Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1876-04-20

NllA NC tdAeA tilAS uIOlNAlA5 W give uC'
cent disposal to the remains of the
poor people who persisted in that
strange tomb. Mr.. Hokes has charge
Of them for the present.
spooNER DfSC0URAGED.
Some Information About the Navigator
| Islands.
| From the PHILADELPHIA. Bulletin
When young Mr.. Spencer left college
lie made up his mind to enter the min.
istry and become missionary. One
day he met Captain Hubbs, and when
he mentioned that he thought Of going
out as a missionary, Captain Hubbs
asked him, ''Where are you going p
s;-To the Navigator Islands. I sail
| in October
Capt. Shaking his head mournfully)
-"Pore young man Pore young
man! 1t is too bad, too bad indeed.
Going to the Navigator Islands! Not
married yet, reckon! No? All, so
much the better. No wife and chill
dren to make widders and orphans of.
But it's sad, anyway. \ promising
young Teller like you. My heart bleeds
for YOU
S.-What do you mean?'
Capt.-''Oh, nothing. I don't want
to skeer you. I know you're doing it
from sense of duty. But I've been
there, to them Navigator Islands, and
I'm acquainted with the peoples little
ways, and I-well, I-I-the fact is,
you see, that-well sooner'n disguise
the truth, l don't mind telling you
straight out that the last day I was
there that the folks ct one of my legs
sawed it off an ct it. Now you can
see how things are yourself. Them
Navigators just gobbled that leg right
up. 1t was a leg a good deal like
yours, only heavier, l reckon
S.--''You astonish me y
did that just for little bit of fun.
The chief told me the day before that
they never ct nothing but human
beings. He said his family consume
about three day all the year around,
counting holidays and Sundays. He
was light eater himself, he said, on
account of getting dyspepsia from 4
tough niger that he ct in lS47; but
the girls and the old woman, so he
said, were very hearty eaters, and it
kept him busy prowling around after
human beings to SATISFY 'em. The old
woman, he said, rather preferred to
eat babies" on account of her teeth
being poor; but the girls they could
eat the grizzliest sailor that ever went
aboard a Ship
S.-s'This is frightful.'
Capt.-''And the Chief said some.
times the supply was very scarce, but
lately they had begun to depend more
on imported goods than on the home
products. And they were better any,
how. for all the folks preferred white
meat. He said the missionary soci.
cites were shipping them some nice
lots Of provender, and the tears came
to his eyes when he said how good
they were to- the poor, friendless
savage away on distant island. he
said he liked missionary not too old
or too young, bullets see. what S
your age, did you say
Sd am twenty-eight.'
tel think he mentioned twenty.
seven but howsomedever he liked 'em
old enough to be solid, and young
enough to be tender. And he said he
liked missionaries because they never
used rum or tobacco. and always kept
their flavor. l know seen one young
| teller who came out there from Bos.
ton. He got up kinder camp meeting
in the woods and while he was giving
out the hymn oneof the congregation
banged him on the head with a club,
and in less than no time he was siz.
cling over fire right in front of the
pulpit. They lit the fire with his hymn
book, and kept her going with his ser
mons. He was man just about your
build-a little leaner'n you may be-
And they like man to be stoutish
He eats more tender"
''S.-sI had no idea that such awful,
practices existed
Capt.-'sI havn't told you half, for
don't want to discourage you. know
you mean well, and maybe they'll lei
you alone. But remember when
told the Chief that there was a whole
lot of you fellers studying to be mis-
sionaries, he laughed and rubbed hi:
hands, and ordered the old man t
plant more horse redish and onions thu
following year. He was forehande(
kind of man for mere pagan. He
said that If they would only give hi:
tribe time, if they would send him
along the supplies regular, SOS not t
glut the market, they could put away
the entire clergy of the United State!
and half the deacons, without an eff
fort. He was nibbling at missionar,
bone when he spoke, and the oil
woman was making new club out o.
another one. They are an economical
] ronr>10 Thn1r vrfSliv0 o1,arsx,%IS>>np -
S.-''This is the most painful intel
ligence that l ever received. If fell
certain about it I would remain a
home"
| Capt.-"Don't let mo induce you t,
throw the thing up. I wouldn't a tol.
you anyway, only you kinder drawe,
the information out of me. And a
long as I've gone this far I might a
well tell you that got a letter tn
other day from man who'd just com
from there, and he said the crops wer
short, eatable people were scarce, ant
not one of them savages had squar
meal for months. When he left the,
were sitting on the rocks hungry a
thunder, waiting for a missionary SO
ciety ship to arrive. And now mus
be going. Good-by. know I llneve
see you again. Take last look at me
and don't holler when they put 20,
on the gridirOn. Good morning.
Then the Captain hobbled off.
Mr.. Spooner had concluded to sta,
at home and teach school,. e ls
The sugar season has been very poo
j In this State. @ asE, g tss:S32