The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-09-16
The "Sandpiper." "

| ulltl mao gone nome TO see MS young lady
She was neat craft, painted black anC
| gold. Aunt John thought it was pretty
! boat. Her name was the "Sandpiper.'
| She was finished as neatly as any boat il
the harbor. We got her Tor five dollars a
| week and moorings We moored her of
the rocks in front of the boarding house
with one of those pulley-moorings You
know, IN a ring; you set her in and out
hand over hand and tie the painter toe
long, and have her bang up against an
other mans boat, and are called away
from dinner to go out and haul her all in
| and do it over, and find your pudding cold
OF course you learn to tie sailor knot
There was one girl at our house who tied
4 pretty sailor knot. She learned on neck
ties. but she had boat. Frank Stark
weather went with her. Her name was
Tony Guest But she wouldn't let Frank
tie the boat up.
Now there was this about having that
boat. Aunt John said Boys, I've found
boat in town you can have for u week -
Then she said: "Now, boys, if | give YOU
leave to come and 90 in that boat free
from lret and orders and questions (Which
she knows how boys hate-she's most as
good as boy herseD snail expect you
to look out for dangers as carefully as
grown men do. If J hem you like men.
you act like men, and whenever you 90
outside the bar, you must take Frank
Starkwcatler with YOU
Aunt John said this, and then she never
said any more. She did not bother nor
fuss We just took that boat and did as
we pleased, and tell you it was fun But
then. we were careful.
Friday il came up, somehow, about GO
ing to Swampscott. Frank Starkweather
said he'd 90. lie said be thought it was
safe, but he said he thought we might as
well mention it to our aunt or to some
other good sailor. But believe we did
not mention it at all | can't say exactly
whether We 1uetnt not to mention it, but
at any rate, we didn't | wanted to 90
like sixty the minute it was spoken of 50
didJill, We got up early, you know, and
were of before anybody was up.
At least, nobody was up but Tony Guest
and her Oldest sister, for they row them
selves most every morning. They stood
on the rocks and said, ''Bon voyage !" At
least, the sister did, but Miss Tony said,
Good luck to you"' Miss Tony said she'd
tell Aunt john and we sent our good-by
and we wouldn't be home till late, and
that the day was just right and no danger
Miss Tony stood on the rocks and waved
her hat-a little jockey sailor hat she
wears, with long streamers. And Frank
was so taken up with looking at her that
he steered us right into Black Bess, and
gave us one good soft jerk to begin with
Black Bess is Il mean pointed reef, off
Niles. But no harm happened, and moth
ing happened Of any account till we got
to Swampscott. We had a stiff nor by
nor easter part of the way, and plenty of
sun, and we made 4 clear tack, and GOT
in to dinner by twelve O'clock as hungry
as sharks. And Frank knew the way
pretty well, OF else he thought he did,-l
don't know which Frank Starkweather
is seventeen.
We meant to get home early and sur
prise them, if we conll. rather wanted
to be home by seven or eight, because we
hadn't seen Aunt John, nor said good by
to her.
There was an old captain down on the
rocks when we hauled around, and he had
4 pipe in his mouth so he took it out
when he saw us, and said, Coin fur?n
So Frank told him. Then the captain
said: "liumph!" AT least that's the way
books spell it. | should spell it more this
way, "Engulph !"
Now when the old tar says that-which-
ever way you spell it-you'd better ask
him what he means, | think. So Frank
did
'IIead winds" said the captain, land
thick weather."
But the weather was clear as a bell.
and who minds little head-wind? SO
we laughed, and laid the ''Sandpper'
round, and started off like bumble-bee.
The boat looked more like bumble- bee
than she did like 4 sandpiper, anyway.
1t was grand on the water that day.
The ''Sandpiper" lay to and ran near the
wind, as if she'd been running race with
it. Frank took the ropes and the rud-
der W. began not to talk so much as we
got further out. You had to keep your
eyes open pretty sharp, and great many
little craft were about. They all seemed
to be making port, at Salem, Beverly. and
different places. wondered why; Frank
said perhaps they looked for a storm To-
morrow. But he put " tomorrow in
italics
To tell the truth, we didn't make very
good headway after the first. The sea be-
gan to rise, and the breeze was stifl as a
poker, from the east | thought Frank
looked a little solemn once or twice, when
she careened clear over Sometimes she
tipped SO it was really ugly; and we
were all drenched by three o'clock by the
waves. By half-past three Frank told Jill
he thought he'd better bail little, to keep
our feet dry. But thought he thought it
was just as well we shouldn't carry quite
so much water. But perhaps he didn't.
| think it was Just about four o'clock
| was looking at the water, thinking;
Jill was watching for boats, and telling
Frank their tack and kind. Frank had his
sleeves rolled up and his hat off, and his
eyes set sharp in his head at everything.
was leaning over the gunwale and count
ing how many colors | could see in the
Water-for we were off shore in weedy
place-and wondering how MANY more
Aunt John would find than | could.
All at once | found that couldn't see a
great many. What there We're, were dull
and ugly Then heard Frank say:
"Ah-h-h" between his teeth.
| looked up. could see Just one color
only one-the ugliest color / think |
ever saw, or expect to see i'll my life.
Just gray cold, crawling gray. You
couldn't see the shore; you couldn't see
the boats making harbor. Now we knew
why.
We could Just see each others faces and
our own rigging and little patch OF
greenish Elack water round about.
You couldn't realize, unless you'd seen
it, how quick fog comes down. A min
ute, and there isn't any! A minute, and
there isn't anything else! We hadn't even
seen it crawl 1t pounced.
As | said, Frank Starkweather said:
.Ah-h-h-h!' -
Jill said, "Ow-w-w!'
| said, "Wh-ew-w-w
Frank jammed his head into his hat,