The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-03-27

.-7ss-I 4
SDAY ~
him, you'd ha' thought the whole ship
| belonged to him. The mate was q
/ great, hulkiu' black-bearded feller.
with look that 'ud ha' frightened q
horse, and voice fit TO make one
jump through a key-hOle but the
yOug IN warn't q bit afeared-he
stood straight up, and looked him full
in the face with them bright, clear
eyes o. hIs'n, for all the world as if
he was Prince Hatred himself Folk
did say afterwards lowering his voice
to Whisper 'as how he comed' o
better blood nor what he ought; and
for my part, I'm rayther o. that way
o thinkin' myself; for never yet
seed a common street-Harab (as they
calls 'em now carry it off like him.
You might ha' heerd a pin drop, as
the mate spoke.
"Well, you young whelp," says he
in his grimmest voice, whats brought
you here ~
at was my step-father as done il,
says the boy in a weak little voice, but
as steady as could be. "Fatheris dead,
and mothers married again, and my
new father says as how he won't have
no brats about eatin' up his wages /;
/ and he slowed me away when nobody
warn't looking and guv me some
| grub to keep me goin' for a day or
two till got to sea. He says Pm to
go to Aunt Jane at Halifax and
! here's her address"
HAnd with that, he slips his hand
| into the breast of his shirt, and out
with a scrap o. paper, awful dirty and
crumbled up, but with the address on
/ il, right enough.
% We all believed every word ont,
even without the paper; for his look,
and his voice, and the way he spoke,
was enough to show that there warn't
ha'porth O'lyin' in his whole skin.
| But the mate didn't seem to swallar
/ the yarn at all he only shrugged his
shoulders with a kind o'grin, as much
as to say: "Pm too old bird to be
caught with that kind o. chaff ~ and
theh he says to him "Look here, my
lad that's all very fine but it won't
do here-sOme Of these men o. mine
are in the secret, and mean to have
it out of 'em. Now, you just point out
the man as slowed you away and fed
you, this very minute if you don't,
| it'll be the worse for you ~
i'The boy looked up in his bright,
fearless way (it did my heart good to
| look at him, the brave little chap p
and says, quietly: "I've told you
the truth 1 amt got any more to
say"
f'The mate says nOthin', but lOoks
at him for q minute as ifhe'd see clean
through him and then he faced
round to the men, lOOkin' blacker
than ever. "Reeve rope to the yardn'
he sings out, loud enough to raise the
dead "smart now !"
''The men all looked at eacL other,
as much as to say: what on earth's
a-comin' now p But aboard ship, o
course, when you're told to do a thing,
you got to do it so the rope was rove
in jiffy.
"Now, my lad" says the mate, in a
hard, square kind o. voice, that made
every word seem like fittin' q stone
into a wall, "yOu see that 'ere rope ?
Well, I'll give you ten minutes to con-
fessn (he took out his watch and held
it in his hand); "and if you don't tell
the truth afore the times up, I'll hang
you like dog ?"
"The crew all stared at one another
as if they couldn't believe their ears
II didn't believe mine, can tell ye),
and then a low growl went among
'em, like a wild beast a-Wakin' out of
a nap.
"Silence there !" shouts the mate,
in a voice like the roar of a nOr'-
easter. "Stand by to run for'ard ~
and with his own hands he put tt e
moose round the boys neck. The lit
tie felIer never flinched a bit but
there were some among the sailors
(big, strong chaps as could ha' felled
OK as shook like leaves in the wind.
As for me, 1 bethOught myself O. Hly
little curly-haired lad at home, and
how it 'ud be if any one was to go for
to hang him and at the very thought
ont tingled all over, and my fingers
clinched themselves as if they was a.
grippin' somebody's throat. 1 clutch
ed hold o. a handspike, and held it be-
hind my Lack, all ready.
'Tom," whispers the chief-engineer |
to me, "d' ye think he really means
to do it ?''
"I don't know" says I through my |
first, If swing for it 20
'I've been in many an ugly scrape |
in my time but 1 never felt 'arf as
bad as L did then. Every minute |
seemed as long as a dozen; and the |
tick o. the mates watch reg'la prick |
ed my ears like apin. The men were
very quiet, but there was a precious |
ugly look on some o. their faces ; and |
L noticed that three or four OH 'em
KEEP edgin' fOr'ard to where the mate |
was standin', in a way that meant |
mischief. AS for me, I'd made up |
my mind that if he did go for to hang |
the poor little chap, ID kill him on
the spot, and take my chance.
"Eight minutes p' says the mate, |
his great deep voice breakin' in upon |
the silence like the toll o. a funeral |
bell "If you've got anything to con-
fess, my lad, you'd best out with it,
for yer times nearly up"
"rve told you the TRUTH" answer
ed the boy, very pale, but as firm as
ever. May 1 say my prayers,
please ?'
"The mate nodded and down goes |
the poor little chap on his knees with |
that internal rope about his neck all |
the time), and puts up his poor little
hands to pray. 1 couldn't make out |
what he said fact, my head was in |
stitch a whirl that I'd hardly ha' !
knoWed my own name), but Fll be !
bound God heard it, every word. |
Then he ups on his feet again, and
puts his hands behind him, and says
to the mate, quiet quietly: "pm
ready w
"And then, sir, the mates hard
grim face broke up all to once, like
I've seed the ice in the Baltic. He
snatched up the boy in his arms, and
kissed him, and bust out a-cryin' like
a child and think there warn't one
of us as didn't do the same. know
did, for one.
'fGod bless you, my boy !" says he,
smoothin' the child's hair with his
great hard hand. "YOu re a true
Englishman every inch of you you
wouldn't tell lie to save your life 4!
Well, if so be as yer fathers cast ye
off, I'll be yer father from this day
forth and if ever forget you, then
may God forget me ~
"And he KEEP his word too. When
we got to Halifax, he found out the
little un's aunt, and giv' her a lump o.
money to make him comfortable; and
now he goes to see the yOungster every
voyage, as reg'lar as can be; and to
see the pair on 'em tOgether-the little
chap so fond o. him, and not bearin'
him Bit o. grudge-it's bout as pref
ty sight as ever L seed. And now,
sir, AKIN yer parding, it's time for me
to be goin' below; so Pll just wish
yer goodnight"
A'Bus Drivers Revenge.
Jehu said to me, "When 1 was a
driyini on the KnickerbOcker,n - q line