The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-02-11
The Captains Wife.
From the Boston Courier.

lut OdpUdlu , WlIts
From the Boston Courier.
'No sir, it ain no uncommon
thing" said Mr.. Doldrum, 'for a
whaling skipper to take his wife off
on four or five years. voyage and
some of them right whalers, who
poke their figure heads as near to the
North Pole as they can without
touching it, stay away as long as
seven years.
"Just think of it, / knew skipper
once who got married two weeks be-
fore he got orders to sail, and his wife
couldn't 60, because she was so gal
lied and frightened at salt water. 1
tell you there was weeping and wall
ing on board the old Osprey before
she cast off; and when she got back,
four years later, that skipper retired
to private life"
Ellis wife must have suffered q
great deal during his absence" re-
piled /. ..-
"Ot course she did, but then she
was true blue and full Of grit in fact,
she was born within toss of biscuit
from Howland's wharf, in New Bed
ford, and she learned the smell of oil
when she was baby" -
"But that amt the woman was
going to tell you about. Heaven
rest her soul, she's dead now-though
if ever there was an angel III petit
coats, she was one. I always remem-
Der poor Joe, in Bleak House, when
think of her. She was mighty
good to me. she was.'" f......
81 should really like to hear about
her, Mr.. Doldrum." ,gae t.'i
"That's her picture" said he, tax
ing out a photograph well worn by
constant carrying in his pocket. =.
It's all I've got to remember her
by, except the memory Of her which
goes out only when I shuttle off my
coil and douse the glim. af
You see had just signed ships
articles as second mate for four years
on the barque George and S,tsan
made two voyages before with the
same skipper. AS I was leaving the
owners Office 1 met the captain com.
ing up the gangway with a woman
holding on to his arm.
'Mr. Doldrum, let me introduce
you to my wife. You will be ship.
mates together aud might as well
know each other beforehand
I DOTTED my head gear when she
held out her hand and gave me a
regular sailors grip.
/ kinder saw that she took a Xix
ing to me, and that made me feel
easy, for it wouldn't do to have a
woman down on you board a ship,
and that woman the shippers wife.
She asked me lots Of questions :;
how many voyages I had made, and
if l had saved any money? finally
hauled off and luffed up till reached
a outftter's shop, when I overhauled
their slop chest and picked out dnds
l needed for the voyage, slowed I'M
away in my donkey, or chest, as you
landsmen call it, and had it sent
down to the vessel.
In three or four days we had the
customary good wishes and chap.
lain's prayers for good luck and safe
return, cast off moorings, and ere
long we were standing masthead off
the Western Islands.
We raised a school one morning
and, after a hard days work, caught
three which slowed down SO barrels.
They were all cow-whales, and did
not try out only little more than
30 barrels each. But it was good to
start on, and would make ballast,
doubling the Cape.
Off the Horn we had lively time
OF it; got into fog and nearly run
ashore on sheer coast before we
knew what was the matter.
The shippers wife was on deck
most OF the time, and, though that
was her first voyage, her quick ear
caught the sound OF breakers on our