The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-01-31
AN OLD SAILORS YARN.
Blameless Bigamy-Ths Three Husbands OF the
Widow Johnston. r.

red-headed boy the other day, "tell him
that when l says hot rum l means hot
rum, and not hot water disguised in
rum. Tell him that there's ways and
otherways, and otherways amt right,
The way are Tor him to heat the tumbler
all ipIl bear, then fill 1t two-thirds full Of
rum, and arter that, II iPs hlled
up with water screechin not, IL
won't hurt the rum. Then he's to
rub little butter round the rim OF the
glass fur to make 1t drink smooth, ana
scatter few cloves and alisplce onto
the top fur to parfume the breath, else
peopIe might think we'd been drinkin'. l
don't mean iur to say," the old man con-
tinued, as the boy moved OF, las the
purprietor of this here house would do
anythiR mean, but sometimes landlords,
in their. care tor the sobrtety of their
guests, is led into frightful extraVa-
gances with water, Notwithstanding all
it costs 'em fur TO heat 1T. Water are a
z ood thing, but too much or o good thing
are dreadful, as the Wilder Johnson
said when all three OF her husbanus
come home at once.
81 don't expect ever spun you that
yarn, Sir. l know l wouldn't have
done so durin' The first OF our aequaint-
ance, iur fear you might thought l
were romancin', but, beln' well ac-
quainted by this time, you know as how
l wound't go to put OIL no yarn onto you,
as | wouldn't be wiilih' to swear by.
This here, howsoever, are pretty tough
hoyster, and no mis- lake. It's like some
of the yarns that the Holy Joes spin,
and must be sarved up with a heap
of faith. Ips true Notwithstanding, and
they SAYS that their yarns Is, but
there's some of 'em slch heavy truths
that Pye never been able to hyst 'em In.
| That calker, for instance, about old
| Noah and his ark might DO for the ma
rines. but sailors can't hyst that IN.
You see, sir, there amt a word said
about how she were rigged or how many
decks she had, things that some sailor
man aboord OF ner would sartainly have
noticed, and SO whenever hears Holy
Joe a gittln' off anytbln' Of this kind,
why | jIst believes 1t 10 obllge him, and
that's all, cause know its yarn any
| how.
"rhis here what Pm going to spin
begun aboard Of the snip Carolus Mag
nus. Captain jackson, bound from LiV-
erpool to New York, i'll the year 1S4S, or
thereabouts; l cau'G be particular to a
wear or SO, and it don't much matter
anyway.
"raint no use telling you OF the fust
of the voyage, and MAXIM thunderln'
long yarn out of nothln', and 80 Wen
list chip in to about seven bells OF aW-
lIul bad night, our watch bein' up tryin'
| lor to furl double-reeled topsail, the
other watch benz at the miZzen at the
same time, the weather shown awful
and that change was jist to hand, we
bein to git her wore round head to the
sutn'ard and BASTARD as quick as the
Lord would let US afore IL come in from
the no'th'ard and westward and caught
US aback.
sIt were the same old story, carryin
on to the last mint with the sOutnerly
wind, and then havin' hard work for to
pit the canvas in. PYe said afore, anG
| fll say it again, that a double-reefeC
topsail are u ugty thing tor to furl in q
| gale of wind. There's so much slack
ieech that lL'S apt to blow up above the
yard, aud if the rope ever drops on q
MANS head, 'tis 80 neaVy that its apt to
knock him senseless. While we was ul
aloft the change came; the wind flew in
to nor'west, blOwin' awful, with heavy
big-drop rain. The yard had been braced
| in aback with the port braces, and when
| the SHIFT come IL filled the sail jist as we
was q mittenin' otlt, and bloWed it out
| of our hands like so much paper. Bel.
|
down once with shot, and Bill John
son and Harry Williams, what was at
the port yard-arm, was knocked off, and
| went bloWiH away to leeWard. The
rest of us managed for to hold on, and
lleayiu' the topsall slattin', we lalC
down for to brace the yards about; anl
hayin' got that done We hauled home th'
sheets ami set the fore-topsail again
double-reeted, there bein no more dan
ger once the wind got shifted.
"What made IL worse in BilFs cast
was that he'd got spllced just betorl
lleavin' Liverpool, his wife belm steer
age passenger. OF course, she took OIL
dreadful Wnen Bill came home mlssin
next mornin', aud it fell mostly to Jacl
Adams and Joe Carroll ior to comfor
her, they havin' been shjpmates along o
Bill in the last ship. Belp in ditferen
watches, they were able betwixJ 'em II
giv' her constant comfort, ard l mus
Saw they done their duty. Pve known
them men chop wood by the hour or d
other chores Tor the cook, so as 10 curr
favor with him and git manaVelins from
|, the cabin TO Civ this poor creetur, an,
they never let watch 30 by withou
f goin' down for to see how she were gil
} TIM on and whether she needed anythIn'
From carin' Tor her i'll this way, both O
Penn got TO pc ueaQ sweet onto ner anl
botntof'emIgot to be beknowledgeable abou
the Others teelln's.
"We was about in the longitude OF fiji
teen when Bill went overheard, an,
there were long winters passag
ahead OF US, and so by the time we 20
nigh hand TO New York the wIdder ha
kinder got over her loss, and couldu'
, but be very thankful TO these here ship
mates OF Bill as had took sich care U
her,
"Well, sir, time come when we was Of
Nantucket Shoals, and due to be III
with luck, in "a couple of days, aud the
: it were and there that Jack and 10
, began to wonder as to which OF Zen
, should splice the Widder after arrivIn'
both of'em seeip no other way out of tn
matter, and she bein' to be took car
of. 1t weren't altogether a matter O
, duty neither, come from doin' for her, a
they had both got TO be uncqmmo
sweet onto her. AS said afOre, ther
were a short way out of il, whicn wer
TO ask her which OF the two she'd rathe
, have, but she bein' recently in sicl
trouble, and they bein' basnful like
neither of 'em liked for to do this, l