Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-01-16

selfopinion where we surveyed every.
thing in creation as birds 10 from
above, and were disposed to patronize
/ everybody we met, with a pleasant
conviction that there was nothing
worth knowing but what we were
likely to know, or worth doing but
what we could do.
| Captain Stanwood liked us, and
we liked him; we patronized him, and
he was quietly amused at our patrons
| age and returned it in kind. He was
a good specimen OF the sea-captain in
those early days in Maine; a man in
middle life, tall, thin, wiry and active,
full of resource and shrewd mother
wit !; man very confident in his opin-
ions, because his knowledge was all
got at first hand-the result of care
ful use of his own five senses. From
his childhood he had followed the
seas, and as he grew older made voy-
ages to Archangel, to Messina, to the
West Indies and finally round the
Horn and, having carried a very
sharp and careful pair of eyes, he had
acquired not only snug competency
of worldly goods, but large stock OF
facts and inductions which stood him
instead of an education. He was
master of thriving farm at Harps-
| well, anG, being tethered somewhat
| by love of wife and children, was
mostly stationary there, yet solaced
himself by running little schooner to
Boston, and driving thriving bit OF
trade by the means. With that rev.
| erence for learning which never de-
serts the New Highlander, he liked us
the better for being collegians, and
amiably conceded that there were
things quite worth knowing taught
'up to Brunswick there though he
delighted now and then to show his
superiority in talking about what he
knew better than we.
Jim Larned, the mate, was a lusty
youngster, a sisters son whom he had
taken in training in the way he should
60 Jim had already made voyage
to Liverpool and the West Indies,
| and felt himself also quite an authori-
iy in his own way
The evenings were raw and cool,
and we generally gathered round the
cabin stove cracking walnuts. smoking
and telling stories, and having jolly
time generally. 1t is but due to those
old days to say that a most respecta
Bile Puritan flavor penetrated even the
recesses of those coasters-a sort of
gentle Bible and Psalm. book aroma,
80 that there was not a word or a
Joke among the men to annoy the
susceptibilities even of a deacon. Our
deacon. Somewhat consoled and
amended, lay serene in his berth,
rather enjoying the yarns that we
were spinning. The web. of course,
was many-colored-of quaint and
strange and wonderful-and as the
night wore on it was dyed in certain
weird tints of the supernatural.
WELL said Jim Larned, folks may
say what they're mind to, there are
things that there's no sort o. way o.
counting for-things you've just got
to say, Well, here's suthin' to work
that don't know nothin' about; and
come to question any man up sharp,
you'll find he's seen one thing of that
sort himself, and this ere I'm going
to tells my story:
-Four years ago | went down to
Aunt Jerushy's, at Fair Haven. Her
husbands in the oysterin' business,
and used to 60 out with him consid-
cradle. Well, there was Bill Jones
there, real bright fellow, one of your
open handed, lively fellows, and he
took fancy to me and l to him, and
he and | struck up friendship. He
run an oyster smack to New York,
and did a considerable good business
for young man. Well. Bill had a
fellow on his smack that | never liked
the looks of. He was from the Ma
lays, or some foreign critter or other,
spoke broken English, had eyes set
kind o edgeways N his head homely
as sin he was, and I always mistrusted
him. BILL l used to say, you look
out for that fellow, don't you trust
him. If / was you I'd ship him off
short metre But Bill he only laugh
ed. why says he, Il can get double
work for the same pay out o. that
fellow; and what do | care if he amt.
handsoms?' / remember how clipper
an CHEEKY Bill looked when he was
sayin' that, just as he was going down
to New York with his load o. oysters.
Well, the next night | was sound
asleep in Aunt Jerusha's front cham.
Der, that opens towards the Sound,
and was walked right clear out C.
sleep by Bills voice screaming to me.
| got up and ran to the window and
looked out, and I heard it again, plain
as anything: Jim Jim! Help Helpr
1t wasn't common cry neither; it
was screeched out, as ii somebody
was numbering him. / tell you, it
rung through my head for weeks af
terward.'
well, what came of it?' said my
chum, as the narrator made a pause,
and We al looked ct him IN silence.
well, as nigh as we can make it
out, that very night poor Bill was
murdered by that very Malay Teller !;
leastways, his body was found in his
boat. He'd been stabbed, and all his
money and watch and things taken,
and this Malay was gone nobody
knew where. That's all that was
ever known about it,
But surely said my chum, who
was of very literal and rationalistic
turn of mind, sit couldn't have been
his voice you heard; he must have
been down to the other end of the
Sound, close by New York, by that
time.'
WELL said the mate, sall know is
that was walked out of my sleep by
Bills voice calling my name, scream
ing in real agony. 1t went through
me like lightning; and then / find he
was murdered that night. Now, T
don't know anything about Il. know
heard him calling me; / know be
was murdered but hor it was, or
,oiat it was, or ,Chy it was, l dent
know
'Those ERE college boys can tell ye,'
said the captain. of course they've
got into Sophomore year, and there
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