The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-02-08
AN OLD sAILOg's TLRy.
BlameIeSs sigamI-Tne Three Hus-
bands OrIhe widow Johnson.

AN Hbb sAlLUBS fAkN.
BlameIess sigsmI-ne Thres Hus-
bands OrIhe widow Johnson.
"Teil him." said the old sailor To
the red-hsaded boy the other dsy,
Tell MIN that when says hot run
| means not rum snd not hot water
disguised in rum. Tell him that
there's ways and Otherways, and
otnerWAys ain't right. The way are
tor him to heat the tumbler ali it'n
bear then dll IL tWo-thiris full of
rum and Arter that, il IT'S filed no
Win water screechIn' hot, IL WON'T
hurt the rum. Then he's 10 rub a 1T
tle butter round the rim of the Rlass
Iur 20 make it drink smooth, and
scatter few cloves and Allspics onto
the top fur to parfume the breath. else
people might think we'd been drink-
IN. don't mean to say the old
man continued, as the boy moved OF,
as the purprietOr OF this here house
would do anythin' mean, but some
Times landlords, In their care for the
sooriety Of their guests, Is led in to
rigntrui eXtravagances with water.
notWithstandln' al it costs 'em fur to
neat lt. Water are q good thing, but
TOO much OF good thing are dreadful,
as the Widder Johnson said when ali
three OF her husbands come home at
once.
al don't expect ever spun YOU
that yarn, sir. / know I wouldn't
have done so durin' the first of our
acquaintance, fur fear you might a
thought were romancin', but, bein'
well acquainted by this tIme, YOU
know as how WO1ndit 20 10 put off
no yarn onto you, as / wouldn't be
willin' to swear by. This mere. how
'sovsr, are q pretty tough hOyster.
snd no mistake. It's like some Of the
yarns that the Holy Joes spin, and
must be sarved up with heap of
OF faith It's true notwithstanding, and
tney says that their yarns Is, but there's
some Of 'em tell sich heavy truths
that I've never been able to hyst 'em
10. That ealker, for instance, about
old Noah and his ark might do for'the
marines, but sailors can't hyst that
IN. You see, sir, there amt = word |
said about how she were rigged or |
how many decks she had, things that |
some sailor man aboord Of her would
sartsinly have noticed, and so when !
ever l hears Holy Joe 3 gittin' of |
anythin' Of this kind, why I jist be-
lieves 1t to Oblige him. and that's aIl, |
cause / know iPs 3 yarn anyhow.
This here what Pm q going TO |
spin begun aboard Of the ship Carol1s
AdgRtEs, Captain Jackson, bound /
from Liverpool to New York, 10 the |
year lS4S, or thereabOuts 1 cau't be
partio'lar TO q year or 30, and il don't |
much matter anyway.
Faint no use telling you of the |
fust Of the voyage, and maxim q |
thunderin' long yarn out Of notnin', |
and so we'll jist chip 10 10 about |
seven bells Of = awful bad night, our
watch bein' up tryin' for to furl a |
double-reefed topsail, the other watch |
bein' at the miZzeD at the same time,
{ b , weather shown awfu', and that |
change was Just to hand, we beln' to |
git her wore around head to the |
suth'ard and east'a.d as quick as the |
Lord would let Us alore it come in |
from the no'th'Ard and westward aud |
caught Us aback.
"It were the same old story, car
ryiD' on to the last mint with the /
sOutheriy wind, and then havin' hard |
work for to git the canvas in. I've |
said afors, and I'll say Il again, that q |
dOGble-resfed top sail are q ugly thing |
for to furl in q gale Of wind. There's !
so much slack lssch that it's apt to |
blow up above the yard, and II the |
rope ever drops on q mans head, tits |
so heavy that its apt TO knock him |
senseless. While We was up aioft the /
change came the wind flew In to |
nor'west, bloWin' awful, witt heavy /
big drop Of raiH. Tne yard b Ad been |
brsced in absek with the port braces,
and when the shift come IL filed the /
sail jist IS we was 8 mlttenin of it, |
and blowed It out Of our hands like so |
much paper. Bsllyin' away up above |
the yard, 1t come down once with |
Q shot, aud Bill Johnson aud Harry /
Williams, what was at the port yard |
arm, was knocked of, and went |
b!OWin' away to leevard. The rest Of |
us managed for to hold on, and leav- /
In the topsail slAttin', We laid down |
for TO braes the yards about and |
haviD' got that done we hauled home |
the sheets and set the fore-topsall /
again, double-reefsd, there bsIn' no
more danger once the wind got shift |
ed.
"Whst made It worse In BIIPs case
was that he'd goE splIeed lust before
leavin' Liverpool, his wife bein'
steerage passenger. OF course, she
took on dreadful when Bill came
home mIssin' next mornin', and it
fell mostly tO Jack Adams and Joe
Carroll for to comfort her, they havin'
been shipmates along Of Bill In the
last ship. Beln' in different watches,
they were aOle betwixt 'em to gi7'
her constant comfort, and must say
they done their day. I've known
them men chop wood oy the hour or
DO other chores for the cook, 80 az to
curry favor with him and git mana
veins from the cabin to Civ this Door
creetur, and they never let 3 watch
20 by without goin' down for t. see
how she were gittini on and whether
The needed anythin'. From earin'
or her In this way, both Of iem got to
DO dead sweet onto her and both of
em got to b5 knoWlsdgeable about
he others feelin's.
"Ws was AOout In the longitude Of
fifteen when Bill went oVerboard,
aud there were . long winters pas
Iage ahead Of rs, and 30 BY the time 4.
We got nigh hand to New York ths
widdeF had kinder got over her loss,
md couldn't but be very thankful to |
.hese here shipmates Of Bill rs had
.ook sleh care Of her.
"Well, sir, time come when we I
vas OF Nantucket Shoals, and due to Z
Do 10, With luck, In . couple Of days, 4
lod then Il were and there that JACk 1
Ind Joe began to wonder As to which I
)f 'em should splice the Widder after I
both Of 'em sseiu' no other q
way out OF the matter, aud sae bein' /
20 be took care Of Il weren't alto t
yether . matter of duty neither, 3
,ome from dOin' for her, as they had {
both got to be uncommon sweet onto q
ler. As said afors, there were 3 i
hort way out Of II. which were 10 q
Isk her which Of the two she'd rather {
nave, but she bsin' recently In sich Q
roubIe, and they bsin' bAshful like, {
ieither Of 'sm liked for u d. this. IL /
we're then thought proper that they z
hOuld be put face to each other on 3 ;
hist, and the slacks Of their trousers l
'sln' nailed fast to the chist-lid, they I
hould there and then fight it out, 5
md the best man take the Widder. q
This would have been done only :
or an old chap what We had absa-d b
which sided agin' It. He was drsdful j
I'D and the barnacIes were & CROWN ! /
VI down his back, and, OF course, =
Dein' so long = seafArin', be knowed a !
leap. He said, See here,' says he, r
bein's you two have always been 0
riends, what's the use OF dghtin' &? I
md besides says be, 1T stands to o
eason that II it's settled In this way B
10Th Of you would be well hammered. Q
Now, the question are, will the Wild I
Ter like q Well-ham nersd man as 4
veil a. she'll Ike q man as ain't a
hammered and is all ataun-to and '
aud my opinion are z
ays be, that with q euchrs deck the o
hing can be settled better every way, d
hree games TO be played and the best Y
swo To take the Widder JOhusOnt