Beaufort Republican. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1871-1873, 1873-07-17
A LONG SPLICE.

The Matrimonial Adventure OF an Old
"That boys name was Billy Toaley,"
it was the old mariner. who was talking,
"and if ever there was an imp of mis-
chief it was that boy. There wasn't
anything in the way of skylarking but
what he was up to, and it didn't matter
a pin to him who he played his tricks
on, whether officers or men. Sometimes
he'd catch a chap caulking on deck OF o
night, and just put the draw bucket full
of water somewhere overhead, on the
rail or upon the house, and make fast
one end of rope yarn to the bucket
and the other to the chap asleep, so that
when he jumped up sudden he'd pull
over the bucket onto himself or onto
some of the other chaps 4; sometimes ne
would make chaps leg fast. and when
m order was given to brace the yards or
to make or to take in sail, the chap would
start sudden and find himself down on
the deck in no time. Frequently, the
whole watch, on turning out, would md
their boots stuffed full of oaknm, or the
sleeves of their jackets turned inside
out, or some games of that sort, and it
was always that whelp that did the job.
Licked he was, of course, but it only
made him worse, and the fellow that
whipped him was sure to come off sec.
ond-hest in the long run: He was a
great favorite, too, was Billy, with all
hands, Notwithstanding all his tricks,
cause he was such a willin' lad when
any work was tn be done, and I've seen
the tears stand in the eyes OF that boy
when a man has got ahead Of him to
loose q royal or to'gallan' sail. He had
good book-larnin', too, had Billy, and
could read and write wonderful, and lt't
along of that same writing Of his that
got into this scrape I'm going to tell you
about. Billy was always fond OF me
and so was I of him you see we wat
shipmates in two or three ships togeth
er, and of o night nothing suited hin
better than to get down alongside of me
and get me to spin him yarn I was
always good at yarnin', but then the
twisters used to reel off to him wa
different from the stories I spin yon
cause these is all true but I used t.
lie by the fathom to him, and l d.
believe the bigger I lied the better h
liked it.
"Spin us yarn now, Tom, he't
cay, and let it he a regular twister, a
| long az the main to'bowlin, and so IL
20 ahead, and tell him of all sorts o
things I'd seen on deep water voyage
round the capes, and among the native
on the islands in the Pacific, and abou
whalin' and all that; and he'd take !
all in, as innocent as if twas mother
milk. That boy was sharp to learn. ant
afore he'd been six months to sea ther
warn't knot, from 'Tom-fools' to
Matthew Walker but what he was u
to; and afore him and [ parted com
pany for good he could just put tw
ends of rope together as neat as mos
anyone. ,,,,,.
"'Twas in one of the Double L. lin
where we was first shipmates, Billy an
I, but twas in Black Baller-the York
shire-when the thing happened that
am going to tell you about.
"I was up at a public house that
used generally to fetch up at of an eve
ming. where the tenpenny ale woul
make you cry like child-for more
and YOU didn't need to take much NOR
either, afore you'd begin to talk of you
rich relations. Well, I was up there, q
I tell you, one night when the barmai
says to me: =,
"'Tom, do you know chap calle
Jem Williams
"'Of course I do, says I /; 'he's SCI
ond mate of O bark that went to Gla.
gow.'
Exactly so,' says she, 'and he
Just the softest chap ever knew. ID
was here the voyage before this last ont
and he used to be up here continual.
I didn't take much notice OF him, say
she, "cause there's a many that come
I'D here regular but see what O lette
the soft fool has been sending me-
"Along of my going to this house fc
couple of years or 40, off and on, 70
ly, the barmaid, and I had got to he
pretty intimate-like, and didn't like
let her see that couldn't read writing
which was the fact /; so I says, Poll.
dear, just fill up my mug and bring N
some more 'baccy, and I'll just clap th
letter in my beckett and overhaul it who
I gets leisure
"'I'm sure I don't care what you 3
with it, says Polly; the softy, to wri
such n thing to me-
"Well, takes the letter down ahoal
the ship, and the next day I asks Bli
this boy that told you about-if
thought he could read it.
"Of course I can, says he; let
haveit.'
"So 7 pulls the letter ont OF my poe
ct, and that there hoy read it right
the reel the first time he tried, witho'
missing word.
"tI say, Tom, said Billy, after rea'
ing the letter, the chap that writ tn
4 is an awful fat ~.
"Of course he is saysI 'and that
just what Polly said
"'The young woman he's sweet OF