The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-03-13
The Youth Who Wanted to Raise the
Black Flag.

He was only a small boy, with a
freckled face and hayseed in his hair,
but he carried a two-dollar pistol in his
clothes, and he had come on from
Lynn, Mass, to be pirate. He was
picked up at Pier "A, looking Iongingly
out to sea. Evidently the gentle child
wanted to know the nearest way to the
Spanish Main, and was figuring on
his chances of sending few galleons
to the bottom when Policeman O'Neil
came along. He was frapk boy,
though, and when he was questioned
he plumply told what brought him
here and how badly he wanted to 90
into the buccaneering business. That
made his captor still more curious
about him, but he never for moment
thought of concealing the rides he had
stolen on baggage-cars or the strategic
ruse by which he had given the slip to
the old folks at home. Aspirations as
high as those the runaway thirteen
year-older protested could not be al
lowed to lapguish while a police-court
atmosphere was so close at hand, so
yesterday they introduced the embryo
scourge of the seas as Francis Sherlock
to His Honor at the Jefferson Market
bar.
You have come all the way to this
town to be q pirateP" said the magis-
trate.
The prisoner said he had, and tried
to raise himself q couple of additional
inches by standing on tiptoe. His
Honor looked over him critically, and
said "Humn' with considerable empha-
sis, but the other did not shirk his
scrutiny bit.
81 don't think you'll do for me-"
His Honor went on, after reflective
pause. "You haven't killed anyone
outright yet, and l question whether
you've even set a house on fire. Be-
sides, you don't swear loud enough;
and l doubt if you drink hot blood with
any relish"
The terror" from Lynn looked
abashed. Clearly he was painfully
sensitive of the defects in his education.
81 might be the cabin boy" he ven
tured, after while.
"No you mightn't," the court
promptly returned. "You can't take
a back somersault down the h atchway
without breaking your neck; you don't
know how to rip things up properly in
the cooks galley, and you couldn't
crack joke at an old sea-dog without
getting thrashed. You won't do, no.
how"
The young marauder looked quite
pensive. "Well, couldn't be the fell
low that lays around and says the funny
thingsP" he asked.
"rm afraid that berth's engaged, my
boy. In fact, the only job you might
come in for is to take the fellows place
that gets chopped up and buried with
the plumber to keep it snug and safe.
Would that suitp" This time there was
no hesitation on the prisoners part in
saying that it wouldn't.
40, it won't, ehP" said His Honor.
"Then I'm afraid we can't do anything
for you. Young men like you are a
drug in the market just now. We had
troop on LAST week looking for Indians
to shoot; there's more than a dozen
around wanting to go on the highway,
but it's only occasionally we come
across gentlemen of your age with such
modesty and innocent aspirations as
your own. We've a place uptown
where you can take hand in. There's
not much burning or blood-shedding
going on, but they've an uncommonly
lively shoe factory, and they cane a
chair quicker'n you could heave mar
lin-spike. You had better stop there
till we hear what they have to say
about your vocation in Lynn" IN. Y
Herald.
AN Oregon schoolmarm, who has