Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-01-16
A STUDENTS SEA STORY.
Harriet Beecher Stowe in Atlantic Monthly.

Among the pleasantest of my recol-
lections of old Bowdoin is the salt air
flavor OF its sea experiences. The site
OF Brunswick is sandy plain on
which the college buildings seem to
have been dropped for the good old
Yankee economic reason of using land
for public buildings that could not be
used for anything else. The soil was
fathomless depth of dry, sharp, bar
rem sand, out of whose bosom nothing
but pitch pines and BURBERRY bushes
emerged, or ever could emerge with.
out superhuman efforts of cultivation.
But these sandy plains, these pine
forests, were neighbors to the great,
lively, blue ocean, whose life giving
presence made itself seen, heard and
felt every hour of the day and night.
The beautiful peculiarly of the Maine
coast, whore the sea interpenetrates
the land in picturesque fords aud
lakes, brought constant romantic
element into the landscape. White.
winged ships from India or China
came gliding into the lonely solitude
of forest recesses, bringing news from
strange lands and tiCiings of wild ad-
venture into seclud j farm houses
that for the most part seemed to
be dreaming in woodland solitude. In
the early days Of ms college life, the
shipping interest Of aaine gave it an
outlook into all the countries of the
earth. Ships and sslip building and
ship-launching were sthe drift of the
popular thought, and the very minds
of the people by this commerce had
apparently
"sntferedia sea change
Into something rare and strange"
There was a quaintness, shrewdness
and viVacity about these men, half
skipper, half farmer, that was piquant
and enlivening.
1t was in the aSspjcious period of
approaching Thanksgiving that my
chum and | resolved to aGtedate for a
few days our vacation and take pas
sage on the little sloop Brilliant that
lay courtesying and lettering on the
bright waters of Maquoit Bay, loading
mp to make her Thanksgiving trip to
Boston
II was bright Indian summer az
teTnooD that saw us all on board the
little craft. She was laden deep with
1ainties and rarities for the festal
appetiies OF Boston nahobs loads of
those mealv potatoes for which the
fields of Maine were justly famed /;
barrels of ruby cranberries; boxes of
solid golden butter, ventures of a
thrifty honse mother emulous to gath
err kindred gold in the Boston market.
Then there were dressed chickens,
turkeys and geese all going the same
way, on the same GRAND and there
were sides and saddles of that choice
mutton for which the sea islands of
Maine were as famous as the South
downs of England.
Everything in such a stowage was
suggestive of good cheer. The little
craft itself had sociable, friendly,
domestic air The captain and mate
were cousins ; the men were all neigh
bors, sons of families who had grown
up together; there was kindly home
flavor in che very stowage Of the car
go Here were Melissa's cranberries,
and by many a joke and wink we
were appraised that the mate had a
tender interest IN that venture; there
was Wilder Toothacre's butter, con-
corning which there were various
comments and speculations, but which
was handled and cared for with the
consideration the Maine sailor boy
always gives to the widder;' there
was private keg of very choice eggs,
over which the name of Lucindy Ann
was breathed by bright.eyed, lively
youngster, who had promised to bring
her back the change, and as to the
precise particulars of this change
many witticism was expended.
Our mode of living on the Brilliant
was of the simplest and most primi
tive kind. On each side the staircase
that led down to the cabin, hoped
strongly to the partition, was q barrel,
which on the one side contained salt
beet and on the other salt pork. A
piece out of each barrel, delivered
regularly to the cook, formed the
foundation Of our daily Eaeals; and
sea biscuit and potatoes, with the
sauce of saltwater appetites, made
this feast for a king. / make no
mention here of gingerbread and
doughnuts, and such like ornamental
accessories, which were not wanting,
nor of nuts and sweet cider, which
were to be had for the asking. At
meal times swing shelf, which at
other seasons hung fat against the
wall, was propped up, and our meals
were eaten thereon in Joyous satisfac
ton.
A Joyous, roilicking set we were,
and the whole expedition was frolic
Of the first water. One of the drolest
features of these little impromptu
voyages often was the woe begone
ASPECT of some unsuspecting landlub
her, who had been begu,led into
thinking that be would like trip to
Boston by seeing the pretty Brilliant
courtesying in the smooth waters of
Maquoit, aud so had embarked in
innocent ignorance of the physiologi-
cal results of such enterprises.
I remember the first morning out.
As we were driving ahead, under a
stiff breeze, | came on deck, and
found the respectable Deacon Mug
gins, who, in his Sunday coat, had
serenely embarked the day before,
now desolately clinging to the railing,
very white about the gills and contem-
plating the sea with most suggestive
expression of disgust and horror.
why. Deacon, good morning How
are you? Splendid morning = said l,
maliciously.
He drew deep breath, surveyed
me with q mixture OF indignation and
despair, and then gave vent to his
feelings: Tell we what, there was
one darued old fool up TO Brunswick
yesterday, but he amt there now !;
he's here The deacon, in the week
ly prayer meeting at Brunswick, used
to talk of the necessity of being emp
tied of self : he seemed to be in the
way of it in the most literal manner at
the present moment. In a few min
n = Al. ! L Al.