The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-05-31

Sl6 WlQQOW, lOOhluH 1ASseSSsty oAs ~
raised his eyes. so,
HWill YOU let me take light, my friend Z
i.Certainly, sir" said he, rising and stlrIing
the Goals in the ships stove, the enln1nes-pipe
Of which, passed out of one Of the windows.
The old man, as he stood up, looked very
much like the cottage he hyed IN. In hls uay
he had been upright and strong; out aEu, TO
hard and rough weather, oar STv oeM sna thin
like the thatch, and his gray dreamy eyes re-
fiected the sunlight. and seemed 10 t'e
.wlth his heart, and that was far away"
asked him if he lived all alone.
II do now, sir, since my old woman died
Two year ago come Christmas" ,
Don't Won feel dull all by yourseiE!
s'Il is very lonely like; but don't care to see
people much now, they're all go busy WITT
their own concerns. I was busy, too, slr,
once"
sighed. As he paused, answered that there
were many people who were not altegethei
taken up With their own affairs, and who would
be clad to come and cheer him up and chat
with him. r, y
"Well, sir, The parson does come to me
sometimes. He is kind man. and was good
to me in my trouble-I like to hear his step on
the door. he don't talk one to death: He
tells mo what I can understand-for In nc nc
scholar Ahe tells me we shall meet, up sooVe
with those we've parted from down here"
:. he seemed quite overcome by the few words
be had said, and his eyes was full OF tears as
he turned to the window and stood Tor some
time gazing silently out tn sea.
How pltied this solitary man IN his ola age,
berett OF his helpmate. He seemed 30 SAD,
wish to hear something more OF his lIfe; but
did not like to press him to tell me his story
lust then, 80 1 continued pufingzm my cigar in
silence, to give him time to recover bis se'
rsnity.
After long pause he began again, and
listened.
'This time two years ago, Sir, my great
trouble came upon me; can't get over IT, and
never shall now Every lime she ta h. o. the ae
drop, and the wind to roar at night, l seem to
live it all over again."
ut is two years, is II, since your poor vile
died 2"
II. is two years, sir, since my wife and my
boy Joe and me lived here altogether. Them
two bosts as you see little way down the
beach were ours then. We had third too.
.gallsg-pupt;' but I've sold them TWO now. fo1
I small never go afoat again. Ny boy and
could get good living out Of them. There
was not much doing in summer time. nor yet
IN smooth weather, but we used to SO out with
the lines or the nets; and somelimeswe'd make
a good take Of mackerel, and sell many score Of
them to the London people,. And Bo. We rub
bed along. and now and then Joe would get q
job to pilot a vessel up channel.
."lhe summer is always our hard time.. it1s
our winter, you see, sir; and we are more like
II to knock at the workhouse-door at mldsum'
Iner than we are at Christmas.
"We are not like the shore-goinR people,
Wa reap our harvest off the sea, and the rough.
er it is the better crops We get, you know.
ssJoe was frstrate seaman and regula!
pilot he was, and as fine lad as ever stepped
on the forecastle Of q ship. he was but TWEEN
ty-four, and never saw the like Of bim, though
he wss my son-and good son, too, to his old
mother and me. He had never given US
days trouble in all his life; and, Lor', how We
ddsspye thai boy, sir he was our all--our- OIL
he was
"There was not boatman nor pilo. in the
channel as could come near him. he knew
the coast all about as well as he dld the path
up to this cottaae-door. He could take q Yes-
sci anywhere. II he missed his port aud was
driven TO leeward, he knew what to do-where
he could anchor, all the shoals and tides AMI
currents, aud all the rest of 1t; and as lor
handling q boat, 1t was sight to see Joe IN
gale Of wind. he was always hrst when there
was job to be had. And waenever that bel
out yonder used to ring-l mean the bell that
Call1 IOg0tu6T d CI6H W uau tAO 44@CrSUOht-hS
was fret into her when there was chance. OF
saving hfe. aud nothing to be got by it but
perhaps to lose his own. Alb, there's many o
poor fellow would be floating about on bis face
now IN the green water if it hadn't been for
Joe.
'"He was our only child. sir, and he loved bis
mother and me, he did, and worked band for
us both. He didn't care bit for himself, He
was always wanting me to stay ashore,
Father. be used to say, you're getuog too old
for rohgh water. You must lay up. You shall
do the summer work and leave the winter 10
me- But though / knew Joe would have
worked tt he dropped tor US, wasn't the
man 10 give up-though was old-as long as
i could keep going.
"We got through many hsrd summers and
long spells Of what folks call fine weather, till
the eky began to look dark and the ram to
drive and the wind to roar; and then the ship;
would run up channel and signal for pilots
want anchors and chains apd sl kinds OF gear
Then our good time would begin-they couldn'
do without us then. Joe and aud two o.
three more Of us used to put OF through thu
Rrf and many good bit OF work we've hat
O. winter nights, aud shared sometimes five
and NAV be ten, pound man. A few Job
Like that, you know, would help to keep VI
through the dull time,
.'WeIl, sir, it was one dayi September, ai
it might be now. We'd bad smooth wea, be-
for near TWO months-there was nothing doing
Joe and lot mere of 'em was lying about tbt
beach in the sun, grumbling dreadful.
"'Curse this fine weather, father; it lasts
much longer, it will be the min Of us. NJ
ships coming up:channel. Those that do, don'
want. us; they'd rather fipd their own wa,
about than pay for pilot. Ii they've got one
aboard and want 70 land him, they'll send bin
ashore in their own boat rather than give III
q chance OF earning shilling or two. I cal
that sneaking, do. Then 10 winter, whe1
they've. sprung leak, or have got upon tb'
sand and want help, they'll pretty nigh go o1
their knees to us then, they will. Suoshine il
the day and moonlight at night, and ligh
breeze, is bad lookout, amt 1t, father 2
"Never mind, my boy" says I. "Don't you
curse no weather; 1t all comes from God al
mighty; il it amt good for as, it's good fol
others. We can't have 1t all our own way"
"Iben Joe would say, Its only for you ant
mother as want work. can't abide to See
you put to it for every pipe OF tobacco as 1
you couldn't afford it. And then he'd set uI
whistling, aud he'd 60 off to see Mary Scott
many years; and the old mother and used to
think he'd make her good husband, and thai
she was In luck-though we didn't somehow
care much about her. She wasn't staunct
enough for such steady good lad as our Joe
but he did not think 30. They had been chD
dren together; and had never b sen apart since
they used to go out with their hare ieet to lool
for muscles on the rocks, or for away on The
sand ct low tide to dig for bait for the lines
She always said she never would have no ont
but him But as she grew up, the old mother
and thought she did not care so much fol
our boy, and seemed to be on with Tom Viii
liams. Well, Tom is fine fellow, too, and 6
friend Of my sons. They worked together fol
ten years OF more, and never fell out once
They we're both lnsthe lifeboat on that wile