The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1878-06-27

yoa home agin ar,er mournin' you as
dead and gone,
Wei, i, wen. 70 my hcari, Tom, TO
have TO uadeceive her, bal never did
God never will sail under false oolors,
and 40 seidn' her down away from me
says, This here are all mistake, marm !;
Amt Biil a. Al, bat am just plain Jack
Rodgers al your service, as 10 st presen,
afofc the masi 10 The ship Washington, as
esn be proved by 81 hands on board
Of her, officers aud al, and rm sorry TO
say il ma'am, bat ruth Is truth, aud |
tell you true, never seen either Of you
sfore 10 an my born days.
Oh, Mr.. Williams, Mr.. Williams says
this other woman; to think Of your de-
nyin' who you are when we all know
ycu 50 well; you ought 10 be ashamed Of
Yourself to try this poor dear so; and
then she goes off cryiu' along with the
other one.
Tom, II ever were in quare day, /
were in quare day at that present time,
aud whatever to DO or say I'm blowed II
! knowed AZ last, in very desperation,
1 says TO her:
savin' your presence, msrm, as You
maynt like to talk Of sich things sfore
strangers, did your husband what am
took for have any particular marks on
him by which you'd know himf
You know you have, she says, you un-
natural man; you've got morfrodite
brig upon your breast at this identical
mint.
When she said this, Tom, you might
have knocked me down with a feather.
You remembers prickin' that identical
craft onto me when we was fore the
mast in tae Adirondack, and of course
there was no depyin' of II, and | says:
You're right, ma'sm, as TO the brig,
though how you knowed 1t is more than
/ can tell; but for all that, give you a
sailors honest word that from the day of
my birth Til this present writin', I've
been plain Jack Rodgers and nobody
else. Wife or child never did have,
leastways TO my knowledge.
Then, she says, do you mean for 10
deny that we wasn't married in the little
church in Egmont street by Mr.. Church.
III?
| does deny it, says /, and he'll deny
it, TOO, if he tells the truth.
Will you 60 there with me? says she.
He knows you well.
| will, says |, with great pleasure, for
| feels sorry to have you so deceived
and away we went, all three of us leavin'
the little gal for to mind the shop. OF
course ! thought that bein' man, and
not bein' SO interested like, be would at
once see that | weren't the man they
took me for, but jist as soon as ever he
claps eyes onto me he reaches out his fist
and says he: Why, Williams, Pm de-
lighted TO see you turned up again all
right. We thought you was at the bot
tom Of the sea.
Says /, l'm sorry sir, but this here is
ell mistake; never saw you afore, and
never seen them wimmin afore.
Then her what claimed me went on at
great rate TO the parson, and he said as
how | needn't no longer deny my identi-
ty, for he knew me well; and there was
plenty more that would swear to me
anywhere.
Whatever were | TO do, Tom? began
to be staggered myself-began to think
I'd got changed, somehow, they were all
SO sartin. I'd read about such things,
you know, about folks being turned by
witchcraft into other folks, and weren't
sure but somethin' of the kind had hap
pened TO me; that there morfrodite brig
were the most staggering thing of all.
Howsoeyer, says to the parson, You
say you're sure you spliced me to this
woman?
am sure as ] can be Of anything in
this worl !, says he,
And you are sure, says TO her, that
you was spliced TO me by this gentleman?
You know was, she sobs.
Pm blowed If do, says ], and SO for
FORMS sake, If this here gent will jist 90
through with it again, why then III know
it as well as you two.
Wellshe would not for while, saying
that the marriage ceremony were too sa-
cred thing for 10 trife with; but arter
while, seeing as were so set onto il, be
done It.
There, msrm, says |, giving her
rousing smack; everything is all right
now, and whether am Bill Williams or
Jack Rodgers don't make a ha'porth OF
difference, intends TO be husband to
you to the best Of my natural ability.
This here was about three years ago,
and ! must say as have never had oc-
cssion for to regret it. She insisted as
shouldn't 20 TO sea no more, not on no
account. Fust Off l thought I'd bring
some OF the chaps from Washington up
there for to convince her that she had
made mistake, bat then thought what
is the use Of unseltin' her mind, and so
did not, and we have lived very happy.
OF course we have our tifis time and agin
being a. sometimes git pining for sea
life and hast bit too much. At sich
times she puts II 10 mo for trying TO de-
oeiye her, and then we have il over this
old question OF whether | am Bill Will
liams or Jack Rodgers, which ] am some
times 10 doubt about myself. And now,
II you arc sartin ! am and always have
been Jack, wants for you TO come up
and see The old woman and convince her