The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-07-17

90 when there wern't no guide-pOsts or
streets as it were, and how far we'd gone,
and how far we'd got to go, and sich as curl.
Gus little wimmin always will ask, till
Jimmy, under the influence of salt air, were
clean gone, and didn know what be were
a-doin, till the second mate, who were r'ard
a-washing down the deck, seein' the stern
sails liftin', sings out TO brace for ard
the yards, and then as he goes aft to the
weather-braces fer to slack 'em away be sees
the wake away out onto the weather quar-
ter, and runs aft to Jimmy wantin' to know
where in - he were steerin to.
Jimmy said afterwards as he were within
a ace of lettin' 90 the wheel and landin' the
second mate one atwixt the eyes, cause he
spoke cross to this here young woman, ,tellln'
her that if she couldn't keep away from the
man at the wheel she'd better stay below,
but his seafarin' instincts purwented. and he
didn't do it. Arter that Jimmy Edwards
wasn't no good either to hisself anybody
else. He were etarnally of1erin' for to take
tricks as didn't belong to him, and spent
most of his time durin' the day at the wheel
So far as know this young lass never spoke
to him agin, she rememberin' the blOwin up
as was Civ her by the second mate for talk
in with the man steerin'; and as for
Jimmy, he were that far gone as he would
no more have dared to have spoke TO her
than nothin at all. What from Iosin' of his
watch below, steerin' for chaps in tother
watch in the daytime, and layin awake
thinkin' of this here lass in the night time,
Jimmy got so broke of his rest that his appe-
tite all went, and he wasted away till he
were as thin as the leaf of psalm book, and
he were as different from the Jimmy Ed
wards he were afOre as a apple are from
oyster. As for this here gal, it's my idea
she no more thought of Jimmy than of the
man in the moon, and hadn't the least idea
of the trouble she were the cause OF. Very
x,-o,,lI for fho xuhnlo fOur
hours and she wouldn't come up on deck
once and sich times he'd come forard as
melancholy as a dyin dolphin. Other times
he be up nigh on to the whole of the watch,
and them times Jimmy would steer awful
crooked trick, and be damned numerically
by the officer of the deck, but he come for
ard as lively as a flea on an old maids petit
coat
''Says the mate to Jimmy one day: How
the devil is it that you're always at the
wheel?
'''Some of em don't like steerin',' says
Jimmy, and takes their trick
The more fool you, says the mate, but
he never smoked the real reason. Only but
for one circumstance Jimmy would have got
awfully guyed by us chaps for'ard, and
this were that, more,Or less, we was all tarred
with the same brush and we simpered with
him. | takes him one night in the middle
watch, for couldn't bear for to see so fine q
chap goin all to pieces this way. Jimmy,
said l. brace up; that there heifer never
can't be nOthin' to you; let her go, my lad,
and fasten on to one OF the gals In the
'twixt decks, of which there's many as will
respond
"Tom,' says he, all as you says is true,
but can't help it, one of her looks is worth
more to me than all the favors of all other
wimmin in the world and | seen that it
were so. and said no more. hopin' as jim
my would recover after getting ashore.
I'VE passed in atwixt San Domingo and
Cuba, and along south of the latter and up
past Cape st. Antonio into the Gulf of Mex
leo. and three days thereafter were at the
mouth of the river, havin' made the passage
in fifty-five days. jimmy and me went to
board at Wilson's, in Esplanade street, and
whereas ccmin' up the river were as affec-
tionate cotton hat to my gal, and vowed
unto her all sorts of constancy, which 1 were
dead in earnest 10 keep No sooner did
get ashore and out of the influence of the
salt air, than her image went away from me
like shadder goes over turnip field, and
never so much as bothered myself to find
out where she had gone TO hang out. Not
so with Jimmy. He hunts that city from
end to end, neglects his grOg, and for week
were one of the most profitable boarders in
the house, cause he were never IN at meal
times. One day, however, he comes run
min in, and says he, Tom, my lad, I've
found her.
suppose you has, says !, what good are
that goln' 10 do you? Here were the land
lord hintin' this very mornin' as it were
time me and you went to sea, and he were
right
'T sban't never go no more, says Jimmy
my goin' to sea are ended; Tll stay where
can see her once in a while, if l have II ship
| for a plate washer and sure enough he
makes arrangement with Wilson for to be a
servant in the house and stay ashore. OF
course this wouldn't suit me, and / ships OFF
| for Havre, and it were year afore set foot
| in New Orleans agin. Says l TO Wilson the
| first night arter 1 landed, Whatever has be-
come of Jimmy Edwards. him as was ship
| mate with me when was here atoreP
dead says Wilson, and l were awful
| glad when he did die, for he give me no end
| of trouble. He wern't much good in the
| house and finally he were arrested for hang
in round house up town. the police think
| in he meant to rob il. | got him out OF that,
but it wern't long afore he were took up agin
| for followin' some women. Finally got
| tired of gittin' him out of trouble, and | let
/ him git ten days into the calliboose, and
| when he come out OF that be were so clearly
looney that bad him took TO the insane
asylum. The next thing | know'd he were
| found dead in the street. He had escaped
| from the asylum and gone right up TO the
place where he had been arrested at fust.
| What were funny about it. were, there were
a young woman in the house as knOw'd HIM,
and she allowed on the inquest as he were a
| sailor as come over in the same ship she
did, and when she found as he was maxim a
tarpaulin muster for to raise enough for TO
plant jimmy decently she Clipped in $50 as
her whack, and we Civ him fust-class
layout"
A Relic Of Napoleon.