The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-11-20
His Cock His Roommate and His Cove
.nant with the Lord

tain at Sailors Snug Harbor. where he has passed
the last decade of his three score years aud ten.
Staten Island seemed gloomy enough In the fog
and the rain. The trees front of the Sailors
Home had just wept their last leaves away in the No
vember gale and stood like naked sentinels upon
the lawn. But once past the iron gates. past the
huge monument to Richard CrandalI and through
the broad doorway Of the house. the reporter found
himself in most tranquil scene. Seven hundred
veterans of the storm stranded at last upon the bar
Of Time. were only waiting there to 60 to pieces.
With age enfeebled limbs but hearts of oak they hob
bled through the great long halls. played at domi-
noes worked, read and talked OF the days when they
bounded bravely over the blue. The reporter asked
for Rickerson. and Captain Bill volunteered to
pilot him. He not In his room. nor in the gar
ret. where lay lot Of time worn chests and fleet
Of sailing models. nor in the workroom. where mon
were plating bamboo.
perhaps he is playing dominoes?" suggested the
reporter.
.'No. he ain't." said Captain Bill. "He don't
play dominoes and he don't leave his room but
mighty seldom. Maybe he's back there now."
SAIL SAIL!
Captain Robertson 8 door stood open . second
VISIT and in the centre OF the the reporter
the man of dreams beyond doubt He wore suit
of blue flannel the pantaloons rolled up. the coat
rolled down. and q mass Of shaggy white hair COW
cred his head and chin He waved the reporter in
by windmill motion Of his left arm and peered
into his face with pair of mild blue eyes to see If
he could recognize him.
Captain Rickerson?" asked the reporter.
THAT'S me-" and he reached out his hand.
"!'ve been looking all over the building for you.'
way I'm fixed" and the Captain surveyed himself
in systematic way. beginning at his feet and end
ing at his withered fingers.
Don't mind that: came to ask you about your
dream of the end OF the world"
He gave the reporter chair. took another for
lov,1 aI,
his brow and said. "wen. that dream amt Of much
consequence. especially as it didn't come true. My
dreams is more edifyin' than anythin' ese"
How long have you been an Adventist?'
''More'n forty years. I'll tell yer remarkable
ru.ry, is4s I've jes wit the same yarn to my wife
in New York on postal keerd. told her ter show
it ter Brother Moses. Yer may know hims Most
''I'm afraid DON'T" the reporter said.
well. he's one ov the brethren that prays in
How do you mean?"
81 mean he plays the somethin-or-other in the
Cooper Union meetin'."
"Plays the concertinaY'
THAT'S it." and the reporter recognized one he
had seen at the last Sundays meeting. The Captain
was grnthed and continued :-'.I ant seen Moses in
birthday. 2sth of July"
"How old were your"
"Jes seventy" went up thinkin' they might
treat little bettern usual on that day. an they
laughed ut the happy recollection.
'.But about the coincidencey'
"well, yer see. I've bin . pilot an surveyor long
the coast In the United States service most ov nv
the war, cuz knowed the coast bettern any ov em.
Jes thirty-six birthdays ago, on the 2sth vJuly.
Tran IN the United Estates
On the last day ov February. AFTER that. George
Storrs wuz preachin' in Franklin Hall. on Chatham
derd more. All at once suthin' come right through
the winder. It sounded like n bullet stone but
no stone wuz ever found inside. Most every
The Lord has come now.' 1 was standin
Hold up YER right hand Il sounded kinder
onhumanlike. They say the voice the Lord is
sharper nor two-ed cd sword. and guess it is.
My hand went up ez nigh ez L could fetch it. but
| somehow l felt kinder suspicious. One ov the
brethren might have hollered that in my ear. But
the conhrmin ov 1t come. 1t allus does" and Cap
tain Rickerson became exceedingly grave
"why. what happenedY' asked the reporter.
The Captain rose to his feet and contnued:-"I
looked down. and Their wuz the poop deck ov ship
right under me. Ship Franklin SEE l. ez soon cz
ship jes like the Franklin. but ali blue an the purt-
lest craft ever see. 1t in the air before my
eyes an then went outer sight. Gone up! SEE I
everybody else laughed That's the whole ov it,"
THE CAPTAINS ROOMMATE.
The door OF the room opened this moment to
admit compact old sailor. who nodded to the
porter and whom Captain Rickerson introduced as
Captain Bayles. ''We've bin talkin' over religion
said he to Captain Bayles. and turning to the re-
porter-'He and hez plenty OF sich discussions.
this one." jerking his two thumbs toward those
| articles on opposite sides of the ROOM
Captain bay'es SAID nothing but rowned as
| much. Then he found article he had been
looking for and went out.
Eyer wouldn't like Cap'n Bayles. guess," said
Captain Rickerson rs the door closed again. "Ho's
kinder well. he's Scotchman. But, tslkin' ov
that co-inside-ence in Franklin Hall, there's lady
| my brothers wife, now she's q wilder writ me
while since that oughter stop tellin' it, writ
back agn, an SEE l, Yer believe in repentin' and
baptizin an all that but yer don't want me ter be-
lieve what see with my own eyes and heerd with
my own ears Then tole her what Moses got fur
not havn faith an Il got this all outer history how
Sampson wuz bound and his eyesght put out cuz he
listened to . wicked Philistine woman. amt heerd
"But this dream of the worlds coming to an
endY'
"Pll give you another o-insido-ence said tho hecd
less Captain. THAT never told nobody. Professor
| whiting-yer may hev heerd ov himY No? Well I
da nT te cosh sho and ne
| sprang from his chair and put his down TO
old fashioned timepiece that stood on his bureau.
''sho's gon. That clock ov Capn Bayles'
makes sich a racket sometimes can't hear
New York on my last birthday the clock
stopped jes arter l wound her up. She'd allus
bin good clock, and couldn't make out why she
stopped. took her ter clock maker and when 1
tho hands didn't move. The clock maker took her
agin and looked at her moren hour. well. we'll.
well sez he. Then told him what Whiting said,
right. She ain't done nohn wrong since" And
the Captain looked anectonately toward his COM
panion on the bureau. 81 may say" he added, 'she
lost half mint the first month but she got IL back
the next. tried her by this line yer on the floor.
When the sun strikes this ere pinhesd it's OIL the
meridian. know it's right. All ov 'em round
here come ter me fur the right time o. day"
STRANGE VISIONS.
"But that dream of yours, Captain, I want to hear
that" the reporter said.
III he'd number on EN- They wuz only con-
nrmin ov what ia seen before. I'm waitin fur the
Lord ter come and pray every day, but Ican't set
no time fur Him. one night dreamed there wuz
big kite over my bed, and that wuz ter git up in
that way. 'Nuther time dreamed some young men,
who called 'emselves my childern told me they
had got passage fur some place on the earth. Once
dreamed Admiral Trenchsrd wanted me ter pilot
the ship Washington ter some unknown place. an
once the ship Portsmouth tn the same way. Yer see
wuz on all them vessels. On October ID dreamed
some young men, who said they wuz my children
ION the Portsmouth the youngsters use ter call me
poppy, these young men said they wuz goin' ter