50tsts, singu
lar combinations, odd mixtures of
motive, wild, abnormal outbursts Of
natural feeling, magnificent self-sacrl-
fee and brutal selfshness. He de-
scribed all things in his own simple
language, merely as facts whose mean
ing he could not deciDher except in
the most unsatisfactory manner He
was sort of seaborn Peter Bell, with
a little more of humanity in him.
Billy Buttons was one of Chancey's
stories. | cannot tell it as he did,
but l can tell the facts of the case, as
these were brought out by repeated
questionings during long evenings.
And since then | have had many OPP
portunities of verifying and of filling
up the narrative, which | now present
to the reader, not in strict historical
and chronological order, but in some
respects in a form truer than even
Chancey's own. He was just like
the soldier who got the Victoria
cross, but could not comprehend
why, epitomizing a long and deeply
interesting story by saying, : | saved
my officer-that was all; and what
was it?"
One evening a ship was getting
ready to sail from Valparaiso, when
she was boarded hy lady, who seem
ed to be lady indeed, if judged by
her sweet manners. Asking an inter-
view with the Captain, she told him
that her husband had suddenly been
called off by business to a distant
town, and that she had in the mean
time received letters from Scotland,
which made it necessary for her to re-
turn lone without waiting even to
| consult her husband, as property of
considerable value might be sacri-
feed by any delay on her part. She
/ stated her case in manner which at
! once inspired respect; and begging a
berth in the ship, she added, : Your
we'll known character, Captain Wau-
chope, encourages me to ask this ia
vor, and to sail under your protection
only" She at the same time handed
to him the money for the passage.
The Captain was rather put about !;
but there was a SOnlething-who
does not know the marvellous power
over the spirit of these " some
things (Which obliged him to say
yes, apart from the natural desire, for
the sake of his owners, to obtain the
handsome sum which was offered for
the cabin He felt that others nigh t
consider his position an awkward one
but he had an instructive feeling that
all was natural, simple, upright, and
that the request was made by true
woman.
The lady was accompanied by one
female friend, with whom she con
versed long and earnestly, and from
whom she parted with an embrace
which was often repeated.
Wauchope was not at ali, it must be
confessed, what is called "a religious
man." yet, poor fellow We'll, it is
not for me to defend him for what
could be fairly charged against him
Alas! he swore badly, often outra-
geously Was he bad tempered? No
Unkind? A heart more sympathetic
with suffering never beat. Was he
unjust? Ask his crew, and hear theil
verdict in his favor. How could this
great fault, then, be accounted for
! That is problem | am not called
upon to solve, if, indeed, it i;
capable of solution. No gooC
excuse can be found for what i:
wrong. But | may give his own expla
nation of it, and the gentle reader
can then draw what conclusions h,
nleases. putting Wauchope in tn;