Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-05-03
THE LITTLE NERO.

Now. lads. short yarn I'll just spin you.
As Mapped on our very last run.
Bout q boy as q mans soul had In him.
Or else I'm son Of guni
From Liverpool port. out three days. lads,
The good ship floating over the deep.
The skies bright with sunshine above US.
The waters beneath us asleep.
Not bad-temper'd lubber amonx US.
A jollier crew never saii'd,
'Cept the first, mate bit of u savage,
But good seaman as ever was hail'd.
Regulation. good order. hls motto;
Strong as iron, and steady rs quick.
With couple of busliy. black eyebrows.
And eyes fierce as those of Old Nick |
One day he comes up from below deck,
A graspn' a lad by the arm;
A poor, little, ragged. young urchIn.
As ought to be home with his marin!
An the mate asks the boy pretty roughly.
''How he lard for to be slowed away?
A cheatrn' the owners and captain,
Sailin', eatin', and all without pay ?''
The lad had face bright and sunny,
And pair o. blue eyes like girPS,
An looks up At the scowlins drsI mate, boys.
An shakes back his long, shining curls.'
An says he. in q voice clear and pretty,
'tMy stepfather brought me aboard,
Aud hid me away down the stairs there;
For to keep me he couldn't afford.
And he told me the big ship would take me
To Halifax town-oh, so far
And he said. Now The the Lord Lord is your ~ Father ~ e,
"Irs lie i" says the mate-'.not your father.
But some o. the big skulkers here;
L some mlik-hearteQ, SOtLsneaQeQ 6RllOrS
SPEAK up tell the TRUTH dye hesrP'
""Twarn't >" growled the tars as stood round
..whaI's your age9" says one of the brine
| "An' your name ?" says another old saltash,
Says the small chap, ''l'm Frank-just turned
| nine.'
"Oh, my eyes ~ says another bronsed seaman
To the mate. who seemed staggered hisself,
"Let him go free to old Novy scoshy.
An pn work out his passage myself y"
"Belay =" says the mate; ''shut your mouth
III sail this here craft. bet your life,
An I'll ht the lie on to ye somehow.
AS square as fork dts q knife ~
Then a-knittin his black brows with anger,
An says he ,"P'r'a APPS tomorrow I'll change yeu
II it don't, back to England you 60 ~
. took him some dinner, be sure, mates;
just think-only nine years of agei
,
The mate brings him cut OF his cage.
, AM he plants him afore us amidshlps,
His eyes like TWO Goals all alight,
An he says, through his teeth. mad with pas
An bis hand lifted ready to smi.e:
"Tell the truth, lad. and then I'll forgive you
But the truth iriH have-speak 1t out;
1t wasn't your father as brought you,
But some OF these men here about ?''
Then that pair o, blue eyes. bright and winnln
Clear and steady with innocent youth,
Looks up at the mates bushy eyebrows,
An says he. ''sir, Pve told you the TRUTH
'Twarn't NO use-tne mate didn't believe him,
Though every man else did aboard;
With rough hand by the collar he seized hin,
AND cried you shall hang, by the Lord ~
An he snatched his watch out of his pocket,
Iust as Ii he'd BEN drawln' knife: -.
"1f in ten minutes more. you don't speak, lac
There's the rope and good bye to dear life!
There !-you never see such a sight. mates.
As that boy with his pale. pretty face;
Proud, though. and steady with courage,
Never thinking Of askin' Tor grace!
Eight minutes went by all in silence.
Says the mate. then, ''speak, lsdi say yo'
says"
HIS eyes slowly filling with tear-drops
He faltering says. MAY pray 2"
I'm a rough and q hard old tarpaulin
As any blue-jacket afoat,
But the salt water sprung to my eyes, lads,
And felt my heart rise In my throat!
The mate kind o. trsmbled and shivered,
And nodded his head in reply,
And his cheek went all white OF = sudden,
And the hot light WAS quenchcd in his eye.
And he stood like figure of marble,
With his watch tightly grasped in his hand,
An the passengers all still around him
Meier the like WAS on sea or on land!
I'M fhe hop I'm <l,a
An his hands he clasps over his breast,
As he mus .ha' done often at home. lads,
AT night-time when goln' to rest.
And soft comes the first words, ''Our Father
Low and soft from that dear baby-lip,
But low as they were. heard like trumpet,
By each true man aboard o. that ship.
Every hit o. that prayer mates, he goes thronG
To Forever and ever. Amen."
And for all the bright gold of the Indies
wouldn't t ha' heard him agen
AM says he when he'd finished, uprising,
An lifting his blue eyes above,
Dear LORD Jesus, oh, take me to Heaven,
Back again to my own mothers Lowell"
For minute or two like to magic.
We stood eve ~ man like the dead;
Then back to the mates face came running
The fe-blood again, warm and red.
. OF his feet was that lad sudden lifted,
An clasped to the mates rugged breust,
. An his husky voice muttered, ''God bless you
n AS MS lips 10 MS forehead he pressed.
If the ship hadn't been good sailer
An gone by herself right along,
All had gone to old Davy, for all, lads,
Was gathered around in that throng
4 Like man, says the mate, "God forgive IN,
That ever used you so hard;
It's myscif as had ought to be strung up
o.1c Tant and sure to that ugly old yard.'
icte lyon believe me now 3'' said .he toangster
adv believe you!''-he kissed him once more
You d have laid down your Iiie for the tr.
lad!
Believe you. From now evermorey,
An p'r'aps, mates, he wasn't made much o
All that day, and the rest OF the trip;
de, P'r'aps he paid after all for his passage,
,.. P'r'aps he wasn't the pet oil the ship!
Andif that little chap amt a model
For all, young or old, short Oh tall,
And IL that ain the stuff to make men Of
Old Ben. he knows nsught after all.
Frcekirk e'der preparatory to
senting a tract): "My friend. do
the know the chief end of man P" Pi
'ioIs ioI Qnnocently): ma. l didna mind
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