The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1874-12-02
won't to South America round the Horn

won't to South America round the Horn
AMI was gone three years, and come
ba.k second mate. Then he went to
China, and had no end of luck. His
captain and first mate died on board
theship, as did good many of the
crev, and Jack br; ught the vessel into
Bosom most by himself, and was made
captain and had all kinds of favors
shown him. You see, sir, I have been
third mate more nor once on long
v'y,ge, but someho " or other no such
LUCK never come to me. Well, Jack
haf brought from China curious kind
of basket for his true-love, and had
made regular hot-house of his ship
with queer kinds of China plants,
which wasn't common in them days in
tic United States. So now, as captain,
hemade bold to give the basket to her,
ana they both went 10 the old man and
tod their stories. No, sir, he couldn't
think of it. What, give his cheild to
one of them no-account ship captains
Mt if he know'd himself Well, at
last it was fixed up that Captain Jack
Should make another wage, and then,
i: she would have him, they should be
married. That was all the old man
would do, and them hard lines was
agreed to. Captain jack had new
ship a-building for him, for the China
;rade, as you know, was just busting in
hem days, and he wanted his owners
10 let him call his ship after his sweet
hearts name, but the old man wouldn't
let him. So says she to him one day {:
My dear love, in remembrance of me,
you'll have that basket of flowers put
on your ship, and just while your ship
floats I'll never forget you, nor must
you forget me- My wife, sir, as is at
Bridgeport, has got that part into
rhyme, something about your heart
smoats, and the ship she floats, but
! never was good on poetry, and just as
likely havn't got the hang of it. The
ship was launched, and that there iden-
tical basket was carved and put on her.
1t sin't stuck on, sir, but is cut right
ont of the timber, 30 as to be everlast-
ing.
ooh, he come back, sir but not at
the end of three years, nor in his own
ship. I'm Manila he took the fever, and
was left for dead, and she. the rich
mans cheild, was made to believe that
her sailor lover was gone, or didn't care
for her, SO after awhile she married
another fellow. I never heard she was
unhappy. My wife says she was but,
then, women, you know, sir, has such
strange ideas on them subjects. Jack
took to his ship again, and the old
wooden basket of flowers, carved and
painted on the stern of his vessel, was
all that remained of his true love, and
they do say, no matter how rusty his
old craft became, whether out at sea or
in port, he used to have them old
flowers kept in a regular blaze and
bloom of glory. He was mighty rest
less old fellow, and never staid day
ashore, always lived on ship board, and
a-going all the time. Whaling he took
up some time in 1910, and kept it up
for long time, a-living in the ice,
maybe a-trying to freeze the love out of
him. He died mighty rich, and
crusty and cranky, matter
of eight year ago in Maine, where he
was born. The yarn is true one. be-
cause 1 heard tell how in his will he
left some of his money to tho woman
he had loved once, because times had
changed, and she and her family had
got poor. Some do say that the rich
mans daughter and her family had
been supported by that old whaling
didn't bear no malice. This old craft
never was exactly unlucky. and that
old basket of flowers has hung to her
so long that amt going to have it
taken off while sail her. Guess them
flowers has been good deal patched
up since they was first put on her, as
may be my story, though, saving the
soft parts, which I can't work in like
my wife can, it's pretty much as have
been telling it to you. I am going to
keep that old flower basket fresh, mind
tell you, no matter what yellow ochre
does cost pound. No. sir no ghosts ;
not even a rat; petroleum is pison on
rats. We are for Trieste. Rates
mighty poor-4s. Sd. barrel. 1t may
be matter of seventy-fve days before
I get there. She is steady, sir, though
she can't be said to be fast. No OBJ
jections to your writing it out.
might like you to send the story to nay
folks at Bridgeport, only my wife will
be sure to tell me have left out all the
incest parts. Women are 30 queer,
You know, and spin things out SO"