The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1880-04-29
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Pspper Adams didn't keow sboas vss-
ses wtsnt soub knovisg
Bal then Pepper VITO wss $, tie time
q as sio'y shout dtiesn yeArs old, bad
bees either eosstirR, sr 6shing or wreck,
ipg longsbore ulth bis Ather, skipper
Adsms, ia toe old schooner Bctsey ever
sBce be was little ak yesrold shaver
lasi big snossh 20 tend be % sheet,
And whal gave bim special nsuiicsI
honor In ouf boyish eyes was that he had
msdt voyage from Poflland 10 ST. John
in squsre rigger, and been mentioned
by oae 81 tBe crew as every ineb a sailor
For, though RlyermoRih has uue OF lhs
finest haIboFs on the coast, since the decay
of ship building, only iOre.aud-slt schoob'
ere, or 40 occasional brig, Is seen there Al
Anchor
In the winter, Pepper generally attend
ed school, aud the way be made up for
lost time wss : csution TO some Of h,
fellows, who often grumbled because We
couidn't lose little time.
But Pepper meant to make something
Of himself.
Some day meau to be sea captain,
be would say aud want to know bow
10 DO other things besides sailing a ship
skipper Adams was very proud Of bi'
no,htfess boy mot only for bis nautical
skill aud his love OF study.
There ainh a cleaner mouthed boy ia
Riyermonih, Was his not undeserved
boast For no Que ever knew Pepper
Adams TO chew or smoke, lie, swear, OF
use impure language.
Aud this Kind OF clean moulhedness Iii
! may 20 speakis The first step to pure
heart.
Faults, Pepper had in plenty, like other
boys, but nothing OF the foul.mouthed
order.
Pepper aud | were trying to mscserel
on certain Saturday, few years since,
a mile or two outside OF Riyermouth bar.
Dor, but without much success, which
didn't really trouble us much, because the
mackerel were a sort OF an excuse for a
prolonged sail All, me, how should
like to enjoy saii-or anything else for
tbsl matter, as when a boy
We had Skipper Adams cinker-bullt,
catrigged boat--the safest aud most
westbery Of her size In Rivermouth-- "a
boat which Pepper himself once beat into
the hsrbor under close rect, one fearful
winters night against nor'west gale and
head beat eea. Everybody gave Pepper
up for lost that night but the skipper.
Ifthe boapll float, Pepper'll bring her
in, said Skipper Adams confidently.
And sure enough be did, though the
sail was frozen as stiff as board so that
II oonl,in't be lowered, and Peppers fin.
fers and toes were almost iD the same
condition. Bnt where am /
As was about to say, nowadays the
sun never seems so bright, aud sea and
sky 80 blue, as they did on the delightful
June day OF which speak. Aud even
now think that there is sense OF enjoy
ment in steering a swifl-ssiling boat, with
the wind on the quarter, which is unlike
anything else in the world-unless indeed
II be that of driving fast horse.
Yet even there the boat has the advsn-
tage, for It can't run away and break the
best top-buggy all TO smithereens.
So the Petrol danced gaily over the
long, regular waves, past spruce covered
islands, with here aud there a fishermsn's
cot; past low-lying ledges, where sea
guls flew and screamed, wbere-be it
ever so calm the sea continually broke,
featber.whits, against the wave washed
reefs.
On every hand were sailing vessels
mostly eossters-and far up the shore a
huddle Of tiny white sails showed that the
Rivermouth fishermen bad probsbly raised
their iinDy prey.
One vessel 10 particuar-an old bluff
bowed schooner IN ballsst--excited our
wonder as we neared her. Not on &C.
count of the words, Mount Desert 0mni-
bus which some one had chalked in huge
letters outside tho bulwarks lhough this OF
itself seemed funny enough, but by reason
OF the eurou. carryings on aboard
Why, as we drew stil nearer, one
would have thought the vessel which
Pepper declared to be The old coaster,
Sachem, of Benton, was carrying a cargo
oflnnAlics somewhere.
We could see about dozen fail grown
meu who appeared 70 bs playing leap froe
on deck. As the schooner would occs-
sionsly give iszy lea.roli, all hands
would be tumbed together in mixed up
heap, with nothing bat legs or arms visi.
bic aboge the rail. asd such screams Of
laagbihr, shouts and cheers, dou't won
der that the captsin, who sat guile at bis
ease on 4 siool. steering, looked bewilder.
ed. Espeeially, as all at once Que Of the
party IA ull bearded man, about six feet
high, suddenly rushed al him with what
seemed 20 be feather bolster, and smoie
him to the deck hen they sll screamed
AgAiu.
When they saw ns, there was lull Tor q
moment " two Then the whole party
ran TO the side, sud poftiy, handsome,
smoolh.isoed mAu seized a cornet from
the after house, played bar or two,
when 81 Of them began to sing, a Life
on the Ocean Wave, with cornet accom-.
paying, And you dou't know bow 1uely
Il sounded, for they bad evidently suug
together great deal
That you, Pepperf The caplala shouted,
a. We psssed quite near andtr the vessels