River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-04-25
A STORY FOR BOYS.

The Boy Hcro-An Old Sailors Yarn.
Bout three years ago, afore / got this
berth as I'm in now, was secold en-
gineer aboard Liverpool steamer
bound for New York. There 'ad been
been lot Of extra cargo sent down Just
at the last minutes, and we'd had no
end of a job stowin it away, and that
ran us late o. startin; so that, alto
gether, as you may think, the cap'n
warn't altogether in the sweetest tenn
per in the world, nor the mate neither !;
as for the chief engineer, he was an
easy-goin' SORT O. chap, as nothin' on
earth could put out. But on the morn
in of the third day out from Liverpool,
he come down to me IN precious hur-
~, lookin' as if somethin' had put him
out pretty considerably.
"Tom, " says he, "what We think
Blest if we amt found a stowawey.'
That's the name, you know, sir, as we
give to chaps as hides themselves
aboard outward bound vessels, and
gets carried out unbeknown to every
body.)
'FThe dickens you have" says [.
"Who is he and where did you find
him."
"Well, we found him slowed away
in the casks for'ard; and ten to one
we'd never ha' twigged him at all if the
shippers dog hadn't shifted him out
and begin barhin'. Stitch little mite
as he is too could Almost put him
in my baccy-poucb, poor little begger,
but he looks to be good plucked I'm
for all that
/ did't want to hear no more, but up
on deck like a sky rocket; and there /
did see a sight and no mistake. Every
man-Jack o. the crew, and what few
passengers We had aboard, was all IN a
ring on the fo'c'stle, and in the middle
stood the first mate, lool1in' as black
as thunder. Raght in front of him,
lookin' reg lar mite amonga all of them
big fellers, was a little bit o. lad not
ten years old-ragged as a scarecrow,
but with bright curly hair and a bonnie
little face OF his own, if it hadn't been
SO woful thin and pale. But bless your
soul to see the way that little chap
held his head up, and looked about
him, you'd ha' thought the whole shlp
belonged to him. The mate was a
great hulkln' black bearded Teller, with
look that nd Ia frightened a horse,
and a voice fit to make one jump
through keyhole; but the young un
warnt bit afeaTd-he stood straight
np, 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 after
wards lowering his voice to a whisper)
as how he coined o. better blood nor
what he ought and, for my part, I'm
rather o. that way o. thinking myself !;
for / never yet seed common street
Harab Gas they calls 'em now carry it
off like him. You might Ia heerd a
pin drop, as the mate spoke.
"Well, you young whelp," says he,
in his grlmmest voice, "what's brought
you herei"
1T was my stepfather as done it, !"
says the boy in a weak little voice, but
as steady as could be. Gathers dead,
and mothers married again, and my
new father says as how he won't have
no new brats about, eatin' up his wages,
and he slowed me away when nobody
warn't looking, end he guy me some
grub to keep me goin' for a day or two
I'LL got TO sea. He says I'm to go to
Aunt Jane at Halifax; and here's her
address"
And with that he slips his hand into
the breast of his SHIRT, and out with q
scrap o. paper, awful dirty and crum-
pied up, but with the address on it,
right enough.
We all believed every word ont, ever
without the paper; for lis look, and
his voice, and the way he spoke was
enough TO show that there warn't 9
ha'porth o. lyin' in has whole skin. But
the mate didn't seem TO swaller the
yarn at ALL he only shrugged his
shoulders with a kind Of grin, as
much as to say, ~ am too old Q
bird 60 be caught with that kind o
ehafi," and then he says to him:
"Look here, my lad that's al very
fne, but it won't do hers--some OF
these men o mine are in the secret,
and ] mean TO have it out of 'em. Now
you inst point out the man as slowed
you away and fed you, this very
minute; il you don't, it'll fare the worse
for you!"
The boy looked up in his bright,
fearless way (it did my heart good tc
look at him, the brave little chap !!
aud says, quite quietly, "I've told you
the truth, amt got no more to say.