The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-02-25
Selert Sturg.
BILLY BUTTONS.
BY NORMAN MACLEOD, d. d.


One evening ship was getting ready
TO sail from Valparaiso, when she was
boarded by lady, who was lady in
deed, if Judged by her sweet manners,
Asking an interview with the captain,
she told him that her husband had sud
denly been called off by business to a
distant town, and that she had in the
meantime received letters from Scotland
which made it necessary for her to re-.
turn home without waiting even to con-
suit her husband, as property of con-
siderable value might be sacrificed by
any delay on her part. She stated her
case in manner which at once inspired
respect; and begging berth in the
ship, she added, Your well-knOwn char
Scter, Captain Wauchope, encourages me
to ask this favor, and to sail under your
protection only" She at the same time
handed to him the money for the pas
sage. The captain was rather put about;
but there was a samething-who does not
know the marvellous power over the
spirit of these something's "-which
obliged him to say yes" apart from the
natural desire, for the sake of his owners,
to obtain the handsome sum which was
offered for the cabin, He felt that others
might consider his position an awkward
one; but he had an instructive feeling
that all was natural, simple, upright, and
that the request was made by true
lady.
She was accompanied by one female
friend, with whom she conversed long
and earnestly, and from whom she part
ed with an embrace which was often re-
.peated.
Wauchope was not, it must be con-
fessed, what is called religious man."
vet, poor fellowl-Well, it is not for me
10 defend him from what could be fairly
charged against him. Alas he swore
badly, often outrageously. Was he bad
tempered? No. Unkind? A heart
more sympathetic with suffering never
beat. Was he unjust? Ask his crew and
hear their verdict in his favor. How
could this great fault, then, be accounted
for? That is problem | am not called
upon to solve, if, indeed it is capable of
solution. M good excuse can be found
for what is wrong. But may give his
own explanation of it, and the gentle
reader can then draw what conclusions
ne pleases, putting Wauchope in the ex-
act niche which he thinks he deserves
II KEN" he said to one who had his
best interests at heart, "this Nasty
sweerin' is mo- to be defended. But l
hae to do my duty to my employers, ye
see, and unless | gle the crew a run O.
the tongue, they wad get into confusion,
or maybe mutiny. My sister telld me it
was really no a christian hawbit, and he
was RIGHT, nae doot, and sac l gied it up
for month, for hae nae admiration OF
myself. But what effect had this on the
crew. l plainly tell ye, they lost a. re-
spect for mel It's fac! tho We dinna, l
see, believe me. But ainst," Wauchope
went on to say, IL heard d minister say
that it was the nrOtive made a man guild
or bad. Moo that was great comfort to
me! For when | tell sailor tae gang
here or there; l medina say whaur,-but
GUIDE forgie me ii l ever meant the puir
soWl to gang ony bad gate Ma, ma! L
Wad cut of my haun' sooner than do
that But wished him, ye see, tae ken
beyond a. dispute or dOot, that | was in
.doonricht earnest, and no jokin' or palau-
Verin' when cam to sweer. Ainst l
y0ked on him in that language, i faith
he believed me, and did his wark! Sac
] consider that am obligated, as it waur,
for the sake O my employers, to get the
wark dune, and no to speer at myself
whether or no it's pleasant to ny ain
feehn's. A man, consider, should do
his duty, sweer or no sweer."
Apart from this evil, 80 defended by
sailor casuistry, Wauchope was one of
the best captains from the Clyde, and
immensely liked by his men. He may
seem to my readers TO have been rather
q rough sort of man for gentle lady to
trust herself to so implicitly. But his
own wife at home once said, "He's an
awfn guild cratur, my John. His heart is
as saft as q spunge, and he's jist daft
abOOt me and the bairns and / never
heard rough word frae his mouth, tho
I'm sair pit aboot wi what he has telpd
me, when gaun the the kirk, O. hoo he
Whiles speaks tae thae sailors. He's ave
Tuein't but aye doin't. He can help it
well enough, and it's jist thochtless clav.
ers, ay, and great wickedness, as | tell
him, for a guild man like him tae be takin'
the holy Name and things in vain"
The mate of the ship was Peter Macin.
tyre, whose voice no one ever heard ex.
cept when giving orders. He chewed,
smoked, spoke gutturally, did his duty,
and all apparently without sleep or rest.
He crept about the deck muffied up in
one rig for day, and another for night,
each differing from the other in the mum.
ber Of strata of coats which enyeloped
him and kept up his internal heat. AS
he wore soft thick slippers, his presence
was no more noted than that of a bucket
or rope. He was the sort of man who
had he fallen overheard, would have
taken 1t as a matter of course. like reef
Jug topsaiis, and would have drowned
quietly.
The crew were of the mixed kind
found in most vessels. To the common
eye they were set of machines made
for hurrying ship across the ocean. anG
employed only because they could not b,
superseded by any other machinery in
the present state of mechanical inyen
ton. They emitted the usual grunts and
Eoans when turning out of their ham
mocks on squally night; the common