Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-07-05
A IOSG SPLICE.
The Matrimonial Adventure of an Old
Z Z Sailor IL u = IL p =


The Matrimonial Adventure of an Old
aid a. q Sailor IcIz 5ie
"That boys name was Billy Tosley, ("
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 a
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 a 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 /; sometimes he
would make O chaps leg fast, and when
an 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 find
their boots stuffed full of oakum, 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-best in the long run. He was a
great favorite, too, was Billy, with all
hands, notwithstanding all his tricks,
cause he was such willin' lad when
any work was to be done, and I've seen
the tears stand in the eyes of that boy
when man has got ahead of him to
loose royal or to'gallan' sail. He had
good book-larnin', too, had Billy, and
could read and write wonderful, and it's
along of that same writing of his that I
got into this scrape I'm going to tell you
about. Billy was always fond of me,
and so was of him you see we was
shipmates in two or three ships togeth-
er, and of night nothing suited him
better than toget 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 was
different from the stories I spin you,
cause these is all true but I used to
lie by the fathom to him, and do
believe the bigger lied the better he
liked it. ............. ..
"'Spin us yarn now, Tom,' he'd
say, 'and let it be reg1ar twister, as
long as the main to'bowlin', and so I'd
go ahead, and tell him of all sorts of
things I'd seen on deep water voyages
round the capes, and among the natives
on the islands in the Pacific, and about
whalin' and all that; and he'd take it
all in, as innocent as if twas mothers
milk. That boy was sharp to learn, and
afore he'd been six months to sea there
warn't knot, from tom fools to o
Matthew Walker but what he was up
to; and afore him and / parted COM
pany for good he could just put two
ends of rope together as neat as most
anyone.
"'Twas in one of the Double T. line
where we was first shipmates, Billy and
I, but twas in Black Baller-the York
shire-when the thing happened that I
am going to tell you about. y
''I was up at public house that
used generally to fetch up at of an eve
ming, where the tenpenny ale would
make you cry like child-for more,
and you didn't need to take much more
either, afore you'd begin to talk of your
rich relations. Well, was up there, as
tell you, one night when the barmaid
says to me = Ia s. TaaETE E.tt1
Tom, do you know chap called
Jem Williams 2
"Of course I do, says I he's Sec
ond mate of bark that went to Glas-
Cow.
"' Exactly So says she, and he's
just the softest chap | ever knew. He
was here the voyage before this last one,
and he used to be up here continually.
didn't take much notice of him, says
she, "cause there's many that comes
cup here regular but see what letter
the soft fool has been sending me-
"Along of my going to this house for
couple of years or so, off and on, Pol
ly, the barmaid, and had got to be in
pretty intimate like, and I didn't like to
let her see that couldn't read writing,
which was the fact; SO says, Polly,
dear, just FIJI up my mug and bring me
some more 'baccy, and I'll just clap this
letter in my beckett and overhaul it when
gets leisure t.s..
I'm sure L don't care what you do
with it, says Polly; the softy, to write
such thing to me. = s,i.s
Well, I takes the letter down aboard
the ship, and the next day asks Billy
this boy that / told you about-if he
thought he could read it.
"'Of course ! cam says he; let's
have it,
$50 pulls the letter out of my pock-
ct, and that there boy read it right of
the reel the first time he tried, without
missing q word. y ps'9s ait
&c say, Tom, said Billy, after read
ing the letter, the chap that writ that
is an awful fiat el.t
"Of course he is saysI I, and that's
just what Polly said a'.
"'The young woman he's sweet on,
says Billy. M 3e seg =.