Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-02-09

him off to ensure my boys staying
by me-"
"Pshaw; look here, captain, just
you send off your gig to nay vessel,
and tell Pete 1 want him. You'll
have better opinion when you see
the fellow"
"Steward, request the mate to
come below"
eyes, Sir"
"Have some grog, Mr.. Mapes,"
said Captain Grindle, as he pushed
a decanter across the side of the ia
ble by which the mate stood when
he entered.
"Mapes, send off the gig, and or
der my mate to send back the Mig
ger, Pete" said Bowridge. ...
cay, ay, sir" And Mr. Mapes
bolted his grog.
In half an hour the boat returned
with Pete. He was thick-set,
firmly knit negro, with bull head
and huge shoulders, hands and feet.
Captain Grindle nodded approx
lngly at boWrluge-
"Go aboard, Pete, and get your
kit You are going to make a trip
with Captain Grindle. You must,
however, not forget to rejOin the
"Catawba' at the end of your VOy-
age. Be a good boy, and do just as
Captain Grindle tells you" u
Pete ducked, and took the ''tot"
of grog offered.
Next morning, when the hands
came aft, the skipper asked them if
he took quiet, iEoffensive man, who
could handle Dan, if they would
stay by the ship.
They replied that they would;
that they would like no better fun
than to see a man who could do as
he chose with a man whom none of
them could tackle.
We went to sea two days after
ward.
At first the men showed dislike
for "the nigger," but in a day or
two he was a great favOrite on ac-
count of his good nature and sea-
manshIp.
Captain Grindle sent for Pete, in
to the cabin, and explained the rea-
son he had been transferred.
Pete grinned from ear to ear,
and appeared highly delighted and
gratifed at the duty to which he
was assigned.
One day, Pete was sitting upon
the main hatch, splicing rope, for
his own amusement.
Presently Dan came along, look
ing mischievously at some of the
crew who were cOiling down the
ropes.
As he approached Pete, he ex-
claimed:
"HaIIo, darkie, move your black
carcass"
"A-yah! yah-don't mean that do
YEP"
eyes, git up, say!"
''Don't say?"
"Git upp'
w udJ ~ RlJ up!
'Fun, of course" said Dan.
"Now jes you see heah, Dan, you
want fool, eh? Well, all right; if
you git hurt, you'll be mad tho.
''Who get hurt, mig, eh?'' asl1ed
Dan.
''You, I reckon, cause you want
ter fool"
''Take care, Pete; I don't want no
lip"
'|Yah-yah-yah!" laughed Pete,
good-naturedly. .-f
Dan placed his hands upon Pete's
shoulders, who had risen during the
conversation.
'Now jest sit down ag'in dye
hear, nig?'
The negro grinned and fash
shot from his eyes, but without re-
plying he placed one hand upon
Dams jacket-cOllar and with the
other seized the seat of his panta-
looms. ...
One deep breath-the cords in
his massive neck and arms started
out like chain-cable, and when he
arose the gigantic form of Dan tow
cred at arms length above his head.
Behind them was the ships cutter.
1t had rained hard all the pre-
vious night, and the boat was three
parts full of water. a..
Pete, with loud chuckle, threw
his would-be-tormentor into the
middle of it.
''Yah! yah! yahl--ya-hOo!' scream
ed Pete, as the men gathered round
to applaud.
In moment Dams head appeared
above the water; a most wOebegone
look he wore. He saw us all stand
ing there, convulsed with laughter.
He moved not a hair. Such sur
prise and chagrin 1 never saw de-
picted on human face before.
"Spec's I didn't hurt you much?"
asked Pete, with a calm, serious
face.
Not a word did Dan reply. Crawl
ing out, he hurried below to change
his clothes.
We had good friends after that
in both Dan and Pete, particularly
the latter.
A school boy spelled "sob," and
then defined it thus: at means
when a feller don't want to cry, and
it bursts out itself"
In Paris kid gloves are now be-
ing made out of tripe and the skin OF
the stomach. Some old tOPers we
know of may yet be made useful.
How sharper than a sePent's
tooth is it to have a mans wife draw
the bed clothes over her head, and
declare that she won't build a fire,
if she dies for It, -....
A New Jersey clergyman says
there are about twenty different
kinds of religion, but man who
won't wash and shave and put on
clean shirts can't enjoy any of them.
A preacher who rode to meeting
with his cart before his horse,
preached from text as announced
by him: "And the cock went thrice,