Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-05-08
gals. and never dreamin' that they
would disobcy him.

AS l said tust off. arter loadin' to
10 feet, we mad to drop down four
miles, takin' the rest of the cargo
frem lighters and then begun my
troublesome connection with this
courtin' scrape. Every night so soon
as 1t were dark the gig were call
ed away, and the old man, dressed in
his best, would be pulled up to the
landin and would go off for to meet
his gal either at the stevedore's house
or somewhere else. He mad choosed
us as picked crew of steady men
that ne could depend on, and always
Civ us glass Of grog on landin' and
another when we got back to the
ship. 1t were the old chaps darter
as he were sweet onto, while the
tother skipper were mashed onto the
cousin, and us two boats crews was
layin' low at the landin' every blcs-
sed night till all hours was gone. So
things Went OH Tor Il couple of weeks
till our cargo were in, and both ships
were ready for sea. The old man
cleared out and got his papers from
the collector along in the AFTERNOON,
aad we pulled him utf aboard of tue
ship. Jist .for" we showed off, there
the boat, and we took it off aboard of
the ship.
"Shall | hist up the gig, sir ?" Gays
the mate.
"No," says the old man, 81 shall
want her 10 go Ill arter q tug-boat II
so be as | concludes for to 60 out to-
night, and you may git everythlu'
ready, sir, and heavc short by and by,
for the tide will sarIc arter midnight
and L may conclude for TO go instead
OF waitin' till tomorrow arter-noon,'
says the OH man.
''lt don't look much ii!.. a a-goin'
night, says the mate "ana the glass
are pretty low, notice."
"Oh, it's summer time" says the
old man, I'VE needn't be afeard OF
weather This time of year,
About eight bells the gig were call
ed away aud we pulled the old man
III as ususl. "Tom," says he to ma,
II are goin' 10 trust somsthin' very
precious to you, and if ali goes well
you shall have $40 apiece for yourself
and the rest of the gigs crew. Pm
goin' for to be spliced, and as soon
as it's over my missus W i'll be Civ to
your charge and you must pull for
your lives aboard OF the ship. [ shall
follow with a tug-boat and q pilot,
and by daylight we'll be we'll outside.
AS soon as you git aboard show the
lady right down to my room and let
the steward bave charge Of her."
1t were about six bells when the
| Old man come a scurryin' down to
the landin' and in voice scarce above
whisper called for iue. "Ave, ave,
SIR" says 1, and il another minnit we
| had the lady in the boat aud was off,
leayln' the other buat's crew what
| belonged TO the bark a-waitin'. The
night were pitch dark, but We Rad
pulled down there toe many times to
miss our way, and with a strong ebb
tide a-helpin' us, in about haif-hour
we was alongside and got the skip
per's new wife safely on board. By
midnight the tug come alongside with
the old man and the pilot, and in
hfteen miunits ar ter that we was
under way and town down. The
oia man tells the stewart for TO keep
the missis locked in his room, SO as
the pilot shouldn't see her, and then
he takes him down into the cabin for
TO have glass of grog, and he goes
into the mates room and shifts his
self, putin OH his sea clothes. You
see he were afeard il the pilot know'1i
as she were aboard he might refuse
for o take the ship to sea, he bein'
well acquainted with the old man as
! was her father.
When we get nigh down TO the
mouth OF the harbor the pilot went
aboard of the tug, which went OH
ahead, and we begin for to get the
muslin onto her, sheetin' home and
sottIh' all three of he topsails. There
had been a heavy bank of cloud al
the nor west from the time we start
ed and in this the lightning begin to
piaY, and at intervals there would be
mutiered roll OF the thunder.
Never mind the to'yallan' sails, -
says the old mau, ''till we see what
this are goin' to amount to-" 1t were
about SIX bells of the mid watch
when we got outside and the tug let
go OF US, and it were about as ugly Il
iookin' morniu' as one would wish to
see.
Lay cverythin' down clear for
runhln'," says the old man, .'aud have
hand at each topsail" haiyard."
Wo't jist got the foresail set when
wit h tremendous roar the suualt
struck us.
LET go the tepssii halyard," sun.
out the Old man, ':anu send man 10
the lee wheel; keep her dead ai fore it -
Down comes all three topsaIl yards
sy the run, and we clapped on To the
reef tackles and bowseu 'en out IL
far as we could git 'em, and then let
hL a
were off like a struck dolphin, flyiup
afore the squah at the rate of ten
miles an hour.
mate.
NO. says the old man, ''let her
20; it,ii soon be over aut we'll have
hhc weather artcr IT," but lie daren't
leave the deck for it wcr, "A awful
hard squat and we KEEP right along
III It Al! the time the Lightning beim' So
lncessant that the flashes seemed
hashes of darkness and the rain
COMM down in torrents. Ia Il couple
OF hours, hows'ever, ii were over
and rs the day broke We was able for
to hist up the topsaii yards and give
Ter the to'gailan' sails.
"lhen" for the lust time the old
man were able tor 10 90 below aud
see his new made wife. 1t weren't
long, hoWsoever, afore he were up
agin and sendiu' for the mate. were
aft at the wheel and heerd oil thar
were said, the old man knowin' that
| knoW'd all about it aud so no,
mindin' me.
there's been Il awful mistake, +"
says i'e to the mate, land I've mar
rled the wrong woman This aiut
my wife as is below but it's her
cousin; that is, she are my wife, be-
cause Im sp!lced onto her, but il
were her that Williams were to
marry"
"How did it all happen ?" SAYS the
mate.
"lt were al arranged" says the old
man, Tor IN" thing TO come of at
the stevcdere's house at the !andlu'
the parson We're let into the job and
were Civ big fec for to splice the
pair Of us, and the sIevedorc's wife
Insisted OIL keepin' the whole house
dark SO no one would suspect any
thlu'. We was to be spliced fusf and
then Williams and his gal, and how
the two brides got mixed is Ia ore than
knew; but we was al terribly excit-
cd, and jist as soon as the ceremony
was performed | rushed my wife
Gown TO the boat, neither Of ts speak.
III word and new watts to be
done p