St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-07-21

| they all calculated to make their for
tunes by her, for every one of them
Maine fellers is born sailors, and know
how to swim and row and haul ropes
as soon as they can tread shOe-leather.
"DeacOn Jabez had lumber camp,
and he calculated to make shocks,
headings and hoop poles, and run 'em
over to the West Indies for them to
make hogsheads of, and carry over
salt Goldfish and sich-sO make money
hand over hand.
''But Just as they'd got the keel laid
and the work well along news come
that the ward broke out, and sure
enough, fust we heard there was a
British ship o. war skittering up and
down off our Maine coast; and we
heard that if they found any American
vessels, they took 'em and burned 'em.
" Wal, boys says the deacon,
we've got to stand to our guns. We
won't let them Britishers burn our
schooner, will we?' And so after that,
sure enough, every feller slept with his
gun loaded at the head of his bed, and
two took turns keepin' watch by the
ship every night.
''Well, We see, the creek run in
through heavy belt o timber land,
and it kinked and crinkled round so,
that we calculated there was fair
chance that nobody would know where
twas We see there's tide enough in
all them creeks to float pretty large
craft.
''But one morning, when they was
all to work, hammerin' and sawin' for
dear life, sure enough, they see Il boat
with four sailor fellers in it comm
cruisin' up the creek.
" Boys says the deacon, ''they've
found us out. | know what they're
arter,' says he.
"For all that the old deacon spoke
'em fair. He showed 'em all round the
works, and come dinner time he invi-
ted 'em up to dinner and give 'em Il
right square meal cider and beef and
pork and pumpkin pie and dOughnuts,
all they could eat and the young fel-
Ter that commanded the boat he was
struck up the minute he was introduced
to Cerinthy. In fact, the minute they
looked ut each other | could see there
was a-goin' to be Suthin' between them
two.
"He was a nice, handsome young
fellow, mighty sociable, and he told
the boys he used to he Il carpenter i'll
the old country till one day he was took
by press gang and carried off to sea
without askin' leave or license, and
nat'ally he didn't like it.
ale took the deacon aside and told
him he felt as if he'd come on real
mean business, but the fact was, the
captain had heard they were building
some sort of Il vessel and had sent them
up to look into it. 'They jest burn
every vessel they tind,' says he; but
thought mebbe if you went down and
offered him some money, he'd shut his
eyes and not know anything about this
one
"Deacon Jabez he Strengthened him
self up. Il aint the man to give or take
bribe,' says he. The schooner i.
f private property, and it is not right
that he should burn it. I'll go dow
with you and have straight out tall
with your captain about it, says he
, that's what l will do. As to burning
the schooner, there's a cOnsiderabl,
q chance he can't do it.
" "'There's me and my nine boys, anC
come to that, there's my wife and Ce
! rinthy can handle gun with the bes
, of us and there's all the fellers in on
\ lumber camp are ready to come dow
! when they hear guns fred
f :" Well says this young Graham
you jest go and set this all before on
captain
= 3"Wal, the deacon he called Eb an,
: Tim and told 'em how things stood ant
= where he was goin', and says to 'em
you Jest go to the lumber-camp and sc
some fellows there, and camp along il
the woods each side of the Devils Grip
and wait there till they come bacl
: with me in the boat. If | sing Ou
n All right'-why, all is right, but if yo1
q see me setting still with a pretty stit
; boats crew along why, then, boys
let fly aint afraid of your hitting
me but turn 'em back-don't let 'eI
|. through the Grip
q "When the deacon started to go, Ce
: rinthy she begged he wouldn't; an
then young Graham steps up and h
- SAYS to her, Miss Sewel, III bring hir
back safe-I pledge my life for it
II says he.
, t'She Jest looked ct him and said, T.
n trust you, sir,-Cerinthy had Il pair {
{, ewes that alters said more than she di
: it made fellcr feel taller to hav
= her say she trusted him, and so off tn
boat went with the deacon in it.
~ oval, come to get the old man o
! shipbOard, the captain was pretty II
= and down with him. He must pU
Il down a hundred dollars, he said, q
if he'd bum the vessel and the deacon
- he said he hadn't got no hundred dollar
10 for no such purpose, and as to burnin
il the schooner, he'd find he'd have {
= get it fust, and it wouldn't be so eas
as he thought.
. "The captain he swOre at him an
# ordered up long boats crew of fellel
i and told 'em to go straight up and bur
n that schooner, unless the old man pal
p down the money when they got there
" 81 warn you, cap'n', said the deacon
n you're sending these boys right int
/ danger of their lives But the captai
n he swore the harder and told 'em to b
off =; he'd teach the Yankees to com
al down with their civility money.
n cant you pay down the money
n says young Graham, when they &C
IN started.
- Il halnt got no money to pay dow
# for that | can't pay without takil
a Door mems wages. and | sha'n't do thu
* besides right is right and wrong
v wrong, anu Soii 'ipt"ih mas 81" iiSi
ID to burn private property. I'm SOFT
TO for these honest fellows here-I'l
as afraid it'll go hard with 'em.'
It "Well, fore long they come to I'll
Y place they call the Devils Grip, whel
ID the shores rise each side high and rock
n and covered with bushes and trees,
m that a hundred men could he poste
a each side and nobody see 'em. I'll
deacon he folded his arms and sat Il
nd straight and still when the boat sale
a in, when bang came shot that brOl
IN the stroke-oar's arm, and another can